The muses of La Musa: Billie Eilish

After visiting Barcelona for the first time last March, when she had only an EP and a few singles to her name, American artist Billie Eilish, who at just 17 years old is an authentic world pop phenomenon, returns to town with her debut LP, ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ (2019), which has already become one of the best-selling albums of the year. She goes from the smaller Sant Jordi Club, where she played just six months earlier, to the Palau Sant Jordi to fill the stadium tonight with her secret formula of magnetic pop that has attracted comparisons to Lorde, James Blake, and Lana Del Rey.

The muses of La Musa: Aurora

Mixing frosty electronic textures, spare beats, and clear, emotive vocals, Norwegian singer/songwriter AURORA works in a similar dark pop milieu as artists like Oh Land, Lykke Li, and Lorde. Born Aurora Aksnes near the city of Bergen, she began writing music and lyrics at a young age, eventually releasing her debut single, “Awakening,” in late 2013. Honing her live show and building on the momentum from the song, AURORA issued the follow-up single “Under Stars” in late 2014 and announced that she had signed with American label Glassnote. Her debut EP, Running with the Wolves, was released in the spring of 2015. The young singer/songwriter then came to further prominence, having covered the Oasis track “Half the World Away” for the 2015 John Lewis Christmas ad before following up with her debut full-length, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, in 2016. It debuted at number one in Norway and charted across Western Europe. “Queendom,” the first taste of AURORA’s follow-up, was issued in April 2018.

Aurora has released her new album, ‘A Different Kind of Human’. it marks the 23-year-old Norwegian’s third full-length and forms the second part of last year’s surprise release, ‘Infections of A Different Kind’.

Primavera Sound 2018 #Saturday

The final day of Primavera Sound 2018 at the Parc del Fòrum won’t disappoint, charged as it is with unmissable concerts like the much-anticipated return to the stages of the UK’s Arctic Monkeys, led by Alex Turner, who, after releasing a second album in 2016 with his other project The Last Shadow Puppets, seems to be ready to get back to his Monkeys, who haven’t released a new album since 2013’s hit ‘AM’; back in Barcelona after killing it in Sant Jordi Club when she made her concert debut in the city back in October, it’s New Zealand pop star Lorde, with her second LP, ‘Melodrama’, one of the best albums of 2017; charismatic hip hop star A$AP Rocky comes back to the festival with his latest album set for a 2018 release; another mystery of the moment is whether Swedish pop artist Lykke Li will present her new album at Primavera Sound, as she’s had us waiting quite a while since her ‘I Never Learn’ from 2014; Baltimore duo Beach House comes along with their charming pop and a new album; Jane Birkin performs the songs of Serge Gainsbourg accompanied by a symphonic orchestra of 50 musicians; we won’t be missing one of the most interesting artists in recent years, Ariel Pink, and his fascinating style of pop; the hypnotic Grizzly Bear; and British shoegaze from Slowdive.

Best Covers: Lorde “New York”

Since kicking off her Melodrama tour last month, Lorde has treated audiences across the US to surprise live covers. In Toronto, she tackled hometown hero Drake (“Shot For Me”); while in Chicago, it was a no brainer to put her own spin on Kanye West (“Love Lockdown”); and she gifted Milwaukee’s crowd with some Frank Ocean (“Solo”).

During her set at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the New Zealand pop singer honored the city and its locals with a cover of St. Vincent’s “New York”. Super producer Jack Antonoff — with whom Lorde worked extensively on Melodrama — made a cameo appearance and accompanied her on acoustic guitar.

Best Covers: First Aid Kit “Perfect Places”

Early next year, the Swedish neo-folk duo First Aid Kit will return with the new album Ruins. In the run-up to the new album’s release, they’ve also recorded a session for BBC Radio 2, playing a couple of live-in-studio covers. One of them is “Perfect Places,” the final song on Lorde’s instant-classic sophomore album Melodrama, giving it a rambling country feel.

The muses of La Musa: Lorde

New Zealand pop star Lorde comes to Barcelona at long last to present her second album, ‘Melodrama’ (2017). This sophomore effort comes four years after her acclaimed debut, ‘Pure Heroine’ (2013), which was released when she was just 16 years old. That first album won two Grammys, among them Album of the Year, and catapulted Lorde to international fame, especially thanks to her hit ‘Royals’. Tonight at Sant Jordi Club.

Les muses de La Musa: Aldous Harding

Aldous Harding has been linked to the sober balladism of Nick Cave and Scott, two names that this New Zealand artist seems to evoke in her songs that are charged with profound intensity and enveloped in infinite darkness. After introducing herself two years ago with a homonymous record, the singer is now seeking to confirm her status with “Party”, an album produced by Josh Parish that did not have much trouble finding its place among the exquisite records in the 4AD catalogue and which has been admired by artists including Lorde. She will playing at Primavera Sound.