Every year the BBC release their Sound of 2018 list, a collection of artists that are predicted to do big things this coming year. Previous winners of the BBC Sound Of lists include Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, the ever-cool HAIM and the queen herself, Adele, all of which have gone on to have amazing careers since being crowned winners. Topping this year’s list is Scandinavian pop princess Sigrid. You might have already seen her jumping around a stage in bright red trousers, or been mesmerised by her Piano Session with Radio 1’s Huw Stevens, but this is merely the beginning of the Norwegian 21-year-old’s career.
Everything about this girl is cool; her astonishing musical talent, her unique style, but most of all her unwavering stage presence and one of a kind dance moves. Sigrid’s live shows are a mass of energetic and euphoric jumping and clapping, and she seems to transport herself into her music whilst managing to bring everyone along with her.
Watching a recording of her live show from Glastonbury back in the summer made me fall in love with her and I’ve been an avid fan ever since, and it seems like I’m not the only one. She was named Apple Music’s “Up Next” artist around the same time, with the likes of Zayne Lowe, Annie Mac and Huw Stevens priding themselves as fans.
We only have a handful of songs of hers so far, but it’s safe to say I’m equally obsessed with each one. “Don’t Kill My Vibe” was her breakthrough hit in early 2017 which sparked her ever-growing cult following. She describes her music as “in your face”, harking back to her obsession with Nirvana as a teen. You can definitely see a grunge influence in her music, especially in her stripped back acoustic versions which showcase her uniquely lilting yet edgy vocals.
Her prowess as a songwriter and the sheer range of her vocal talent shines in the beautiful “Dynamite”; the lyrics are heart-wrenchingly personal and her voice shifts from sweet and delicate to powerful and rasping in a matter of seconds.
Other songs of hers include her dance-pop tracks such as “Plot Twist”, “Fake Friends” and “Strangers”; songs I would have to call absolute bangers (and I’m not one to use the term lightly). She combines that unique voice of hers with effortlessly cool beats, channelling some early Lorde vibes or some of HAIM’s new material. All three of these songs have found their way into my ‘getting ready’ playlist as they’re a failsafe way to get me pumped to go out and in the mood to dance (much less gracefully than Sigrid herself does, I must add).
Not only is Sigrid making major waves over here in the UK, but she’s also gaining a following across the pond. She recently featured on the Justice League soundtrack with her mesmerizing cover of the Leonard Cohen song “Everybody Knows”, putting her own dark and haunting twist on the famously pessimistic folk song.
It seems like 2017 was already a great year for the Scandipop sensation, but 2018 promises to hold bigger and better things (hopefully an album so that I can obsess over even more of her songs), and I know that I’m excited to see what she does next!
By Elinor Tiddy
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