[small_title title=”GIRL WITH A REBEL AGENDA”]
Danish singer/songwriter MØ (née Karen Marie Ørsted) lives by the philosophy that perfection is overrated, and her album serves as the anthem for the disillusioned youth everywhere passionately fighting against the expected and mundane.
MØ—Nordic for “maiden” and inspired by a grandfather’s artistic legacy (pronounced as the first part of “mercy”)—intended her debut album No Mythologies to Follow to resonate with individuals (and experiences) that are anything but ordinary. She describes the album as “about being a young and restless individual, lost in nowadays society” and “striving to find your own way to navigate through this crazy modern Western world.” It includes tracks like “XXX 88”—an effort with Diplo about being left behind and “Gone and Found”—about feeling lost in exactly the way she describes.
The album—and its message—have quickly soared in popularity both in Europe and the United States. Perhaps the best indicator of MØ’s success was her recent performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” where the 25-year old tore through singles “Pilgrim” and “Don’t Wanna Dance” in her signature high-energy, ponytail-whipping style. Despite the heavy electronic production of both aforementioned songs, the singer finds an entirely new energy into performing them with a live band. “Live, you tell your stories face to face with your audience, you have to look them in the eyes and let go at the same time. It becomes intense and violent in a whole new way, which is the beauty of it.”
MØ
Intensity and violence is as much part of the Copenhagen import’s musicality as is beauty. Don’t let her pop sound fool you; punk rock has been part of MØ’s life since she was 14. In fact, the songstress cites Sonic Youth as the biggest creative influence in her life – lyrically and perhaps aesthetically.
[blockquote author=MO]“Live, you tell your stories face to face with your audience, you have to look them in the eyes and let go at the same time. It becomes intense and violent in a whole new way, which is the beauty of it.”[/blockquote]
And perhaps it is these punk sensibilities that led to her name being frequently mentioned with the idea of rebellion against perfection and convention. “I am very pleased to hear so!” says MØ about her rebellious nature. She goes on to say, “It wasn’t really planned, but I can see now that in my unconsciousness I’ve been striving to fight perfection and our idea of perfection in this modern western crazy society. People get uptight and cursed with lifestyle diseases in their struggle to have everything. I think it’s the little cracks that makes people beautiful and makes me fall for them ‘cause it’s the flaws which indicates that you’re dealing with a human being.”
Her willingness to flaunt all her “flaws” to the world is exactly what has pushed MØ to the top. Even the production of her album remains true to her message. Recorded almost entirely in her bedroom, No Mythologies to Follow is a testament to embracing the raw and genuine side of our natures. “I love to record vocals on my own, in an environment where I can just let go, be myself, and dive into the vibe of the song and the feelings or thoughts lying behind the lyrics,” says the artist about her rejection of a traditional studio sound. Striving to be authentic in a world that reveres facades is exactly what MØ fans seem to relate to when they shout along to her unfiltered lyrics. If you get the chance to see MØ perform live, you will understand exactly what makes her and her music so infectious. Onstage, she dances with a unique brand of reckless abandon while her vocals soar and lilt and tear through the crowd. There’s no choreography, no attempt to be perfect. MØ is simply being herself, and the audience adores that. In fact, when she jumps into the crowd, she is carried on and on by a thousand hands. Her limbs flailing, braided ponytail coming undone.
And in that extraordinary and candid moment, MØ inspires us all to find the beauty in being perfectly imperfect.