Aurora (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aurora
Aurora at Ravnedalen Live in Kristiansand, Norway (2024).
Background information
Birth name	Aurora Aksnes
Born	(1996-06-15) 15 June 1996 (age 29) Stavanger, Norway
Genres	Art pop Nordic folk synth-pop electropop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer voice actress
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	2012–present
Labels	Decca Glassnote Petroleum

Aurora Aksnes (born 15 June 1996), known simply as Aurora, is a singer, songwriter, and music producer from Norway. Many people think she is one of Norway's most important artists. She was born in Stavanger and grew up in the small towns of Høle and Os. Aurora started writing her own songs and learning to dance when she was six years old.

Some of her songs were put online and became very popular in Norway. Because of this, she signed a music contract with Petroleum Records, Decca, and Glassnote Records in 2014. Aurora became well-known with her first mini-album, Running with the Wolves (2015). This album included the popular song "Runaway". Later that year, she sang a cover of the Oasis song "Half the World Away" for a famous Christmas advertisement.

She became one of the biggest new artists in Norwegian pop music in the 2010s. Her first full album, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend (2016), was number one on the Norwegian music charts for two weeks. This album was liked by many and became platinum-certified twice in Norway. Her second album, Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1) (2018), was the first part of a two-part album. The second part was her third album, A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) (2019). Her fourth album, The Gods We Can Touch, came out in 2022. Aurora released her fifth album, What Happened to the Heart?, in June 2024.

Her music often mixes electropop, folk, and art pop sounds. People often describe her singing voice as "dreamy" or "otherworldly." When she first started, she mostly played the piano. But later, she also learned to play percussion and got involved in making the music herself. Besides her own songs, Aurora has worked with other artists like Sub Urban and the Chemical Brothers. In 2022, she sang for the Frozen Planet II soundtrack with film composer Hans Zimmer. They even performed the song "Take Me Back Home" together at a big concert hall.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

View of Lysefjord near Os, where Aurora grew up.

Aurora Aksnes was born on June 15, 1996, in Stavanger, Norway. She is the youngest of three daughters. Her older sisters are Miranda, a makeup artist, and Viktoria, a fashion designer. Aurora spent her first three years in Høle, a small town. There, she grew to love nature, singing, and traditional clothes.

Later, her family moved to Drange, a small village in the Os mountains. This area is close to Bergen and a beautiful fjord called Lysefjord, which means "fjord of light." Aurora has said this place is very quiet with lots of trees and bad internet. She even compared it to the magical land of Narnia. She calls herself a "forest person" because she loves being in nature and climbing trees.

When she was a child, Aurora found an electric piano in her parents' attic. It used to belong to her sister. She was amazed by the sounds it could make. She would also sing along to songs like "Don't Worry, Be Happy" with her family. Even though her parents sang in a choir, Aurora is the only one in her family who became a musician.

She started learning piano at age six by trying to play her favorite classical songs. She loved being able to create music by herself. When she was nine, she started writing her own songs. She was influenced by artists like Leonard Cohen and Enya.

Aurora's parents never pushed her to become a musician. She preferred to keep her music private. She thought about becoming a doctor, a physicist, or a dancer. She took dance classes from age 6 to 16 and performed in a dance group.

The first song she finished writing was called "The Lonely Man." Another early song was "I Had a Dream," which was about how tough the world can be. She once performed this song at her high school. A recording of her song "Puppet" (which was a Christmas gift for her parents) and a video of her school performance were put online without her knowing. A music company quickly found them. They invited Aurora to meet them in 2013. At first, Aurora said no. But her mom told her to think about sharing her music. Her mom said maybe someone out there really needed to hear it. Soon, both songs had thousands of views in Norway, and Aurora became known in her home country.

Career Highlights

2012–2016: All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend

Aurora at Green Man Festival in 2015

Aurora released "Puppet" as her first song in December 2012. She then spent about a year writing more songs. Her second song, "Awakening," came out in March 2014. This was the first song released under her stage name, Aurora. Her third song, "Under Stars," was the first one released with her labels Glassnote Records and Decca Records in November 2014. These songs made her known as a "Promising Artist" and got good reviews.

Her song "Runaway" was released in February 2015. Famous singers like Katy Perry and Troye Sivan noticed it. Her next song, "Running with the Wolves," came out in April 2015, along with a music video. This song got attention from BBC Radio. It was released with the news that her first mini-album, Running with the Wolves, would be coming out. The mini-album was released in May 2015 and got good reviews. To promote it, she played at music festivals like Way Out West and Green Man Festival.

Aurora's song "Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" was released in September 2015. She also performed at the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Concert. She said it was a very special event to be part of. Her performance was praised by the host, Jay Leno. She played a sold-out show in London and opened for the band Of Monsters and Men. Aurora recorded a cover of the Oasis song "Half the World Away" for the 2015 John Lewis Christmas advertisement. Her next song, "Conqueror," was released in January 2016. It was also featured in the video game FIFA 16.

In early 2016, Aurora sang on the British band Icarus' song "Home." She also released a cover of David Bowie's "Life on Mars" for the TV show Girls. Her first full album, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, came out in March 2016. It received many good reviews from critics. After releasing the album, Aurora went on a world tour that lasted over a year.

Aurora performed on American TV shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Conan in 2016. She also performed "Life on Mars" on The Howard Stern Show. Aurora became one of the first artists to work with YouTube on a special content program. She starred in a short documentary called "Nothing is Eternal."

2017–2019: Infections of a Different Kind and A Different Kind of Human

Aurora in Paris, France, in March 2018

After her first album, Aurora said she planned to release many more. In 2016, she announced she was ready to start writing new music for her second album. She said she had many demo songs and ideas. She covered the song "Scarborough Fair" for a Brazilian TV show. Between April and August 2018, she released two songs, "Queendom" and "Forgotten Love." These songs were part of the first half of a two-part album. Aurora recorded the album in France and worked with other producers. She performed some of her new songs at big festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella.

Much of her new music was inspired by meeting her fans during her first tour. The music video for "Queendom" came out in May 2018. It showed ideas of being welcoming and supporting people who are often overlooked, especially her LGBT fans. In the video, Aurora kisses one of her dancers to show that "every type of love is accepted."

On September 28, 2018, Aurora released the first part of her second album, called Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1). This mini-album has eight songs. Aurora said the title song was "the most important song I've ever written." The second part, A Different Kind of Human (Step 2), followed on June 7, 2019. It included the songs "Animal" and "The River."

In April 2019, Aurora helped write and sang on songs like "Eve of Destruction" for The Chemical Brothers' album No Geography. In November 2019, the soundtrack for the Disney movie Frozen II was released. Aurora sang backing vocals on the song "Into the Unknown". In February 2020, she performed this song live at the 92nd Academy Awards with other singers. She later released her own version of "Into the Unknown" as a single.

2020–2023: The Gods We Can Touch

Aurora performing at the Pryzm club in Kingston upon Thames (2022)

Aurora released the song "Exist for Love" in May 2020. She said it was her first love song, and she directed its music video herself. She made the song during the COVID-19 lockdown. This song was the first hint of a "new era" in her music career. She also sang the title song for a Norwegian Christmas TV show called 'Stjernestøv [no]. She sang on other Christmas songs for an album by Herborg Kråkevik. She also re-recorded her song "Running with the Wolves" for the animated movie Wolfwalkers.

In early 2021, Aurora released five mini-albums to celebrate her song "Runaway" getting over 100 million streams on Spotify. These were called For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest, Music for the Free Spirits, Stories, For the Metal People, and Music for the Fellow Witches Out There. On July 7, 2021, Aurora released "Cure for Me" as the second song for her next album. On October 14, "Giving in to the Love" was released. Her album The Gods We Can Touch was announced for release on January 21, 2022. To promote the album, she announced a concert tour in the United States and Europe. "Heathens" was released in December 2021. A special online concert film was also released in January 2022.

Aurora sang on Sub Urban's song "Paramour" in November. She also released the song "Midas Touch" for the TV show Hanna. She worked with the video game Sky: Children of the Light in October 2022. She had already sung for the game's beginning and ending themes. The game included a virtual concert that started in December 2022. This virtual concert later tried to break a Guinness World Record for "Most Users in a Concert-themed Virtual World." In August 2023, Aurora released "My Sails Are Set" for the live-action TV show One Piece.

2023–present: What Happened to the Heart?

The song "Your Blood" was released on November 8, 2023. It was Aurora's first new solo music in almost two years. In early 2024, she confirmed she was working on her next album. She released "The Conflict of the Mind" as the second song from the album. "Some Type of Skin" came out in March. A week later, she announced her album What Happened to the Heart, which was released on June 7, 2024. She said it was her most personal album yet. She also announced a concert tour to promote the album, starting in September 2024. Aurora also sang on Bring Me the Horizon's song "Limousine" in May 2024.

During her "What Happened to the Earth?" tour in Latin America, Aurora played her biggest show ever. She performed for 18,000 people at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City.

Artistry

Influences

Aurora didn't listen to much music when she was young because she didn't have radio or music TV channels at home. Even when she started her singing career, she said she had listened to very few artists. She has mentioned Enya, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Oasis, Björk, Kate Bush, and Ane Brun as big influences. She said the first album she bought was Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde.

She also loves heavy metal music. She said the French band Gojira is her "favorite band" and she has been to their concerts. She first heard their music when she was about 11 and described it as "so hard and so intense and dark." Aurora has also listened to bands like Mastodon, System of a Down, and Metallica. She also loves many Scandinavian heavy metal bands and David Bowie. Her love for heavy metal inspired her mini-album For the Metal People. Aurora also admires rock musician Iggy Pop. She has performed the song "Helvegen" with the lead singer of the Nordic folk band Wardruna.

She has covered songs by artists who influenced her, like "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Life on Mars". Aurora has said she doesn't like listening to too much music because it can be "noise" or "interference" for her. She prefers to listen to her own thoughts. She doesn't use music streaming services like Spotify but has some records and CDs at home. She only likes to listen to her favorite artists when she is traveling.

Musical Style and Themes

Aurora's music style is a mix of different sounds. It includes art pop, Nordic-folk, synth-pop, electropop, and electro-folk. People have called her a "poetic artist of art-pop" and someone who creates "dark electro-pop." Her music has a "darkly romantic electro-folk" feel and has gained many dedicated fans. Some compare her to Björk because of her love for Nordic nature. Others say her unexpected melodies are like Sia or Lorde.

Aurora has a soprano vocal range, which means her voice is high. People often describe her voice as "dreamy" or "otherworldly." She often uses sounds like "ah," "oh," and "la" in her songs. Aurora writes her songs in English because it's easier for her to express deep feelings than in her native Norwegian. However, she has sung some songs in Norwegian. In her album Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1), she started using an "emotional language" that she made up.

She mostly plays the piano, but she also knows how to play other instruments like the ukulele, guitar, and the harp. She has become more involved in playing percussion and other parts of making her songs.

Personal Life

Aurora during a private presentation in London (June 2019)

Aurora lives in Bergen, Norway. She often travels to her hometown in Os to visit her parents. She speaks both English and Norwegian fluently.

Aurora considers herself an introvert. She has said she likes to enjoy what is around her and explore. She believes that if you love everything around you, you are also loving yourself.

As a child, she had cats as pets. As an adult, she had an algae ball named "Igor Septimus," which was a gift from her fans. She called it one of her "best friends." She also enjoys collecting dead insects, like a moth she named "Nightcrawler."

In November 2021, Aurora became an aunt when her sister had her first child.

Philanthropy

Aurora has been involved in many good causes. In October 2020, she sang her song "Warrior" for volunteers of the Clean Sounds Movement. She asked other singers like Billie Eilish to do the same. She also took part in online music festivals. These included "Vi er Live" (against racism) and "SOS Rainforest" (supporting native communities and jungles). She also participated in "Exist For Love Sessions" to help new artists. In November 2021, Aurora performed at a charity event during COP26 to raise money for Brian Eno's "EarthPercent" charity.

Discography

Studio albums

• All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend (2016)
• Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1) (2018)
• A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) (2019)
• The Gods We Can Touch (2022)
• What Happened to the Heart? (2024)

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Television

Video games

Tours

• All My Demons Tour (2016–2017)
• Infections of a Different Kind Tour (2018–2019)
• A Different Kind of Human Tour (2019)
• The Gods We Can Touch Tour (2022–2023)
• 2024 Norwegian Tour
• What Happened to the Earth? (2024–2025)

Awards and Nominations

• 8 April 2014: A scholarship of 50,000 kroner from the Festivalen by Larm's Forbildepriser ("Role Model Award")

Images for kids

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  Aurora at Ravnedalen Live in Kristiansand, Norway (2024).

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  View of Lysefjord near Os, where Aurora grew up.

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  Aurora at Green Man Festival in 2015.

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  Aurora in Paris, France, in March 2018.

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  Aurora performing at the Pryzm club in Kingston upon Thames (2022).

• 

  Aurora performing at the Pryzm club in Kingston upon Thames (2022).

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  Aurora during a private presentation in London (June 2019).

See also

In Spanish: Aurora Aksnes para niños