MØ
MØ | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Karen Marie Ørsted |
Born | Odense, Denmark | 13 August 1988
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 2012–present |
Labels |
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Website | www |
Karen Marie Ørsted (born 13 August 1988), better known by her stage name MØ, is a Danish singer and songwriter signed to Sony Music Entertainment. Born in Odense, MØ has been compared to electropop artists such as Grimes and Twin Shadow.[1] Besides being an acronym for her middle and last initials, the word mø means "maiden" or "virgin" in Danish.[2] Her debut album, No Mythologies to Follow, was released in March 2014.[3]
MØ collaborated with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea on the 2014 single "Beg for It", which peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100, earning MØ her first entry on the chart.[4] The following year, MØ was featured on Major Lazer and DJ Snake's international hit "Lean On".
Career
2007–12: MOR
MØ and her friend Josefine Struckmann formed the punk duo MOR in 2007, and released two extended plays, Fisse I Dit Fjæs and Vanvidstimer, in 2009 and 2011, respectively. MOR disbanded on 7 September 2012.[5]
2012–15: No Mythologies to Follow and collaborations
In 2012, MØ began creating a cappella pop songs and began collaborating with producer Ronni Vindahl.[6] On 14 January 2013, MØ released her debut single, "Glass".[7] On 15 March 2013 she released "Pilgrim" with B-side "Maiden".[8] Pilgrim was recognised as P3s Uundgåelige (P3 Unavoidable), a label given to rising artists by Danish radio station DR P3, as it peaked at number eleven on the Danish Singles Chart.[9][10] On 27 March 2013, she performed live on television for the first time at the Danish P3 Guld Awards.[11]
On 7 June 2013, she released the single "Waste of Time".[12] On 18 August 2013, it was confirmed through producer and DJ Avicii's manager Ash Pournouri that MØ had co-written and provided vocals on a track called "Dear Boy" which was later featured on Avicii's debut album, True.[13] On 30 August 2013, she released the single "XXX 88"[14] MØ's first extended play, Bikini Daze, was released on 18 October 2013.[15] In October 2013, she supported AlunaGeorge on UK tour dates.[16] The single "Don't Wanna Dance" debuted on BBC Radio 1 on 16 January 2014 as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record.[17]
MØ's debut studio album, No Mythologies to Follow, was released on 7 March 2014.[18] On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a Metascore of an 77 out of 100 indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[19] Music blog Pretty Much Amazing called the album "complex and euphoric", while The Guardian noted that "what [MØ] lacks in originality, she makes up for with warlike ardour".[20][21]
MØ began touring in Europe and the United States in support of the album, ending in June. On 2 June 2014, she made her US television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she performed the songs "Don't Wanna Dance" and "Pilgrim".[22] "Walk This Way" was released on 16 June 2014 as a single from No Mythologies to Follow.[23] On 23 June, MØ announced additional United States and Canadian tour dates beginning in September.[24] In November 2014, she won four awards at the Danish Music Awards: Danish Album of the Year, Danish Solo Artist of the Year, Danish Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Danish Music Video of the Year.[25]
In 2014, MØ was featured on Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's song "Beg for It", which was released as the lead single from Azalea's reissue album, Reclassified.[26] Azalea and MØ performed the song for the first time on Saturday Night Live on 25 October.[27]
MØ also co-wrote the song "All My Love" by Major Lazer, featuring vocals from American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande.[28] MØ co-wrote and provided vocals for another Major Lazer song, "Lean On" with DJ Snake, which was released in March 2015.[29] The single topped the charts in MØ's native Denmark, Australia, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand, while reaching the top five in several countries, including France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.[30][31]
2015: Upcoming second album
On 1 October 2015, it was announced that the first single from MØ's upcoming second studio album, "Kamikaze", produced by Diplo, would be released on 15 October.[32] On 14 October, the single made its world premiere on a BBC Radio segment hosted by Annie Mac before the studio version was released the following day. The single has also gained its spot on Belgium and Danish charts. The productions of her contemporary upcoming-album is still in major process.
Musical style
MØ's music has been described as "electro music with guts". Her work has been compared to various artists, including Siouxsie Sioux and Janet Jackson.[33]
MØ was seven when she became interested in music thanks to the Spice Girls.[34] As a teenager, she became interested in punk music and anti-fascist movements, listening to Black Flag, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and especially Sonic Youth, saying she looked up to Kim Gordon as a "big hero and role model".[35]
Discography
It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled MØ discography. (Discuss) (August 2015) |
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
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DEN [9] |
BEL (FL) [36] |
BEL (WA) [37] |
FRA [38] |
IRE [39] |
UK [40] | |||
No Mythologies to Follow |
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2 | 107 | 83 | 161 | 76 | 58 |
Extended plays
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
US Heat [42] | ||
Bikini Daze |
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11 |
Singles
As lead artist
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DEN [9] |
BEL (FL) [36] |
UK [43] | |||
"Glass" | 2013 | — | — | — | No Mythologies to Follow |
"Pilgrim" | 11 | — | — | ||
"Waste of Time" | — | — | — | ||
"XXX 88" (featuring Diplo) |
— | —[A] | — | ||
"Don't Wanna Dance" | 2014 | 25 | —[B] | — | |
"Say You'll Be There"[44] | — | — | 170 | ||
"Walk This Way" | 33 | — | — | ||
"Kamikaze" | 2015 | 18 | 28 | 183 | TBA |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
As featured artist
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DEN [9] |
AUS [45] |
BEL (FL) [36] |
CAN [46] |
FRA [38] |
GER [47] |
IRE [39] |
NZ [48] |
UK [49] |
US [50] | |||||
"One More"[51] (Elliphant featuring MØ) |
2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | One More | ||
"Beg for It" (Iggy Azalea featuring MØ) |
— | 29 | —[C] | 44 | — | — | — | — | 111 | 27 | Reclassified | |||
"Lean On" (Major Lazer and DJ Snake featuring MØ) |
2015 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | Peace Is the Mission | ||
"Lost" (Major Lazer featuring MØ) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Music Is the Weapon | |||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Dear Boy" | 2013 | Avicii | True |
Music videos
Title | Year | Director |
---|---|---|
"Glass" | 2013 | Casper Balslev[59] |
"Let the Youth Go Mad" (Broke featuring MØ) |
Ian Isak Ploug Ochoa[60] | |
"Pilgrim" (MS MR Remix) | Esben Weile Kjær[61] | |
"Waste of Time" | Anders Malmberg[62] | |
"XXX 88" (featuring Diplo) |
Tim Erem[63] | |
"Don't Wanna Dance" | 2014 | Georgia Hudson[64] |
"Walk This Way" | Emilie Rafael[65] | |
"One More" (Elliphant featuring MØ) |
Tim Erem[66][67] | |
"Lean On" (Major Lazer and DJ Snake featuring MØ) |
2015 | |
"Kamikaze" | Truman & Cooper[68]
Notes
References
External links
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- Articles to be split from August 2015
- 1988 births
- 21st-century pianists
- 21st-century singers
- Blue-eyed soul singers
- Danish dance musicians
- Danish electronic musicians
- Danish female singers
- Danish pianists
- Danish pop singers
- Danish singer-songwriters
- English-language singers of Denmark
- Female singer-songwriters
- Living people
- People from Odense
- Pop pianists
- RCA Victor artists
- Rhythm and blues pianists
- Soul keyboardists