Øyunn - ‘Reach Out’ (single)
We’ve covered an eclectic mix of Nordic artists in the last couple of weeks, but Norwegian songwriter Øyunn somehow manages to effortlessly fuse a range of styles together in debut track ‘Reach Out’, which was released just yesterday.
Behind the name Øyunn is Siv Kjenstad, originally born in Norway but now based in Copenhagen as a producer and vocalist, but most notably from our perspective as touring drummer for the fantastic Efterklang, as well as a fleeting appearance on the latest When Saints Go Machine album. On the production and vocalist side she’s worked with numerous other Nordic artists, and I’ve seen reference to her acting work too, with her website showing a huge diversity in her artistic projects.
Her influences listed are ‘Hip Hop, R&B, Folk and classic Funk’, but in reality you could add a few more to the list, and in 'Reach Out' the result is a sophisticated stylish track which I think should have pretty widespread appeal.
At the heart of the track is a gentle, expressive piano that just seems to float through the air, accompanied by subtle synths, and the song opens up with a hopeful and almost (but not quite) euphoric chorus that just lifts the atmosphere. It’s an understated track, but clever and heart warming too.
Writing about the song, Øyunn says “I started writing it as a way out, and recipe for myself, but also anybody else who needs to hear it. Starting off with the isolated feeling, the lyrics are about taking action, but mainly reaching out to other people, and have a changed and shifted perspective in return."
It is particularly impressive, because the song pretty much does exactly that.