Viking Magazine - March 2020 - 26

is electronic dance music, he has been
credited with inventing the " tropical
house " genre, an EDM-pop hybrid that
sounds exactly like its moniker: laid back
and beachy. Ellie Goulding's " First Time "
is a good example of this, as is Selena
Gomez's " It Ain't Me, " both of which
feature Kygo as a co-producer.
" Kygo is kind of the only one who has
really developed a very distinct sound
after ABBA, in my opinion, " Winther
says. " He's been a game-changer. "
Other Scandipop artists currently riding
a wave of mainstream success on stage
include Ålesund, Norway-born Sigrid, the
songstress behind " Don't Kill My Vibe, "
and Stockholm's Icona Pop, whose " I
Love It " collaboration with Charli XCX
peaked at number seven on the Billboard
Hot 100. Taking a page from the boy
bands that came before them, 15-yearold
twins Marcus & Martinus play up
the heartthrob vibe with teenage love
songs in both English and Norwegian,
and Aurora, the singer-songwriter from
Stavanger, Norway, most recently hit the
big screen with her " Into the Unknown "
duet with Idina Menzel in " Frozen 2. "
A-ha
Not all Scandinavian pop musicians
enjoy the spotlight, however, and some
of the region's biggest hits come from
people who-unlike the megastars
who sing their songs-are basically
anonymous outside of the music
industry. Max Martin and Stargate, the
duo made up of Tor Erik Hermansen
and Mikkel Eriksen, are perhaps the best
examples of this. Although relatively
unknown as individuals, they've
collectively produced songs for a Who's
Who of American pop music, including
Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna,
Jennifer Hudson and Backstreet Boys, to
name a few (see the infographic on page
25 for more).
THE " X " FACTOR
This Nordic tune takeover has
prompted countless writers and
educators to ponder the question:
Why are Scandinavians so good at
pop music?
" I think that Scandinavians are
perhaps more focused on melodies than
lyrics, " says Nils-Egil Langeland, the
Sound and Music Production program
Kygo
leader for Noroff School of Technology
and Digital Media, explaining
what makes Scandipop stand out.
" Many producers comment on this
focus on melody as a Norwegian or
Scandinavian 'trait' or 'sound.' Perhaps
it's because we grow up liking songs
based on melody and not lyrics, because
we don't understand English as a child.
I've noticed that although my students
are good at writing and speaking
English, the melody is often a higher
priority than the lyrics. "
In The Atlantic article titled " Why
Is Sweden So Good at Pop Music?, "
Swedish academic Ola Johansson
argues that Scandinavians' penchant
for pop comes from factors like their
ability to speak English well and keep
up with the latest trends, as well as the
popularity of MTV when the channel
debuted in Sweden in 1987. The Globe
and Mail calls Sweden the " Nashville
of the Nordics " for being one of the
world's biggest exporters of music
relative to the size of its economy,
while an Independent article quoting
Norwegian singer Dagny explained it
Stargate
Jessie J & Max Martin
Ace of Base
Aurora
Sigrid
26 VIKING MARCH 2020 sonsofnorway.com
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES, C. FLANIGAN, DAVID M. BENETT, KEVIN WINTER, FRANK HOENSCH, DAVE J. HOGAN, PICTURE ALLIANCE. ALL PHOTOS GETTY IMAGES.

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Viking Magazine - March 2020

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