Debuting under her artist moniker Lúpína with the 2023 ringluð, Oslo-based Nína Solveig Andersen presents her innermost thoughts and emotions through a Scandi-pop fusion on her latest album MARGLYTTA.
“I’m trying to be more confident on stage,” is the first thing Nína says, less than 24 hours after arriving in Iceland from Stockholm. Based in Oslo, Norway, the 21-year-old has a busy schedule ahead of her. Following her appearance in Sweden at an Iceland Airwaves showcase, some of the artist’s recent concerts include a Taste of Iceland showcase in Seattle and a live television performance in the popular Vikan með Gísla Marteini.
Reflecting on her show in Sweden, Lúpína notes the few things in her live set that need tweaking. “I can get a bit shy,” she continues softly. The shyness of the young artist — whose discography already counted at least three albums by the age of 20 — is overshadowed by their expressive musical arrangements and detailed artistic vision.
One of Lúpína’s noteworthy accomplishments includes the success of her 2023 track “ástarbréf,” which has amassed over 1.1 million Spotify streams.
“I think partially it’s TikTok,” she says of the song’s unexpected popularity. “I publish most of my songs there, but this one took off, which must come down to the song itself.”
“I’ve noticed one underlying theme that characterises some of my best work: the fact that I wrote them under time constraints. ‘Ástarbréf’ was written pretty early on in my studies at LIMPI [Lillehammer Institute of Music Production] when my friends visited me from Iceland,” she explains, referencing her Norwegian music school. “They were cooking dinner and I was headed home to join them. So I wrote the song in a hurry and left.”
Pop’s rigid box
Nína’s music career began as part of the experimental folk trio Dymbrá, which progressed to Músíktilraunir’s final round in 2018. Subsequently, Dymbrá released two albums and featured on post-dreifing’s compilation Drullumall #2. “That was the first step into the music world,” Nína says.
Half-Norwegian, half-Icelandic, Nína made further inroads, when she enrolled at LIMPI. Explaining that she wrote most of her debut album as part of a school project, Nína soon compiled her existing material and established her moniker Lúpína.
Originally wanting to become a producer, Nína found her strong sense of direction blocking that path. “I realised my opinions are too strong to solely focus on what others want. I feel like I have so many things to say. I think that’s what led me to start my own project,” she explains.
Coming from the classical and experimental worlds, Nína’s studies were a gateway into the flashy realm of popular songwriting.
“[The school] was very pop-centric,” Nína explains. That’s perhaps not surprising considering its co-founder, Amund Bjørklund, has co-written with several Billboard Top 100 artists. “Everything revolved around formulas and understanding what makes a hit. Not that anybody has the answer to that question,” she continues, admitting that the school’s focus was intriguing and unappealing at the same time.
“It’s a tool that’s good to learn and know how to use. But it can be quite limiting when you’re always thinking, ‘The chorus needs to hit before the 40-second mark,’ and so on. There are so many rules,” Nína describes. “I got slightly brainwashed to think that music needs to fit within this frame — which is not true.”
Lúpína’s allure is partly due to her confluence of music genres which seem at odds with one another. On MARGLYTTA, pop music seamlessly blends with contemporary and electronica, crafting an enticing mixture. In Lúpína’s opinion, this is the secret to great pop music. “I think you always need an edge — you can’t make pure pop interesting. But that’s maybe debatable,” she says, countering her own argument.
No ‘I’ in Lúpína
An obvious difference between Lúpína’s debut and sophomore albums lies in their volume of energy. While ringluð saw the beginning of Lúpína slowly finding her feet, its radiance transfers over to MARGLYTTA, firmly establishing Lúpína’s talents and creative proficiency. This second offering is louder and more assertive — not aggressive, but just as if someone turned Lúpína’s dial up just a tad.
“I’d say overall there’s more energy present on MARGLYTTA. I see it as a photograph of a period in my life where I’m a jellyfish. The listener can see through me,” she smiles, explaining the album title (marglytta translates to jellyfish).
Written immediately following ringluð’s release, MARGLYTTA was composed in collaboration with several songwriters. As any songwriter knows, Nína realises the importance of working with other writers. Some of the collaborators present on the album include Nína’s longstanding conspirator Grímur Einarsson, Eurovision superhero Daði Freyr, and JóiPjé. “Most of my work is done through collaboration. I believe that’s a very important part of it. Even though I want to have the final say, I think it’s imperative that other people can express their opinions,” she concludes.
Lúpína’s MARGLYTTA is out now, available on streaming services. Catch her first Iceland Airwaves performance in November and follow her on social media, @lupina.is.
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