The Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2015

"I am just so honored to be here, among people who actually have done something to make the world a better place" - Aurora

- “I am not going to wear shoes. I dare not!”

She held true to her words. With bare feet to calm her down, she stood before a sold out Telenor Arena - the largest, indoor venue in Norway. Despite her nervousness, she poured her voice out to every tiny corner of that space. Giving it all through three beautifully performed songs.

- “I sometimes do this. It depends on how nervous I am. I have to get myself as close to the ground as I can, because I feel more comfortable when I touch the floor”¹

I have seen this performance on YouTube on many occasions. I am quite certain you have too. To me, it may be the most beautiful thing ever, beside the Nidarosdomen concert in 2017. I still can’t fathom how this tiny, introverted singer-songwriter managed to be on that stage. How did she end up there? Why was she chosen?

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Aurora actually did three songs at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2015. It’s easy to foget. At least if we keep track on what songs YouTube-reactors get served as suggestions. In addition to her own songs, “Runaway” and “Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1)”, she also did Oasis’ “Half The World Away.”

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The setting for the event

Barely two months before the concert, it was still unclear which artists were to perform at the Peace Prize Concert. The only thing we knew was that they had decided to move the event out of Oslo Spectrum, and that they had booked Telenor Arena. This was to accommodate more people and to lower the price on the tickets. The concert has had economic issues previously, and they hoped that by lowering the price a bit, it would be more attractive for whole families to come. At this point, they also speculated on whether to have fewer artists on stage, and rather have them sing more songs. These were new thoughts for this event.²

Two weeks later, the first names of artists to perform were announced: the newly re-united A-HA, and Aurora Aksnes. Seeing those two names besides each other, considering that this was in 2015, makes my skin tingle in excitement.

“Among all the shows that exist, this is among the most beautiful and nice thing to be a part of”, Aurora exclaimed. It was also announced that, for the first time in history, this event was to be streamed live on YouTube. This way, the concert to celebrate the winners of the peace prize, would reach a lot more people. “The Peace Prize Concert is something we in our family have watched from the couch every year, so this is very nice.”³

Who won the Peace Prize in 2015?

I must admit I feel a bit ashamed that I didn’t know this beforehand, but I have found the following information on the pages by the Nobel Foundation⁴, and the Norwegian online encyclopedia, SNL:⁵

In 2015, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet who pushed to promote democratic processes in Tunisia from 2013.

The Quartet is consisting of four organisations in Tunisia; the trade union UGTT, the lawyer association ONAT, the human rights organisation LTDH, and the employers' organisation UTICA.

The prize was given to the quartet, and not the individual groups. They got it because they intervened when the country was on the brink of civil war in the summer of 2013. Through dialogue and negotiations, they managed to reduce the growing violence and help Tunisia into a peaceful political process.

The result was a new constitution that guarantees fundamental rights for all, regardless of gender, political affiliation, or belief. This demonstrated how cooperation between different social groups can create unity and democracy, and thus serve as an inspiration for peaceful resolution all over the world.

“Fundamental rights for all, regardless of gender, political affiliation, or belief.” I can only imagine how such words must have been pleasurable for Aurora to hear. Still - I wonder how she ended up on that list of artists to perform here.

Why was Aurora chosen to sing at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert?

Yes, why? And How?

At this point in her carreer, she hadn’t made so many statements about human rights yet. She had spoken about protecting Mother Nature, and that the state of the world saddened her, but she was still some years away from beeing notet as one to speak up for LGBTQ+, indigionus people, or how woman is treated.

As I scan through articles and videos on YouTube, I cannot find any reliable answer to the question of how she ended up here. She was, at that moment, an artist the public had noticed. News-articles that spoke of Aurora and the concert, also pointed out that Aurora was doing well in the world. Since her performance at By:Larm in 2014 and 2015, she had done well at festivals and on tour. The song “Half The World Away” by Oasis, covered by Aurora, was featured on the Christmas advert for UK department store John Lewis, something that really got her noticed. Katy Perry’s tweet had given her a blast, too.

I may be wrong, but my theory is that they wanted some diversity among the artists to perform, and I suppose at that time Aurora was one of the young-and-promising, and she was mentioned everywhere. It might also have to be about economics. I guess artists like Kygo, A-HA and Jason Derulo came much more expensive than her. The host, Jay Leno, was no small name either - and bigger names comes with higher prices.

Before the show, there was a press conference. By the introduction, and questions she got, it comes clear to me that they didn’t saw her as a high-esteemed artist yet:

Introduction:
Aurora Aksnes is a singer-songwriter phenomenon from Bergen, Norway. She's been writing songs from the age of ten. She never really believed that she would appear on a stage. She said all she wanted to do was to write music. Well, Aurora, tonight you will stand alongside some of the world's greatest artists on one of the biggest stages in the world. Welcome.

Question 1:
A couple of years ago Niko And Vince ago played at this concert, and look at those boys now. What's your expectations for for the concert and what happens next?

Question 2:
My question is directed to the the new generation of very young artists. First of all to Aurora and obviously it's amazing for you beeing a part of an event like the Nobel Peace Prize. However, what I'd like to know from you… is what do you think, looking around, there's so much in the media about the state of the world, about wars, about famine, about so much happening. How do you feel about the state of the world? Are you optimistic and what would you hope would happen from now to improve the state of the world for your generation and those coming?

Aurora, of course, didn’t bring any shame to her name in her replies. I find it also very admirable that she actually brought a pine cone with her to the press conference 😍:

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The concert

I am not going to bore you with adjectives and superlatives about the concert. It was just amazing, and I know you all know it was. I just provide the links here, so you can watch her yourself - one more time:

- Aurora - The full show at the Peace Price Concert 2015

If you just want to watch one or two of the songs, go here:
- Aurora performing “Runaway”
- Aurora performing “Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1)”
- Aurora performing “Half The World Away”

By the way - who else would dare to sing a song called “Murder Song” at a Peace Price Concert…

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Backstage interview

After her performance was done, she was doing a backstage interview. I think she was pleased by her own performance out there, although it must have been terrifying:

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Do we know more know?

I am sad to say, I don’t think so. I was hoping to find some words somewhere that described how and why Aurora was contacted, but that’s still a mystery. My guess is that it was because of her up-and-coming status, and the economic status of the event, that tipped the scale in her favor. Let me know what you think. You can reply to this mail or use the comments below.

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Community Spotlight

Who do you think should be mentioned here?
I have cleared this spot of my letter to give some spotlight on other fans who puts a lot of effort to support Aurora, and who share their artistry with us. But - I probably don’t know everyone who deserves their time in the light. You probably know someone, too.

Please, use the comments below and send me names of candidates for this section.

By the way. did you know that I play in an Aurora Cover band? I do som backing vocals and play piano. We call ourselves “Dreamtalkers”. I thought, in the honor of Runaway’s 10-year anniversary, I could share our cover of this song:

covers_of_aurora

A post shared by @covers_of_aurora

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Fabrice’s corner

These last few weeks Fabrice has made contact with the makers of “Once Aurora”, and he got permission to share a livestream interview with the creators of this remarkable documetary. The original was without subtitles, so many haven’t been able to understand it. Now, Fabrice have uploeded it to his channel. He auto-generated the subtitles, but they were garbage. I therefore took it upon me to edit them. Hopefully they are better now, though I do believe I have messed up with some commas 😊:

As always: Keep a heads up on Fabrice’s community page on YouTube. Here you will find new videos almost daily: Aurora live, interviews, reactions and re-uploded videos that has gone missing elsewhere: https://www.youtube.com/@fabrice7211/community

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Final words

Not much more to say, is it? I hope you still enjoy these words from me, and I hope you will have a nice and peaceful weekend before you. See you in two weeks. By the way; the introductory quote is from the press conference.⁶

Have a day 💚
Fabrice and Rune

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Sources

1. Dagbladet. 2015, Dec 11. "Jeg skal ikke ha på sko, det tør jeg ikke". Retrieved 2025, Feb 11 from https://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/jeg-skal-ikke-ha-pa-sko-det-tor-jeg-ikke/60481304

2. YouTube: “Aurora brought a pinecone to the NPPC-conference”. Retrieved 2025, Feb 22 from https://youtu.be/nkxf1mARvnc?si=IlAabS94aEbVtYDa

3. Dagbladet, 2015, Oct 12. "Flytter fredspriskonserten". Retrieved 2025, Feb 25 from https://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/flytter-fredspriskonserten/60555312

4. Dagbladet, 2015, Oct 25. "A-ha og Aurora Aksnes til Nobelkonserten". Retrieved 2025, Feb 11 from: https://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/a-ha-og-aurora-aksnes-til-nobelkonserten/60575255

5. The Nobel Foundation. 2015. “Overrekkelsestale”. Retrieved 2025, Feb 26 from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2015/9352-overrekkelsestale-2015/

6. Leraand, D. 2020. Nov. 6. “Kvartetten for nasjonal dialog i Store norske leksikon”. Snl.no. Retrieved 2025, Feb 26 from https://snl.no/Kvartetten_for_nasjonal_dialog