MØ facts for kids

Quick facts for kids MØ
MØ performing at the Vieilles Charrues Festival in 2018
Born	Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen (1988-08-13) 13 August 1988 (age 36) Ubberud, Odense, Denmark
Other names	Karen Ørsted
Occupation	Singer songwriter
Years active	2006–present
Musical career
Genres	Electronic electropop synth-pop indie pop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Sony Music Chess Club RCA Victor Columbia

Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen (born on August 13, 1988), known as MØ (pronounced "moo"), is a singer and songwriter from Denmark. She signed with Sony Music in 2012. After that, she released her first collection of songs, Bikini Daze (2013). Her first full album, No Mythologies to Follow, came out in 2014.

In 2014, MØ worked with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea on the song "Beg for It". This song was her first to appear on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The next year, she helped write and sang on "Lean On" with Major Lazer and DJ Snake. This song became a huge hit around the world, reaching number one in many countries.

In 2016, MØ sang on "Don't Leave" by Snakehips. She also featured on another Major Lazer song, "Cold Water", with Justin Bieber. This song went straight to number one in the United Kingdom. It also reached number two in the United States.

MØ had her first big solo hit in 2016 with "Final Song". This song made it into the top 10 in Denmark and Norway. It also reached the top 15 in Australia and the United Kingdom. In 2017, she released her second collection of songs, When I Was Young. Her second album, Forever Neverland, came out in 2018. Her third album, Motordrome, was released in 2022.

MØ's Music Journey

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen was born in Ubberud, near Odense, Denmark. She grew up in Ejlstrup on the island of Funen. Her dad, Frans Ørsted, is a psychologist, and her mom, Mette Ørsted, is a teacher. She also has an older brother named Kasper, who is a doctor.

MØ became interested in music when she was seven years old. The Spice Girls inspired her a lot. As a teenager, she loved punk music and anti-fascist movements. She listened to bands like Black Flag, Nirvana, and Sonic Youth. She looked up to Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth as a "big hero and role model."

Starting Out: Side Projects and MOR

In 2006, MØ worked on a side project called The Edmunds. She released songs like "Garbage King." She also had other side projects between 2008 and 2010. Some of these songs were later shared by a fan on YouTube.

In 2007, MØ and her friend Josefine Struckmann Pedersen formed a duo called MOR. They released two short albums in 2009 and 2011. MOR broke up in 2012.

First Albums and Big Hits

In 2012, MØ started making pop songs without instruments, called a cappella. She also began working with producer Ronni Vindahl. Her first song, "Glass," came out in January 2013. In March 2013, she released "Pilgrim." This song became very popular in Denmark.

In August 2013, it was confirmed that MØ helped write and sang on a song called "Dear Boy." This song was on Avicii's first album, True. MØ's first collection of songs, B... Daze, was released in October 2013. She also opened for AlunaGeorge on their UK tour. Her song "Don't Wanna Dance" was first played on BBC Radio 1 in January 2014.

MØ's first full album, No Mythologies to Follow, came out in March 2014. Critics generally liked the album. It was inspired by the famous Michael Jackson. The album reached number 58 on the UK Albums Chart.

MØ toured in Europe and the United States to support her album. In June 2014, she performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the US. In November 2014, she won four awards at the Danish Music Awards. These included Danish Album of the Year and Danish Solo Artist of the Year.

In 2014, MØ was featured on Iggy Azalea's song "Beg for It." They performed the song together on Saturday Night Live. MØ also sang on Elliphant's song "One More. She also helped write "All My Love" by Major Lazer, which featured Ariana Grande.

MØ co-wrote and sang on another Major Lazer song, "Lean On", with DJ Snake. This song was released in March 2015. "Lean On" was a huge global hit. It reached number one in Denmark, Australia, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. It was one of the best-selling songs of 2015 worldwide. Spotify even named it the most streamed song of all time for a while. The music video for "Lean On" has over 2.5 billion views on YouTube.

New Music and More Collaborations

MØ performing at Coachella in 2015

In October 2015, MØ announced her new song "Kamikaze". It was produced by Diplo. The song was released on October 15, 2015. In May 2016, "Final Song" was released. This song was co-written with Noonie Bao and MNEK. It became MØ's first song as a lead artist to reach the top 40 in the United Kingdom. It also reached the top 40 in over 10 other countries.

On July 22, 2016, Major Lazer released "Cold Water". This song featured Justin Bieber and MØ. It was the fourth time she worked with Major Lazer. In the United States, "Cold Water" debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. This made it MØ's highest-charting song in the US. In the United Kingdom, "Cold Water" debuted at number one. This was MØ's first number-one song there.

In September 2016, MØ announced a new song called "Drum". It was produced by Bloodpop and co-written by Charli XCX. The song's official audio was released in October 2016.

In January 2017, Snakehips released "Don't Leave" with MØ's vocals. In March 2017, she was featured on Charli XCX's song "3AM (Pull Up)." She also sang on "9 (After Coachella)" by Cashmere Cat. In April 2017, "Nights with You" was released. This was the third song from her second album.

In October 2017, MØ surprised fans by releasing her second collection of songs, When I Was Young. These songs were written over four years. MØ announced a tour with Cashmere Cat called the "Meøw Tour." This tour took place from January to April 2018. In 2017, MØ also helped write and sang on Diplo's song "Get It Right." They performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Forever Neverland and Recent Work

In 2018, MØ worked with producer Jack Antonoff on the song "Never Fall in Love" for the Love, Simon movie soundtrack. She also worked with Noah Cyrus on "We Are..." and with Alma on "Dance for Me."

On October 19, 2018, MØ released her second album, Forever Neverland. Before the album, she released five songs: "Nostalgia," "Sun in Our Eyes" (with Diplo), "Way Down," "Imaginary Friend," and "Blur" (with Foster the People). The album also featured other artists like Charli XCX. Some of her earlier hits like "Kamikaze" and "Final Song" were only on the Japanese version of the album.

In 2019, MØ performed "Blur" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She also helped write and sang the theme song for the TV show Moominvalley. She opened for Panic! at the Disco on their UK tour. MØ also performed at the Glastonbury Festival and Roskilde Festival in 2019. In October 2019, she released her first mixtape, MMMMØ - The Mix.

On January 28, 2022, MØ released her third album, Motordrome. She released four songs before the album came out. A music video for "New Moon" was released on the same day as the album. In February 2022, MØ went on tour to promote Motordrome. She also opened for Imagine Dragons in North America. In June 2022, MØ released "True Romance." She also appeared in Gryffin's song "Reckless." In August, she released an extended version of Motordrome called Dødsdrom. A music video for "Spaceman" was released with this extended album.

In September 2023, MØ and Fryd Frydendahl published their book called "RACING – Circles of doubt, Squares of light."

In late 2023, MØ shared that she is working on her fourth album. On January 26, 2024, she released "Fake Chanel." This song was an older track from her first album that was never released. It was added to the 10th-anniversary edition of No Mythologies to Follow.

In March 2024, MØ played concerts in Copenhagen to celebrate 10 years since her first album came out. She also added new tour dates for the "No Mythologies to Follow 10th Anniversary Show!!!" In the anniversary album, she released three more unreleased songs.

MØ released her song "Who Said" in October 2024. She also released a cover of "Wake Me Up" by Avicii and Aloe Blacc in December 2024. This was a tribute to Avicii.

About MØ's Art

Her Stage Name

MØ shared in an interview that her grandfather, Mogens Ørsted, was an artist. He would sign his paintings with his initials. MØ decided to do the same with her own name. The word mø means "maiden" or "virgin to life" in Danish.

Her Music Style

MØ's music is known as electronic, electropop, synth-pop, and indie pop. People have described it as "electro music with guts." MØ herself says her sound is "an organic yet dynamic mix of electro, indie-pop, soul and street vibes." Her first album showed different styles, including indie pop and dream pop. Her second album, Forever Neverland, was more electropop and dance-pop. It also had elements of tropical house and dancehall.

Who Inspired Her

MØ has been inspired by many artists. These include the Spice Girls, Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon, Twin Shadow, Frank Ocean, Patti Smith, Björk, J Dilla, Dead Kennedys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Little Dragon, Santigold, Karen O, Black Flag, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Janet Jackson, Bonobo, Nico, Portishead, The Doors, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Clash, MS MR, Wu-Tang Clan, Grimes, SZA, and Lykke Li.

MØ's Albums

• No Mythologies to Follow (2014)
• Forever Neverland (2018)
• Motordrome (2022)

MØ's Tours

Headlining Tours

• Bikini Daze Tour (2013)
• No Mythologies to Follow Tour (2014)
• Fall Tour (2014)
• Untitled Tour (2016)
• When I Was Young Tour (2018)
• Forever Neverland World Tour (2018-2019)
• Motordrome World Tour: Chapter 1 (2022)
• No Mythologies to Follow 10th Anniversary Tour (2024)

Co-headlining Tours

• MØ and Cashmere Cat: The Meøw Tour (2017–2018)

Opening for Other Artists

• AlunaGeorge – UK Tour (2013)
• Major Lazer – Free The Universe Tour (2013)
• Years & Years – Communion Tour (2016)
• Sia – Nostalgic for the Present Tour (2017)
• Panic! at the Disco – Pray for the Wicked Tour (2019)
• Imagine Dragons – Mercury Tour (2022)

Awards and Recognitions

Årets Steppeulv Awards

Billboard Music Award

Danish Music Awards

Electronic Dance Music Awards

European Border Breakers Awards

GAFFA-Prisen Awards

Gay Music Chart Awards

iHeartRadio Music Awards

International Dance Music Awards

MTV Europe Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

Nordic Music Prize

Rober Awards Music Poll

Sweden GAFFA Awards

UK Music Video Awards

WDM Radio Awards

Zulu Awards

See also

In Spanish: MØ para niños