Under Stars
"This song is kind of 'heavy'"
Released: 25th of November 2014.
Blocked video? Don’t worry - I got you covered - CLICK HERE😊
I have really looked forward to share this one with you. This story is remarkable.
After signing contract with three major companies (Universal/Decca, Glassnote and Petroleum), Aurora and Made startet to make music that Aurora could recognize herself in. That's when they decided to make "Under Stars" as a teaser (^7.1}. Aurora said:
"This song is kind of 'heavy'. Everything is not supposed to sound like this one." (^7.2)
“It’s about us. About the people we’ve lost through time, and how we handle that loss. The guilt of still being alive when they are not, and the hope that they might only be sleeping, maybe still dreaming, under the stars.“ (^7.3)
The song was then released in an unconventional way; There was no marketing involved. It was mostly released by Made themselves with no help but in some of the creative parts (^7.1)
In the ears of Made, this song wasn't a typical radiosong, so beside booking more shows, they used bloggers to promote the song. Bloggers! I don’t know if this was a normal practice back then, but I think it was a creative move. I have found some statements from such (^7.1):
Josh Dalton:
"Stunning new music"Pigeons & Planes:
"Auroras latest single 'Under Stars' sounds like an intergalactic dream"Gold Flake Paint:
"Just a reminder that, despite it all, Aurora Aksnes has dropped one of the years brightest pop moments"
This promotion - alongside all her concerts - then made the foundation to be welcomed to play warm ups and smaller gigs in foreign countries. The plan has all along been to let Auroras fame and music grow organically (^7.1).
The song is a bit heavy, but the plan isn’t for everything to sound like that—it’s just this particular song. "Under Stars" is about those who sleep under the stars, those who are buried in a graveyard. It’s about grief and how different people cope with it. In a way, we are alone in our grief. The people around you understand and they are there for you. But then a month passes, and everyone else has moved on—but not you. (^7.2)
Music Video
According to the Aurora Aksens Wiki at FanDom, they planned to make a music video out of this song. The music was never released, though, but there exists some photots from the take. As you can see, Victoria was there, too (^7.4)
Credits
Composer: Aurora, Dan McDougall
Producer: Don McDougall, Odd Martin
Vocals: Aurora
Piano/Organ: Alf Lund Gobolt, Dan McDougall
Synths: Dan McDougall, Magnus
Drums: Dan McDougall, Magnus
Percussions: Magnus, Odd Martin
Guitars: Odd Martin, Dan McDougall
Programming/Engineer: Odd Martin, Dan McDougall
Mixing/Mastering: Andrew Scheps, Alex Wharton
This live version is highly recommended
Final words
I do hope you find this as interesting as I do. If anything is wrong or missing, please write it in the comments below. There will be a couple of days to the next ones, as I need the weekend to do some more research.
Sources
7.1 - Ballade - Slik ble aurora til.
https://www.ballade.no/populaermusikk/slik-ble-aurora-til
7.2 - 730.no - Aurora - Next Norwegian superstar?
https://730.no/norges-neste-store-stjerne-730-traff-aurora-aksnes-18-i-bergen-%E2%99%A1
7.3 - Crackintheroad.com, EU premiere, Aurora
https://www.crackintheroad.com/music/30309-eu-premiere-aurora-stars
7.4 - Aurora Aksnes Wiki, Fandom
https://aurora-aksnes.fandom.com/wiki/Under_Stars
Song - YouTube, Under stars (Live Appletree 2015)
Aurora - Under Stars + Running with the Wolves (Live Appletree 2015)
Thank you for this! I never really listened to the lyrics; there is so much more to discover!
And yes this is so true:
"It’s about grief and how different people cope with it. In a way, we are alone in our grief. The people around you understand and they are there for you. But then a month passes, and everyone else has moved on—but not you."