I've written about a few artists from the Finnish island Åland over the years, although somehow I've not featured dark pop songwriter leoblu up until today. Maybe one week this year I'll get around to doing a week of features on music from those islands, just to make sure I've captured as many artists as possible - not forgetting the Aland Island Marathon is high on my list of events I'd love to run at some point too.
Anyway leoblu is based in Berlin now, yet takes inspiration still from 'the deep oceans surrounding her islands archipelago', as well as the dusty streets of her new home - which was also the location for the premiere launch of her new single 'cake'. She came to prominence in 2021 thanks to her fabulous EP 'Eskapism', (which is well worth checking out) with the single 'still dancing' featuring in the Netflix series 'The Protector'.
New track 'cake' is equally impressive, balancing moody Nordic melancholia with a heartfelt and quite gorgeous melody, with lyrics that are thoughtful and sad - based as they are around 'grief'. But they're also inspiring in a way, because they make me want to find out more of what she has to say for herself. It's no wonder that she says her music is in some ways 'a quest for authenticity and vulnerability', as you can hear her searching for answers in every sentence. Anyway the song is a fantastic way to start the year.
I've noticed that the song is also featured in the excellent music blog Various Small Flames, who have of course written far more intelligent stuff than I have. Please give them a follow.