Norwegian singer AURORA (born Aurora Aksnes) was born in Stavanger in 1996 and raised in Høle and Os.
From an early age, it was clear that she had a knack for music. By the time she was six years old, she was already composing and singing complex, original songs.
It quickly became clear that music wasn’t her only talent. Rhythm and dance fascinated her, so she began experimenting with combining these elements, leading to AURORA’s sound today. It’s no wonder her fans lovingly refer to her as “the Fairy of Pop.”
From local stages to international acclaim
AURORA first gained recognition when she released her debut album All My Demonds Greeting Me as a Friend in 2016. It charted for weeks in Norway, and earned silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry.
She split her next albums into two conceptual halves. Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1) was released in 2018, followed by A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) a year later. With these records, she began to hone her folky electronic sound.
In the 2020s, AURORA graduated from regional fame to a legit star, with her 2024 album, What Happened to the Heart, charting in the top 10 in Germany, Scotland, the Netherlands, the UK, and Norway.
AURORA has pioneered much of Norway’s art pop scene by blending folk, art pop, and electropop into music that balances on the line between fragility and force.
Her unique sound has also made her an attractive collaborator, working with musicians like The Chemical Brothers, Jacob Collier, Wu Qing-feng, Sondre Lerche, Tom Odell, Askjell, and Hans Zimmer.
Additionally, her music can be found on major film and video game franchises. Her voice has surfaced in Frozen 2, Wolfwalkers, One Piece, Kaiju No. 8, Assassin’s Creed, FIFA, Sky: Children of the Light, and Genshin Impact.
An incredible rendition of the Beatles’ Across the Universe
AURORA is also a great cover musician, as her internationally adored Like A Version performance shows.
Sporting bright pink face paint beneath her eyes, she sat down at a keyboard to cover The Beatles’ “Across the Universe.”
The song has a very specific reputation among musicians. It is untouchable. Even David Bowie couldn’t get it right! Critics tore apart his 1975 version.
Yet AURORA did what others couldn’t. She gave it new life by infusing it with her sound. Viewers called it “absolutely magical” and voted it one of the best covers in