We are fans of quirky Scandinavian songstresses here at So So Gay, Björk being the most obvious example. Take the production and certain aspects of the instrumentation on Björk’s work, subtract the slightly shaky command of English grammar and add a soupçon of Dido’s rich vocals and voila, we have Kate Havnevik.
This half-Norwegian, half-English singer-songwriter is actually no newcomer, having released her debut album Melankton in 2006 to widespread critical acclaim. Since then, Havnevik has released an EP, Me, and a second album, You, is set for release on 12 March. Significantly, Havnevik releases all of her material through her own record company, Continentica.
Havnevik, whose parents are both classically trained musicians, spent time studying music and composition at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts but, conversely, was once a member of an all-female punk rock band which occupied Blitz, an illegal club in Havnevik’s home town of Oslo. Now based in London, Havnevik is starting to make waves with her unique brand of electronica-infused music.
Indeed, this is an artist who seems determined to cut her own path and establish herself as an independent musical tour de force. Nowhere is this more evident than on latest single ‘Mouth 2 Mouth’. With an amazingly catchy hook and lush instrumentation, the track sounds fresh and exciting. It will be available to download on 20 February.
Havnevik has worked with acclaimed producers Guy Sigsworth (Madonna, Björk, Britney Spears, Alanis Morissette) and Marius de Vries (Björk, David Gray), thereby firmly establishing herself as an artist to look out for. A third album, Embla, is already in the pipeline, the details of which are still hazy. What we do know, however, is that it is an acoustic project in collaboration with other musicians, including harpist, Rhodri Davies. Kate Havnevik is definitely someone you should know about.
Kate Havnevik – Mouth 2 Mouth by katehavnevik
You can find out more about Kate Havnevik on her official website.
Kate is also on Twitter. You can follow her at @katehavnevik
About the Author
Subscribe with iTunes
