MØ: A musical metamorphosis

MO, otherwise known as Karen Marie Orsted, is performing at Rhythm and Vines.

Soulful Danish electro-pop artist MØ, who has risen as an international star this year, has surprisingly spent New Year's Eve in New Zealand before, as a child travelling with her parents.

"It was super. I remember we went to see the big geysers, and the Maori village, and a kiwi park.

"We visited some family friends from South Africa who lived there, and we celebrated New Year's Eve and Christmas with them. It's quite funny to be coming back for New Year's once more."

Known as Karen Marie Ørsted to her family, the 26-year-old was originally part of punk duo MOR, but quickly found a wide British and European fan base when she began releasing solo material as MØ, inspired by her loves of hip-hop, pop and electronica. After her debut album No Mythologies to Follow was released in March this year, she was compared to Grimes, AlunaGeorge and Janet Jackson, and her fierce stage shows, in which she frequently performs in basketball shorts and trainers, have been truly refreshing.

"The recording process was a bit unusual because I was recording all my vocals at my parents' house in my old bedroom in this little vocal box that I made out of old blankets.

"Then I'd send the vocal parts to [producer] Ronnie Vindahl, and then we'd collaborate, sometimes over email and phone. And I was touring a lot so I'd be quickly recording things in between."

She's been recording in her parents' house since she was 7, so it feels comfortable for Ørsted, who used to record herself singing into a tape player, and then send the demos to Danish record labels.

"I always had this big, big, big, dream about getting somewhere with my music," she laughs. "I mean it's always been my number one goal and my number one passion to become a professional musician.

"It wasn't until I got my first CD, which was actually the Spice Girls, that I knew for a fact I wanted to be a musician.

From cheesy radio pop she got into punk and rock and grunge and experimental music, then became obsessed with hip-hop.

"So it's been those three genres that have dominated my music life."

Who: Danish electro-pop artist MØ
Where and when: Performing at Rhythm and Vines on December 29. The festival runs December 29 to 31, and headliners include Netsky, Chase and Status, Bastille, Broods, Jagwar Ma, Chet Faker, Zane Lowe, and many more.

* See rhythmandvines.co.nz for more details.

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- TimeOut