Photos credit: Torgeir Rørvik
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LISTEN, "Ray-Bans":
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"A thundering synthpop explosion"
The Guardian "Norwegian pop starlet...irresistible"
Harper's BAZAAR "Dagny provides a masterclass in shimmering Scandinavian pop"
NME
"Dagny’s collection of pop singles is an embarrassment of riches"
Billboard
"Soaring, fantastic pop gem"
1883 Magazine "A dose of blissful synthpop...Dagny has all but perfected the genre"
Idolator
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(8th September) Norwegian pop sensation Dagny today announces trilogy of new mini-albums, kicking off with the unveiling of ELLE, the titular character and title of the trilogy's first instalment. ELLE, out later this year will comprise 8 tracks including previously released singles "Heartbreak In The Making" and "Same Again (For Love)" - and today's newly released single "Ray-Bans".
Awash with melancholy, 90's indie-pop inflected new single "Ray-Bans" is one of Dagny's most assured, yet most introspective tracks to date. With her emotions and vulnerability concealed behind a mask, ELLE questions her own standing in the midst of the post-break up blues - "Am I all that tragic?" - all the while attempting to accept a new reality and move forward.
Of the new single, Dagny said:
“Inspired by the 90s melodic and melancholic pop; Ray-Bans offers a different mood and shows a slightly more vulnerable side than some of my previous music. I hope it can soundtrack the melancholia of the autumn, for those who might need it.”
Following up on the critical and commercial success of her exhilarating debut album Strangers / Lovers was always going to be a mammoth task. In the years that followed its release, Dagny went about breaking down and compartmentalising her emotions, quickly realising there was a lot to unpack, as she explains:
“I’ve always been a bit nonchalant about the concept of a ‘difficult second record’, but I had to eat my words a little here. I didn’t want to write the same album over again, but finding new things to inspire me musically and personally - turned out to be more challenging than first expected.
Having experimented with a variety of sounds, emotions and subjects, I had all these songs that meant something to me, but I needed to find a way to put them all together in an album. Not wanting to limit myself creatively or emotionally, I started playing around with the concept of different alter egos or amplified versions of myself, as ways of organising the songs.
I’ve never been one to over-share personal details, so telling stories (some personal, some not) through characters like ELLE felt like an exciting way to get my thoughts, emotions & experiences into new songs.”
Never one to shy away from a bold approach, an alluring concept began to take shape which would allow Dagny to assimilate her feelings, all the while retaining her creative songwriting freedom. Enter, ELLE - the main character - and title of the first of a new trilogy of mini-albums, each of which dissecting specific facets of Dagny's psyche and representing an exaggerated version of those unique personality traits.
ELLE is a hopeless (yet, hopeful) romantic. An adventurous, impulsive risk-taker. ELLE wears her heart on her sleeve - often to her own detriment. Take the album's euphoric lead single "Heartbreak In The Making", for example - a stomping power-pop masterclass acutely highlighting ELLE's reckless streak, providing a valuable lesson in taking heed to early red flags. Then there's "Same Again (For Love)" - a blast of glistening synth-pop which sees ELLE losing sight of herself in the throes of romance.
For new mini-album ELLE, Dagny returned to the studio to collaborate with songwriters including Nick Hahn (Rita Ora, Sigrid), Mozella (Miley Cyrus, Rihanna), Oliver Lundström (Carly Rae Jepsen) and Maria Hazell (Mabel, ALMA). The resulting 8 track project is a diverse, honest and dynamic body of work with a consistent, engaging emotional thread running through its veins. Ranging from deeply intimate and vulnerable moments to huge emotionally charged pop songs that will have listeners screaming at the top of their lungs, Dagny has delivered a tantalising snapshot into her pop-powers with ELLE, and this is only the beginning.
Dagny's new mini-album ELLE is out later this year via Little Daggers Records. To celebrate the release of ELLE, Dagny will embark on a European headline tour in April 2024, including a date in London at O2 Islington Academy on 3rd April. Ahead of that, Dagny will play her biggest headline show to date at Oslo's 10,000 capacity Spektrum Arena on 18th November (tickets on sale now). New single "Ray-Bans" is out now. MORE ABOUT DAGNY
Tromsø, Norway born Dagny Norvoll Sandvik is an irrepressible pop force. Dagny's music has been streamed over a billion times, she's been nominated for 6 Norwegian Grammy's (Spellemannprisen), co-written songs for Katy Perry, Ashnikko, and Julie Bergan, and collaborated with acts including Liverpool indie-rock heroes The Wombats, American super-producer Steve Aoki, fellow Norwegian powerhouses Kygo, Astrid S and Seeb, and Spanish-English indie-pop outfit Crystal Fighters.
Dagny's debut album Strangers / Lovers, released in May 2020 proved her credentials, spawning hit single "Somebody" with over 90 million streams on Spotify alone, with high praise coming in for the album from The Guardian ("thundering synthpop explosion”), The Independent ("dazzling pop - 8/10"), BBC Music ("one of 2020's most assured debuts"), The Metro ("sleak, neat set of bops - Albums Of The Week") and more.
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"Ray-Bans" single artworkHEADLINE LIVE DATES 2023 ( tickets) 18 November - Spektrum Arena, Oslo, NO (headline) HEADLINE LIVE DATES 2024 ( tickets) 3 April – O2 Islington Academy, London, UK4 April – Les Etoiles, Paris, France 6 April – Tolhuistuin Club, Amsterdam, Netherands 8 April – Frannz, Berlin, Germany 9 April - Lille Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark 11 April - Nalen Klubb, Stockholm 12 April - Academy, Dublin, Ireland |
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