For this week’s Artist Playlist we’ve asked Hanne Mjøen, a Nordic newcomer making waves in Norway and beyond, to pick out a selection of her favourite music.
Hanne is a glossy pop climber, releasing singles that receive up to millions of plays on Spotify and receive heavy rotation on national radio playlists, a surefire sign she’ll be sticking around and that there’s great things to come.
She recently performed in the UK for the first time at one of Ja Ja Ja’s regular London showcases of Scandinavian talent, and has just released a new single – Sounds Good to Me – on new label Spinnin’ Records.
Her music, proudly boasting its pop credentials, is sleek and shiny, and it’s those characteristics that she’s brought to her edition of the Artist Playlist.
For the uninitiated, the Artist Playlist is our way of giving musicians, usually the curated, the opportunity to curate a playlist of their own, harnessing their passion for music to receive great recommendations, learn about the music they love, and get closer to their own influences and tastes.
Hanne Mjøen’s picks include two tracks from the powerful trailblazer of modern Nordic electropop, plus selections of both major U.S. stars and artists based closer to home.
It’s unsurprising, then, that she describes herself as a “pop girl”. She told us: “I tend to listen mostly to emotional pop songs that hit me and describes how I’m feeling. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a pop music fan.
“Growing up in Oppdal, a town with 6,000 citizens in the middle of Norway, we didn’t really buy a lot of CDs, and I never listen to albums. Lyrics are very important, but most of all the emotion in the voice of the singer.”
Read on for Hanne’s picks, or head straight for the music and check out all of the tracks she selected on the Spotify playlist here.
Robyn
Dancing on My Own
Hanne says: “I am the biggest Robyn fan, and Dancing on My Own is the best song in the world. She is amazing, and she makes me want to dance confident and strong and fall apart crying, all at the same time.”
Taken from: Body Talk Pt. 1, June 2010
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Bon Iver
715 – CRΣΣKS
Hanne says: “I’ve been in love with Bon Iver ever since I first heard Skinny Love in high school. Justin Vernon is an amazing songwriter, and his voice breaks my heart.
“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve cried listening to this song. For me, it’s the perfect description of how it feels being lost, and having pain no-one really can understand or heal.
“I think I could listen to this song on repeat forever.”
Taken from: 22, a Million, September 2016
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Zara Larsson
Ruin My Life
Hanne says: “This was a song that just hit me. I love the simplicity and the conflict in the lyrics, missing someone who messed you up, and wanting them to come back and ruin your life even more.”
Taken from: Ruin My Life (single), October 2018
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Selena Gomez
Hands to Myself
Hanne says: “This song is something completely different, but it’s just so good. It always makes me smile, and it’s the perfect balance between innocent and sexy.
“It’s the perfect pop song, and I am obsessed with the lyric: ‘Can’t keep my hands to myself. I mean I could but why would I want to?'”
Taken from: Revival, October 2015
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Lykke Li
so sad so sexy
Hanne says: “This is just a song that everyone should listen to. It’s sexy to be sad.”
Taken from: So Sad So Sexy, June 2018
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Justin Bieber & BloodPop®
Friends
Hanne says: “I feel like Friends is the perfect post-breakup song. I still care about you, and I was just wondering, can we be friends? I’ve actually played this live a couple of times, and I love it.”
Taken from: Friends (single), August 2017
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Iselin
Bathtub
Hanne says: “Iselin, I just wanted to say that Bathtub is so weird, so cool and so so so good, everyone should hear it! It’s important to take care of yourself, and to take time to take a bath and not rush into things.”
Taken from: Bathtub (single), June 2018
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Emilie Nicolas
Wild One
Hanne says: “Listening to this song by Emilie Nicolas just makes me feel like a boss lady. She is so strong, and her voice completely knocks me out.”
Taken from: Tranquille Emile, June 2018
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Coldplay
Viva La Vida
Hanne says: “Coldplay is my all-time favorite band, and Viva La Vida always makes me feel good.”
Taken from: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, June 2008
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Robyn
Honey
Hanne says: “I couldn’t help myself and had to pick another Robyn track! Her new song Honey. It’s perfect, and it changes a lot, so it keeps me interested and makes me listen to it over and over again.”
Taken from: Honey, October 2018
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Hanne Mjøen
Sounds Good to Me
Hanne says: “This is the most honest song I’ve written. I’m a very emotional person, and going into a new relationship can be so scary, putting every emotion on display and knowing it will hurt, but feeling that it’s still worth it in the end.
“Because without love? We’ve got nothing.”
Taken from: Sounds Good to Me (single), September 2018
Follow Hanne Mjøen: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify
Hanne Mjøen’s new single Sounds Good to Me is out now on Spinnin’ Records. A music video has also been released, plus a remix by UK producer Paul Woolford.
