Over the course of one year Emilie Nicolas has progressed from the status of unknown music student to being widely recognized as one of the most highly anticipated Scandinavian artists out there.… and this has all been achieved without even releasing a debut album as yet…It all started when the 26 year old from the suburbs of Oslo, Norway shared a handful of her independently produced songs on the distribution website Soundcloud in the spring of 2013.
With little background information and just a single photograph to track of the artist, whispers of a new mysterious talent quickly became the talk of the town. The attention accumulated from the modest self-promotion showed her music needed no introduction, and there is nothing random about Emilie Nicolas’ success to date.
She has become known for her soaring, powerful vocals and wistful lyrics accompanied by a sparse and somber backdrop of electronic beats. Her musical expression has been praised for being remarkably perfected for her age, and her abilities as a songwriter and performer is turning heads in the international music industry.
It was a cover of the song “Pstereo” by the Norwegian band Dumdum Boys that brought Emilie Nicolas out to the commercial radio world. The song was made on a mission from a local music festival in Trondheim, Norway, and it earned a nomination at P3 Gull (Norwegian Public Broadcaster award show) where she also performed the single on live television.
In spite of her success with Pstereo, the single might hold false promises of what is to expect of the artist’s first album. - “When you make a new version of someone else’s song it is difficult to feel personally connected to it.
My own songs come from somewhere within me, while no matter how much you change a cover song, it will always be a cover. “A perhaps more truthful representation of Emilie Nicolas’ expression is the newly released single “Grown Up”, a vulnerable and melancholic song written as a tribute to the artist’s father.
In Grown Up her tremendous voice reveal its true potential and builds to reach a dizzying intensity. She draws you in to her emotional universe, and it feels so heartfelt and honest it is impossible not to relate.
- When I write a new song, it happens very fast. I cannot spend years perfecting the lyrics and the language, because then it would not be truly honest. Expectations were high when Emilie gave her first live performance at Trondheim Pstereo Festival, in the fall of 2013.
The originally schooled jazz singer put all doubts aside to her musical capabilities. She was a newcomer - but no beginner in the music world, and in February 2014 she drew one of the biggest crowds to by:Larm, an Oslo based festival known for being a showcase for new talent on the Nordic Music Scene.
The reviewers unanimously praised the performance for being one of the most noteworthy of the festival, declaring her “In a league of her own” (Reviewer NRK - Norwegian Public Broadcaster) and her voice was called “a surround sound system in itself” (Reviewer in VG, Norwegian nationwide newspaper).
Emilie Nicolas has proved herself worthy of the hype. This is just the beginning, but she has already revealed herself as a true artist who you beyond doubt will hear more from in time to come. She is currently crafting her much anticipated debut album, scheduled to be out this year, and her live calendar includes shows at Øya Festivalen in Norway, the Great Escape in England, Stay Out West in Sweden and Spot Festival in Denmark.
https://soundcloud.com/emilienicolas
