NORDIC BY NATURE’S 10 MOST RELEVANT SCANDINAVIAN NEWCOMERS OF 2015 |

2015 was a pretty good year for the Scandinavian music scene. Last week, we already picked our 20 best Scandinavian songs of 2015 and we had to go through many tough decisions to find the best songs! Now, we want to honor the Scandinavian newcomers of 2015. Who has come to play a bigger role? Who shall we watch out for in 2016? So here they are, our list of dreamy, crazy, extraordinary and electrifyingly new Scandinavian artists!

10. Emmecosta

Our first newcomer we like to present is Emmecosta! Claudio and Alfonso are originally from Positano and the third member Aldo is from Milan. They met while studying in Sweden and were rapidly inspired by Gothenburg and the fresh Nordic air, so they began to make music. This year, they released three convincing songs called ‘Brontos’, ‘Snowboy’ and ‘Thousands Of Me’ on Swedish label ICEA. Emmecosta is a post-club trio that delights us with dreamy soundscapes, urban beats and Nordic coolness or with alternative dream pop - as Emmecosta would call it!

9. Vök

Vök’ songs are just as dreamy as of Emmecosta! The band from Reykjavík started their career by joining a band contest in 2013. There, they performed together for the first time with three brand new handwritten songs and won! In the summer of 2013, guitarist Ólafur Alexander entered the duo. This year, Vök released their second EP called ‘Circles’ including indie-electro sounds, distant saxophones and clean reverberative guitars. We figure that listening to Vök’s relaxed and atmospheric songs is the best way to daydream!

8. Mavrick

Stockholm-based newcomer Mavrick released his first single ‘Remedy’ and it has everything you need for a good and danceable pop song - bass, a strong and pushing rhythm, electronic sounds and a gospel choir! And if you don’t get enough of ‘Remedy’ (like us) you can listen to five totally different remixes and one string version of ‘Remedy’ produced by various musicians.

7. ADIAM

Dark music videos and alluring, dreamy melodies mingled with meaningful lyrics - this is what makes ADIAM’s music extraordinary. She released her ‘Dark Lake’ EP this year and we are really in love with it. On this masterpiece you can listen to the avant-garde pop songs ‘Dark Lake’ and ‘Desert Island’. Both also turned into music videos and are totally worth watching.

6. Mountain Bird

What do we find on the highest mountain? Yeah, a Mountain Bird that delights us with beautiful melodies. The Stockholm-based dream-pop and R’n’B act Mountain Bird knows to convince with his way of working. He combines new and fancy sounds together with already known tunes and create something peerless. Listen to his latest catchy single ‘Dream’!

5. Wangel

2015 was an exciting year for Wangel. After spending almost two years in the studio, the singer and songwriter Peter Wangel released his first EP ‘Eternal History’ together with producer Kasper Ejlerskov Leonhardt. The music reflects Peters experiences in his life so far. The song ‘Soel’ for example is inspired by a trip to South Korea in the summer of 2014. Those stories are accompanied by dreamy electronic music. We wish Wangel the best for 2016 and hope to hear more soon!

4. CHINAH

Here we have CHINAH, a Danish trio, which members grew up with totally different musical backgrounds. Singer Fine Glindvad listens to European folk musicians, guitarist Simon Kjær Lauridsen listens to indie and free jazz music and the man behind the synths Simon Lars Gustav Anderssion, well he is a classically trained pianist. What do you get when you put all of these influences together? In the case of CHINAH you get proper electronic pop music. One of our favorites of 2015 is the song ‘Minds’ including a mixture of their electronic pop tune with soft R’n’B elements. We pay attention to CHINAH’s further releases and ask ourselves which genre will inspire them next.

3. First Hate

The synth-pop duo First Hate made it again on our newcomer list (after 2014), because we still believe this one will be big (Rome wasn’t built in a day). The two guys named Anton Falck Gansted and Joakim Nørgaard from Copenhagen excite the Danish music scene and us with their synthetically programmed melodies and drum beats. After releasing their self titled debut EP in 2014, First Hate put out their latest single ‘Trojan Horse’, another song belonging to the mysterious genre ‘Snake Rhythm’, as they would describe it.

2. VAZ

Jenny and Cecilia Vaz are the members of the West African sister duo VAZ. Originally from Sweden, but with Creole roots, they create a mix out of both influences: Swedish and African. By mixing traditional African drums with electronic beats and multi-dimensional harmonies we literally see the Nordic landscapes and feel the African spirit at the same time! We think they totally deserve to be mentioned in our newcomer list and recommend you to listen to their latest song ‘Sunshine’.

1. Elias

And last but not least, we like to present our number one newcomer: Elias! With his extraordinary good debut single ‘Revolution’ he attracted attention and ‘started his own Revolution’ in the music business. The 18-year old man focuses on the topic of break ups but not in the classically and exaggerated way. Elias doesn’t cry about the loss, he is looking forward to have a fresh start in life! We think this is a very hopeful attitude and offers a nice message for all the people, who have been abandoned by their loved ones. His musical inspiration has its source in old punk band music and even older soul songs. So what are you waiting for? Listen to Elias brand new electro-soul EP ‘Warcry’.