Intimate single reveals up-coming Danish artist Aureola / Taurean
Soulful newcomer shows why we should remember her name.
There is always something highly gratifying when we discover and debut an artist or band. I’m sure all independent music websites would agree. Yet, despite this not being the case with Danish artist Aureola, it is still a beautiful feeling to present and welcome her into the world of soul from Scandinavia.
Below I’ve uncovered three musical and visual examples to certify Aureola’s credentials.
Aureola is the moniker of Josefine Alstrup-Mathiesen, and she is already building an impressive resume.
The Copenhagen-based artist writes, produces and sings as she describes as ‘poetic electro-soul’. Her singles have drawn attention from Danish national radio and featured on Apple Music’s Best of The Week-playlist. On stage, Aureola has played throughout Scandinavia and won the live-competition Popkorn Nordic in the Spring of 2019.
Her latest single, Taurean, was the arresting single which stopped me in my tracks (see top video). You could say the stars aligned!
The song was born during the COVID-19-crisis, as part of her cathartic process in dealing with the situation.
Aureola says about it herself:
“I wanted to tie in both horoscope-traits of the sign Taurus in the video, making it very sensual and soft in a universe of pastel Spring-colours, and at the same time capture some of the boredom, I think we all experience right now. For me it’s been a period of weird and almost frantic bursts of energy, leading me to paint a wall or start ambitious projects of writing a song a day for 20 days in a row, but also days of never leaving my bed. I wanted to make something for the in-between, a song that is meditative and mellow.”
Though short in run-length, Taurean is beautifully and unapologetically female, lyrically honest and vocally lush. A vintage touch shapes the subtle edges of her words similar to Dinah Shore or Judy Garland, with a modern parallel to Adele.
In addition, the overriding legacy from the video is of an artist with an abundance of charm. When she looks into the camera, it forms an irresistible connection.
Diving deeper into Aureolas (short) back catalogue reveals an upcoming and raw artist with sensitive and compelling soul vocals.
Aureolas’ identity embraces strong femininity as the video for her debut single ‘Love Me Any Way You Like‘ (2018) testifies. The track allows space for her to illustrate her vocal capabilities fully.
And the third in the trio of Aureola revelations is the live studio recording of her song – Far Away. The majestic chords of the harp add an extra spiritual ambience to this sublime gospel performance.
We may not be the first to discover Aureola, but we certainly won’t be the last.
