After a summer that has been completely different than what was planned, organisers start working on creating the best Øya experience ever for next year. Their goal is to put together a big and varied line-up – Some of the artists will join from the 2020 program, while others will be brand new additions!
BON IVER has over the last ten years grown to become a really big pop phenomenon. Justin Vernon’s band first played at Øya as a newcomer in 2009, then as an artist with a growing Norwegian fan base in 2012. Now BON IVER returns as an established headliner, which means that they end up on the biggest stage.
MICHAEL KIWANUKA broke through with his debut album Home Again in 2012 and has since had a very good grip on his audience. All three albums have ended up in the top five in their home country. The latest is only called Kiwanuka, and shows an artist in exciting development. The publication received top marks in both Dagbladet and Aftenposten. He mixes pieces of soul, rock, pop and people in a very tasteful way. As on its predecessor Love & Hate (2016), he has received help from, among others, super producer Danger Mouse.
KVELERTAK has achieved something no other Norwegian-language rock band has managed, touring year after year in major arenas internationally. Their own mix of punk, metal and rock has given them a solid fan base over large parts of the world. With the four albums KVELERTAK (2010), Meir (2013), Nattesferd (2016) and Splid, they have spread energetic and powerful music from festival stages, arenas and clubs across large parts of the world. The band has toured with legends such as Metallica and Slayer, as well as other quality bands such as Mastodon, Gojira, Ghost and Converge.
AURORA is one of the biggest Norwegian pop successes of recent years. She has released three strong albums, had several radio hits, had tremendous streaming numbers and there is great interest internationally. In just a few years she has performed at huge festivals, popular TV shows and she has toured on most continents. AURORA experiences success as far away from home as Australia, Mexico and Brazil, and fills far larger concert venues abroad than in Norway.
EMILIE NICOLAS was welcomed with open arms by both critics and audiences after the single Pstereo (2013) and the album Like I’m a Warrior (2014). She topped the album chart and received two Spellemann Awards. The latter feat she repeated with the next album Tranquille Emile (2018). Between the two releases, she had to take a break due to illness, but she is now back with full musical power.
SONDRE LERCHE never stops playing or surprising. In 2020, he released the album Patience, the sequel to double Spellemann Prize nominees Please (2014) and critically acclaimed Pleasure (2017). In addition, he will make his debut as a writer with the essay collection “All songs are about you” on January 9 at Flamme publishing house. He recently collaborated with Øya headliner AURORA on the song Alone in the Night.
In 2019, BIKINI KILL played a few concerts in the US and two exclusive shows in London. The latter sold out all 10,000 tickets immediately. These were their first full concerts on this side of the millennium. The success was to be followed up by some European festival shows, including Øya. It is with great pleasure that organisers can say that Bikini Kill will play again in 2021.
KAMARA flew out of the starting blocks in 2019, and impressed time and time again. After convincing at Camp Øya, Klubbdagen and the Library, organisers have no doubt that she had to enter the main program in 2020. After a year of waiting, this will become a reality in 2021. Fatuma Kamara was born in Sierra Leone and grew up in Bergen. She has received radio play with the single Don’t Call My Name and has contributed to several of Lars Vaular’s new songs. She mixes RnB and pop in an energetic way, and shows her very own joy of communication on stage.
UGBAD MUSTI from Tøyen is one of the most exciting young names in music in Oslo. She has been interested in storytelling since childhood, and draws inspiration from both Somali music and British hip hop, RnB and grime. In 2019, she played an impressive mini-concert on Øya’s most intimate stage, the Library. Without having a single song out, she was warmly received by an audience that allowed herself to be captured. MUSTI also impressed at by: Larm this year. Now she is absolutely ready for the main program for Øya.