SKIA

Norwegian innovator SKIA has Scandipop on an IV drip, medicating the sound with sick beats, glacial synths, and melodic nutrients. With a future-bop vision, Annie Norbye reinterprets the acoustic foundation of songs like an electro architect to arrive at an exhilarating juxtaposition: elemental alt-pop that bumps.

Co-written and produced with Silvan Rupp, latest singles ‘Pocket’ and ‘Feeling Fine’, pick up where debut EP ‘Apricot’ left off… but sweeten the pot. While the spring of 2020 panned out somewhat differently than planned, being landlocked ironically spawned an international collaboration. Audio files were pinballed from Annie’s home in Norway, via Silvan in Switzerland, to Duncan Pym (mix & mastering engineer) in London. “I feel very proud that we have been able to pull through and create these tracks despite circumstance.” acknowledges Annie.

As the world became more insular and domestic, SKIA bore her own subgenre; ‘Dish-Dance’. Definition: dancing and singing along to Britney, Ariana and Robyn as a form of work out and therapy while preforming everyday chores such as washing the dishes. “It was an escape and made me feel on top of the world on the darkest of days.” admits Annie. “These moments are what inspired me to write a collection of
Dish-Dance classics; up-beat, danceable tracks with raw emotions and relatable content.”

‘Pocket’ embodies this perfectly. Underpinned by an arpeggiating heart, beating and building with and within the track, the digitals are on point. Guitar stabs and handclaps season the mix with an organic layer, as SKIA lays out the importance of solidarity. There’s an intimacy to the things we chose to carry in our pockets; the items may be inanimate but often what they represent can be life changing; in this case a plane ticket. “I wrote it as a response to a close friend contemplating a move home to Germany.” states Annie. “We both moved to Liverpool to study. It feels weird to build a life somewhere that isn’t where you grew up. It can be difficult to find purpose and decide where you belong. I was scared I was gonna lose her to Munich, so I penned the song to say ‘Hey, if you have a ticket to go, put it back in your pocket.’ Any issues she had here, I knew we could figure them out together.

‘Feeling Fine’ hangs SKIA’s signature tight pop structure on the clubber climbs of trance synths and rising pianos to produce a crystallised crying-on-the-dancefloor anthem. A ride of acceptance and reconnecting with self, dramatic dips signal a subdued mania before the hammer blow of a chorus sends flecks of empowerment swirling out into the night. “It’s a song about getting out of a relationship and finally starting to feel okay after being low for a long time.” says Annie. “Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and realizing that you are good enough on your own is a powerful thing.”

Sporting glitter war paint and equipped with fjord-beat bangers, SKIA bonds the void between kickdrum and snare via a landscape of tilting synth peaks and bubbling electronica valleys. Backed by a five-piece band, the live show is a like a Pride highlights reel. A randomizer of festival make-up, sequined costumery, cute props, set design and instruments adorned in sparkle. File under #iykyk.

Fans come in the form of industry gatekeepers Dork, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1) and Tom Robinson (BBC Radio 6). SKIA also featured on Channel 4’s ‘Made in Chelsea’.