As we enter would-have-been Eurovision month, Eurovision fans across the world are all in need of something to lift their spirits. But luckily Eurovision 2019’s Norwegian televote favourites KEiiNO are stepping in to provide us with not only a free online concert, but an entire album to lift our spirits — all the way to the sky!
KEiiNO’s debut album OKTA will be released on May 15th, perfectly in sync with what would have been Eurovision week. The album includes “Spirit in the Sky”, as well as their seven follow-up singles and their brand new mood-boosting lead single “Bed With The Wolf”.
As ambassadors of the UN’s year of Indigenous languages, KEiiNO recorded the album with talent from 15 countries, from way up north in Alta in Norway, down to Adelaide in Australia. Their aim was to record music alongside indigenous artists from around the world, blending ancient vocal traditions with modern pop aimed for a young, streaming audience.
OKTA includes collaborations with Australia Decides favourites Electric Fields, Maori Haka-band Te Hau Tawhiti, Native American rapper Dresuz, and Inuk throat-singer Charlotte Qamainq.
Pressing ahead with the release of the album during the COVID-19 crisis was an important decision for the band.
“Not being able to travel for interviews or live shows is far from ideal, and there has been some advice for us to postpone the release of the album further,” Tom Hugo explains, “but we feel a certain responsibility to make these challenging times easier for our fans, so we decided to release OKTA anyway. The album is just another step on the KEiiNO journey, and we look forward to performing the songs live as soon as we can.”
However, quarantine isn’t stopping KEiiNO from having a good old album release party! They will stream a free online release concert on May 15th, on Facebook, YouTube and selected websites.
The band will perform brand new tracks from the album, some of our favourite KEiiNO hits, and even a collection of covers chosen by the viewers. They will also show exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with artists they collaborated with.
Norway’s Spellemannprise
KEiiNO doesn’t just have an album release party in their sights, they have been celebrating their nomination for a Spellemannprise, also known as the Norwegian Grammy Awards, in the Song of the Year category for “Spirit in the Sky”. Although they didn’t take the prize, it’s still a historic moment. This was the first time a Eurovision song had ever been nominated for the award!
Will you be tuning into KEiiNO’s long-awaited album release party? Are you excited to hear their new tracks? Let us know in the comments!
The album has landed, and I cannot wait for the online concert tonight! The best news I’ve gotten on my iPhone in quite a while, “OKTA from KEiiNO has been released in your Library.” <3
Love them and I still haven’t gotten tired of Spirit in the Sky <3
I feel like if KEiiNO were to represent Norway at Eurovision in a couple of years, then it would be almost as if a Eurovision winner has come back. They have just gained so much popularity. If they do return, it would be just so iconic. They have to be one of the biggest growers in popularity, after winning Eurovision. Can’t wait to see what they do next.
They deserve it