Bergens Tidende Interview 06.07.2021

[leaves]

Here is the link to the article (behind a paywell): www.bt.no/kultur/i/Ep0bdj/tanken-paa-at-noen-vil-kurere-homofili-fikk-aurora-til-aa-skrive-laat








Photos by Paul Sigve Amundsen

[gandalvr]

My translation:

The thought that someone wants to “cure” homosexuality made Aurora write a song

– This is personal for me as a bisexual. But I mostly think of those who have it really tough, Aurora says.

“I do not need a cure for me,” Aurora Aksnes sings on her new single. There was one special thing that made her start spinning on the word “cure”.

– I began to think that it is still legal to “convert” gays in Norway, that some wants to “cure” people because of who they love. Imagine that some of us can suddenly be told by someone that “you have been born wrong, so you need to be cured,” she says.

“Cure for Me” is the title of Aurora’s new single. On the one hand, it is a playful and danceable pop song, but it is serious as well.

Since the last time Aurora released brand new music, a lot has happened to her career.

The old Aurora song “Runaway” suddenly took off on TikTok, which also made it one of the world’s most played songs on Spotify.

Finished the album

When BT meets Aurora at a café on Nygårdshøyden, however, she is very ready to talk about something completely different than the old song from 2015. She has with her a green and white flower into the cafe, which matches the colors of her dress.

– I’ve finished my new album, are you aware of that? Today, before I left home, I listened to the latest version and approved it, she says, before the little flower slips between her fingers and into the white coffee cup.

The song that will be released on Wednesday is the second single from the recently completed album.

And so it was the idea that someone want to cure homosexuality, so-called conversion therapy or homotherapy, that started something in Aurora. Many have wanted a ban on conversion therapy, but it is legal, and is implemented in some congregations.

For Aurora, the song is also about feeling ashamed.

– Unjustified shame is one of the worst feelings. That people feel ashamed of something they should definitely not feel ashamed of, she says.

– Supports the fight

– I have a lot of fans and friends in countries like Indonesia, India, China, Japan and Latin America. Brazil in particular can be quite bad now for people in the LGBTQ community, and the fight they have to fight is completely different than the fight here in Norway, she continues.

– Have you ever felt ashamed of your sexuality?

– No, I have not. As a white, bisexual woman in Norway, you escape the worst the world has to offer. But it is important for me to show that I understand and support the fight that is being waged elsewhere – in places where they have it much tougher, Aurora says.

It was in an interview with English newspaper The Independent that Aurora spoke about her sexual orientation in public for the first time.

However, she says she has always had many fans from LGBTQ circles, perhaps especially in Latin America.

And in the last year, Aurora has gained more and more fans, she has reached even more people than before. Thanks to, among other things, the old song “Runaway”, which has now been played almost 300 million times on Spotify. She now has 13.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, more than twice as many as at this time last year.

– Boring to talk about success

But now she would rather not talk about the old hit song.

– There is nothing that is more boring for me than talking about success. On the one hand, it means a lot, because then I can reach out to many with my message. And then I can make a living from this. But success is not important in itself.

– Maybe it gives a certain security?

– Yes, it does. And there is not much security in this industry. Because you are quickly forgotten. Oh, now I drank the flower. Let’s hope it is not toxic.

[likkevrom]

I got 2 different sized images from the same Bergens Tidende / BT article, the last one is also cropped differently.

Photos by Paul Sigve Amundsen:

gandalvr's translation also on Reddit. Thanks for the translation!

[gandalvr]

New photo from this photoshoot by Paul Sigve Amundsen on the front page of Bergens Tidende today, in connection with this article: www.bt.no/kultur/i/zE6do1/aurora-bidrar-i-aapent-brev-mot-equinor-plan

Direct link:

https://premium.vgc.no/bt/images/3f943552-54cc-4d48-9857-af3d8c53ea90

[Marvel4]

Higher quality photos:

https://vcdn.polarismedia.no/f3342547-6e40-4be8-9d1b-a4ada2c61e65?format=&q=100
https://vcdn.polarismedia.no/ee9d1b31-5a9d-4512-acfe-64982155480a?format=&q=100
https://vcdn.polarismedia.no/d19922dc-ed47-4506-ba98-28d50a8a9865?format=&q=100
https://vcdn.polarismedia.no/8cc67a5d-d377-433b-8478-26900f9cce6a?format=&q=100
https://vcdn.polarismedia.no/3f943552-54cc-4d48-9857-af3d8c53ea90?format=&q=100

[gandalvr]

New photos by Paul Sigve Amundsen from this interview, from a review of "The Conflict in the Mind" in Bergens Tidende: www.bt.no/kultur/anmeldelser/i/bgAkqB/dette-er-hennes-sterkeste-laat-paa-lang-tid

https://premium.vgc.no/bt/images/fd637d5e-d098-47bb-9563-d92c0ec7989e

https://premium.vgc.no/bt/images/3a1219be-85de-49da-9cd3-67ad06e5dec8

https://premium.vgc.no/bt/images/e7eae150-33b0-4464-9930-3ceaebe70081
Thanks to Hatai for the link to the last photo!

[likkevrom]

Thanks both!

The photos by photographer Paul Sigve Amundsen from the BT article in the previous post, marginally better quality and the first image as JPEG:

SPOILER: Click to show

https://vcdn.polarismedia.no/fd637d5e-d098-47bb-9563-d92c0ec7989e?format=&q=100
https://vcdn.polarismedia.no/e7eae150-33b0-4464-9930-3ceaebe70081?format=&q=100
https://vcdn.polarismedia.no/3a1219be-85de-49da-9cd3-67ad06e5dec8?format=&q=100

[x]

Second image is too big for ImgBB.
I'm not sure, but the first image might be from the article's preview on the BT / Bergens Tidende homepage.


Edit: second photo as a progressive JPEG (lossless transformation) works on ImgBB: