Bergensavisen Interview February 02, 2022

[leaves]

The interview is behind a paywall: www.ba.no/aurora-om-latranet-helt-bevisst/s/5-8-1799149






Photos by Arne Ristesund

[leaves]

A photo, video, and an IG story from BA (@bergensavisen). Photo by Arne Ristesund

http://instagr.am/p/CZezWVDslIE

http://instagr.am/p/CZepa88gcNy

IG story

[leaves]

The video from the previous post is also posted on BA Pulsen (@bapulsen)

http://instagr.am/p/CZeqIipIDdx

[leaves]

Another photo (second photo) by Arne Ristesund posted by @aurora.puppet on Instagram

http://instagr.am/p/CZe0hR9MVa4

[gandalvr]

Feb 2, 2022 16:44:49 GMT leaves said:

The video from the previous post is also posted on BA Pulsen (@bapulsen)

http://instagr.am/p/CZeqIipIDdx

My translation:

This or that with Aurora

Reporter: You are fond of bugs...

Aurora: Yes, very.

Reporter: Moths or centipedes?

Aurora: Moths.

Reporter: Os or Bergen?

Aurora: How could you? So, Be... Hm. ...Bos...

Reporter: Runaway or Running with the Wolves?

Aurora: Ooh. Runaway, I think. The child of my heart.

Reporter: Go on tour or stay at home?

Aurora: Home?

Reporter: Go to the hairdressers or cut your hair yourself?

Aurora: Cut it myself!

[agenahadar]

Complete text in Norwegian:

Aurora om «låtranet»: – Helt bevisst

I dette intervjuet snakker Aurora blant annet om likhetene mellom fjorårssingelen «Midas Touch» og Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band-hiten «Nikita». Foto: ARNE RISTESUND

Av Ørjan Nilsson
Det er mye Aurora i monitor om dagen.


Albumet «The Gods We Can Touch» hylles over hele linjen, hun er sluppet til Bergenfest til sommeren og hennes Warriors & Weirdos, som fansen kaller seg, nilytter på etterlengtet nytt materiale verden over.

På selve lanseringsdagen for «The Gods We Can Touch» befant Aurora seg i London. Foran en stor vegg på Great Eastern Street i Shoreditch-området ble det satt opp et stort bilde av artisten. Der møtte hun fans, smilte på selfier og signerte plater.

Rask landing
De siste dagene har hun forsøkt å lande litt hjemme i Bergen.

– Ja, jeg lander egentlig ganske fort. Jeg trenger bare en natts søvn, så har jeg restartet, sier hun til BA på kaffebaren Blom, nynnende på Carpenters-klassikeren «Close To You» mellom svarene sine.

– Venner man seg til så mye skryt og gode ord som du har fått på denne platen eller ligger det en spenning i mottakelsen hver gang?

– Man blir ikke vant til slike ting. Det er jo ikke den samme tingen som anmeldes, bortsett fra at det er meg – så det er jo forskjellige versjoner av meg hver gang. Jeg var mer opptatt av å beskytte meg mot folks meninger før, men nå er jeg mye flinkere til å la de gode ordene røre i meg.

Aurora Aksnes
Aurora Aksnes er tilbake i Bergen etter en kjapp lanseringsrunde med ferske «The Gods We Can Touch» i bagasjen. Foto: Arne Ristesund


– Det er jo likt – uten tvil
Vi skal spole kjapt tilbake til november først. Da slapp Aurora singelen «Midas Touch», som ikke er med på det nye albumet, men i Amazon Prime-serien «Hanna».

Rett før jul var det en lytter som tipset radioprogrammet «Stjernepose» på NRK P13 om visse likheter i vokalmelodien på «Midas Touch» med Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band-låten «Nikita» – først utgitt på Tellé Records i 1999.

Tarjei Strøm, som har vært programleder i «Stjernepose» tidligere – og er trommeslager i Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band, sa dette da BA ringte for å høre hva han synes om sammenligningen:

– Det er jo likt – uten tvil. Og det er en vittig sammenligning. Det er noe med soundet, jeg får den samme gode følelsen som jeg får av «Nikita». Det kan jo være en obskur tilfeldighet eller en liten homage. Jeg aner ikke. Men mest av alt er det jo ganske gøy, sa han.

Aurora Aksnes
– Jeg var mer opptatt av å ikke tenke over anmeldelser og slikt i starten, men nå bryr jeg meg faktisk ganske mye, forteller hun. Foto: ARNE RISTESUND
Nå skal det sies at det aktuelle partiet som ligner, er et parti som Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band har samplet fra Gert Wilden & Orchestras «Sexy Girls». Låten ble brukt i den erotiske 1972-fimen «Mädchen, die nach München kommen» der fem lettkledde kvinner drar til München under OL. Det er Erlend Sellevold, Strøms Ralph Myerz-kollega, som har forandret, skrudd til og produsert sampelet.

Den gang var det intet svar å få fra Aurora-leiren. Men nå har vi henne her; så hva sier Aurora?

– Det er en homage – og helt bevisst.

– Jeg elsker Ralph Myerz, den låten og ikke minst den kvinnelige vokalen – nynningen – har alltid fascinert meg. «Midas Touch» handler egentlig om hvordan jeg tror hun som synger i den låten er. Så det er en slags innviklet kjærlighetserklæring til den sangen, men aller mest til henne.

Begynt å tenke på neste
«The Gods We Can Touch» var opprinnelig ferdig i november 2020 og skulle først komme ut i fjor høst. Så ble albumet utsatt. Blant annet fordi Aurora kom opp med en låt i fjor vår som bare måtte bli med. Og nå har hun allerede hodet inne i neste.

Aurora Aksnes
Vi stilte Aurora fem enten-eller-spørsmål som kan sees på BAs Instagram. Blant annet; Møll eller tusenbein? Foto: ARNE RISTESUND
– Jeg begynner å tenke ny plate med en gang, ja, og har allerede begynt på neste. Album er det jeg vil lage – kun det, egentlig. Det er det jeg gjør. Og når et album er ute, sånn som nå, får jeg en voldsom ro og føler at jeg kan gå videre.

– Har du allerede staket ut en kurs for albumet?

– Det blir et kjempegøy album, smiler hun lurt.

[leaves]

Thank you so much agenahadar and gandalvr!🙂🙏🏻

[likkevrom]

Thanks again! 🙏💓 Very interesting article again. 👀

[gandalvr]

Another photo from the interview: g.acdn.no/obscura/API/dynamic/r1/ece5/tr_2000_2000_s_f/0000/berg/2022/2/2/15/a8a0cd6859607ee56676676449e039c0.jpg?chk=1DA6DE

[gandalvr]

My translation:

Aurora on the “song theft”: – Completely intentional

In this interview, Aurora talks about the similarities between last year’s single “Midas Touch” and Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band hit “Nikita”.

There is a lot of Aurora in the press these days.

The album “The Gods We Can Touch” is praised everywhere, she has been confirmed for Bergenfest this summer, and her Warriors & Weirdos, as the fans call themselves, are listening to long-awaited new material worldwide.

On the day of the release of “The Gods We Can Touch,” Aurora was in London. In front of a large wall on Great Eastern Street in the Shoreditch area, a large picture of the artist was put up. There she met fans, smiled on selfies and signed albums.

Fast landing

In recent days, she has tried to “land” a little at home in Bergen.

– Yes, I actually land quite fast. I only need a night’s sleep, then I have restarted, she says to BA at the coffee bar Blom, humming the Carpenters classic “Close To You” in-between her answers.

– Do you get used to as much praise and good words as you have received for this album, or is there excitement for how it is going to be received every time?

– You do not get used to such things. Because it’s not the same thing that is being reviewed, except that it’s me – so there are different versions of me every time. I used to be more concerned with protecting myself from people’s opinions, but now I’m much better at letting the good words touch me.

– It’s the same – without a doubt

First, we’re going to quickly rewind back to November. Aurora released the single “Midas Touch,” which is not on the new album, but in the Amazon Prime series “Hanna.”

Just before Christmas, a listener told the radio program “Stjernepose” on NRK P13 about certain similarities in the vocal melody on “Midas Touch” with Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band song “Nikita” – first released on Tellé Records in 1999.

Tarjei Strøm, who has been the host of “Stjernepose” and is drummer in Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band, said this when BA called to hear what he thinks about the comparison:

– It’s the same – without a doubt. And that’s a witty comparison. There is something about the sound, I get the same good feeling that I get from “Nikita.” It could be an obscure coincidence or a small homage. I have no idea. But most of all, it’s quite fun, he said.

Now, it must be said that the part that is similar is a part that Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band sampled from Gert Wilden & Orchestra’s “Sexy Girls.” The song was used in the erotic 1972 film “Mädchen, die nach München kommen” where five lightly dressed women go to Munich during the Olympics. It is Erlend Sellevold, Strøm’s Ralph Myerz colleague, who has changed, tuned and produced the sample.

At that time, there was no answer from the Aurora camp. But now we have her here; so, what does Aurora say?

– It is an homage – and completely intentional.

– I love Ralph Myerz, that song and not least the female vocals – the humming – have always fascinated me. “Midas Touch” is really about how I think she is like, the woman who sings in that song. So, it’s a kind of intricate declaration of love for that song, but most of all for her.

Has started thinking about the next one

“The Gods We Can Touch” was originally finished in November 2020 and was to be released last autumn. Then the album was postponed. Among other things because Aurora came up with a song last spring that just had to be included [“Giving in to the Love”]. And now she already has her head inside the next album.

– I start thinking about a new album right away, yes, and have already started on the next one. I want to make albums – only that, really. That’s what I do. And when an album is out, like now, I get incredibly calm and feel that I can move on.

– Have you already staked out a course for the album?

– It will be a really fun album, she smiles impishly.

Not my favorite interivew, I've got to say. Why spend almost half the interview on whether or not something is an homage or not, when you have the chance to ask her so many more interesting questions?

[gandalvr]

The either or video was also posted on Bergensavisen's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bergensavisen/video/7060130755229338886

[gandalvr]

Another photo from this interview, by Arne Ristesund, from an article in Bergensavisen: www.ba.no/aurora-om-tilvarelsen-kan-ikke-ga-ut-av-hotellet/s/5-8-2202662

[likkevrom]

Photos by photographer Arne Ristesund for Bergensavisen, larger/better quality:

From the interview article, afaik:

SPOILER: Click to show

https://g.api.no/obscura/API/image/r1/ece5/a/0000/berg/2022/2/2/14/a49c2934b8e56ef5f78131492c29a7bb.jpg
https://g.api.no/obscura/API/image/r1/ece5/a/0000/berg/2022/2/2/15/a8a0cd6859607ee56676676449e039c0.jpg
https://g.api.no/obscura/API/image/r1/ece5/a/0000/berg/2022/2/2/14/bd31bd4b41217c7e854398cc8bdd778f.jpg
https://g.api.no/obscura/API/image/r1/ece5/a/0000/berg/2022/2/2/14/c1975e31c0482a0c64141e1a99490716.jpg

And one from the other Bergensavisen article, also in previous post:

SPOILER: Click to show

https://g.api.no/obscura/API/image/r1/ece5/a/0000/berg/2023/3/27/14/_DSC3503_3.jpg

They have timestamps of February 2nd in the metadata, so the interview was likely conducted on the same date as it was published.