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HOLLYWOOD, CA- “What is it with you guys and Chipotle?” Aurora Asknes smiles sincerely in between songs during her headlining gig for Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In LA”, “I just don’t understand it.”
I don’t understand it either, but at only 20 years old, Aurora still has plenty of time to understand and learn about North American cultural fascinations and societal obsessions. In fact, she may very well be the subject of one herself.
This Norwegian songstress released her first EP (“Running with the Wolves”) in 2015 and her debut album (“All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend”) in 2016. With hardly any public fanfare … at least none that I was aware of … her debut album received rave review and broke into the charts in 13 different countries, notably hitting number 1 in Norway and 150 on the US Billboard 200 charts. She has been able to garner fans from around the world, and it was perhaps her large and loyal fanbase that convinced Red Bull Sound Select to host not one, but two headlining performances for their annual concert series in Los Angeles.
Having very little knowledge about this recording artist prior to her performance at the Fonda, I went into the event sound unheard. When she took the stage with her band, I could immediately sense that the mood of the room had shifted. It was as if an aura of carefree jubilation washed over the crowd, and with the first notes that came out of Aurora’s mouth I could understand why.
Aurora sings and moves on stage with a confidence that is beyond her years. So comfortable in her artistry, she seemingly lets her music, a blend of indie folk/rock and dance pop, dictate where and how her body moves. Her voice is cheerfully haunting while her music is rhythmically upbeat, which prompts me to make the comparison that hers is a style of music that could be born from the seeds of Of Monsters and Men (the music) and The Cranberries (vocals), sprinkled with just a touch of airy melancholy.
Regardless of any classification, this pixie of a performer had those in attendance eating from her restless hands, confessing their love for her during each break in music. A fan even threw a gift on stage with a letter attached. With the kind of wide eyes an eager child has on Christmas morning, Aurora scampered to the part of the stage where the gift had landed and took the time to read the note attached. Though the audience begged her to read the note aloud, she coyly smiled and respectfully proclaimed that it was a secret.
By the end of her performance, Aurora allowed her music to fully take over her body. Leaping and bounding on stage like a whirling dervish, Aurora served as a pied-piper, causing her fans to join in the celebratory dance. That kind of energy is infectious, and as long as Ms. Asknes continues to fill rooms up with that kind of carefree jubilation, she is sure to keep winning more hearts, and ears, in the process.
Follow Aurora on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE 30 DAYS IN LA COVERAGE!
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LIVE CLIPS
Aurora @ Fonda Theatre 11/28/16 for #30DaysInLA. Review and photo gallery coming soon to @BlurredCulture! pic.twitter.com/e7xvjC9q7w
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) December 14, 2016
Aurora @ Fonda Theatre 11/28/16 for #30DaysInLA. Review and photo gallery coming soon to @BlurredCulture! pic.twitter.com/SCx6Yx2Xrq
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) December 14, 2016
Aurora @ Fonda Theatre 11/28/16 for #30DaysInLA. Review and photo gallery coming soon to @BlurredCulture! pic.twitter.com/NqDPniw5hH
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) December 14, 2016
