She may hail from the land of fairytales – but pop sensation MØ is the real deal.
Known to her friends as Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted, her 2014 debut studio album No Mythologies to Follow, introduced the world to the one-of-a-kind artist and performer who has gone on to become one of the most streamed voices on the planet.
At last count her smash-hit collaboration with Major Lazer and DJ Snake ‘Lean On’ had been searched and streamed over one billion times. However, when we caught up to chat about her upcoming Australian tour, the down-to-earth Dane seemed more interested soaking up the sun as part of the Groovin the Moo tour than talking statistics.
“Whenever I hang out with other artists who have played the festival, they always tell me how much fun it will be, so now I have very high expectations,” she laughs. “I also can’t wait to see more of the towns and cities of Australia because I come from the suburbs of Denmark so it’s nice to be away from the big cities sometimes and I like the idea of travelling around with the other bands like one big family.”
In conversation, MØ is just as warm and friendly as she appears in her music videos. Maybe that’s why – along with her undeniable talent – world-class musicians are lining up to work with her.
In just one year, last year, MØ released tracks with Diplo (‘Get It Right’), Jack Antonoff (‘Never Fall in Love’), ALMA (‘Dance For Me’), Noah Cyrus (‘We Are…’) and Steel Banglez + Yxng Bane (‘Your Lovin’’), as well as being part of Dua Lipa’s BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge super group performance of ‘IDGAF’ alongside Charli XCX, Zara Larsson and ALMA.
On top of that she also found time to release her highly-anticipated second album Forever Neverland featuring further collaborations with Diplo and Charli XCX, with good friend Stint on board as executive producer. “He was also such a lifesaver,” MØ smiles. “Because I really needed someone to help me finish the writing and help me with the last steps of the album. He’s a genius and I’m so thankful to him, he is amazing.”
With the opportunities coming in thick and fast for the 30-year-old, one of MØ’s latest projects was voicing the official theme song ‘I’m Far Away’ for the new animated TV series of a cherished childhood favourite, Moominvalley.
“It was such a dream come true. I’ve been the biggest Moomin fan since I was little. One of my earliest memories is watching Moomin. For some reason, I felt like I could identify with the Moomins and their fairytale universe. It’s just been an obsession all my life, I even have a tattoo of one of the trolls on my leg,” she says.
“My whole room was covered in Moomin things. Pillows and sheets, posters, cups, teddy bears – everything. So when I heard they were making a new TV show I just had to do it, and I even got to work with my boyfriend. So that was a really beautiful experience.”
While also admitting to be a huge Spice Girls fan, in her teenage years MØ fell hard for punk rock and sang in a duo called MOR. “All those years that I was getting into punk and trying to form a band they were my formative years, you know? I think through those years I really found myself, and people that I could identify with and just be myself with.
“Honestly it was only as my career started to take off that I started to write more pop music. Punk rock is a huge part of who I am in many ways.”
MØ and her troll tattoo will touch down later this month to play a string of shows supported by the multi-talented man behind ‘Start A Riot’, Duckwrth. “He is so incredible, we will have a great time. I wish I could say that I discovered him – but I’ll have to thank my management for that.”
MØ comes to Festival Hall as part of her Groovin the Moo tour on Thursday May 2. Head to the venue website for tickets.
