Welcome to The List, The Edge‘s annual look at the best new musical talent for the year ahead. Check back daily over this week as we announce this year’s lineup in full, and revisit our picks from years past.
It feels like only two seconds since I wrote words to introduce Dagny, Scandinavia’s latest source of hot pop stuff, so I’m obviously thrilled that she’s found her way onto The Edge‘s List of 2017. Following the footsteps of many a glorious female vocalist, her songs are propelled by her stunning voice alone; no matter how catchy the composition.
The best way to describe Dagny, who hails from Tromsø in Norway, is versatile. While some of her songs hum with the upbeat, carefree aura of sickly sweet Ellie Goulding or recent Swedish breakout talent Zara Larsson, others take an earthier, darker vocal that liken her to Tove Lo, Jess Glynne, or London Grammar‘s Hannah Reid. Though similarities to Larsson in particular are palpable, Dagny comes across as a far edgier and intriguing prospect – the artwork for the alternative edits of debut release ‘Backbeat‘ is emblazoned with a two-fingered ‘fuck you’ gesture, nails painted in a feisty red.
Though she is still very much breaking ground, her five-track Ultraviolet EP from September is filled with some different sounds which show off some of that aforementioned versatility. The euphoric pop of ‘Backbeat’ is an obvious highlight – premiered initially by Zane Lowe on Beats 1 in September 2015 before drawing early recognition to the tune of 300,000 plays via Spotify’s New Music Friday playlists before being retouched for a UK release last May. (That Spotify figure has now risen beyond 26 million.) Immediately following on Ultraviolet is BØRNS collaboration ‘Fool’s Gold,’ released as its latest single, which adds some welcome soulful longing into the mixture. Her potential, as yet criminally underacknowledged, is limitless.
