21-year-old Helven makes music in the realm between hell and heaven – between light and darkness. It is HiFi-lofi, caught on a Super 8 camera, shown through an iPhone. It is music full of contradictions, and a prime example of what the future of bedroom pop can bring. The songs are varied and the music is full of references: From foggy Lana Del Rey-vibes and alternative R&B, to UK garage and catchy indie pop. Still, it all sounds weirdly coherent –maneuvered by an artist who emerges confident and mature already on her debut EP.
Helven is the moniker for singer-songwriter Jenny Bakke, born in Bergen on Norway’s west coast, but raised in the rural south. Bakke paints an accurate picture of her own generation and life as a 21-year-old in 2021 with her lyrics and music. She is now based in Oslo, and her music certainly has an urban atmosphere to it.
With sky-high ambitions, a bold visual identity and an aura of a life lived – despite her young age – Helven is ready to conquer. volume 1 was recorded in Luft Recordings with Andrew Murray Baardsen (Sassy 009, Pen Gutt) and will be released on the Jansen Records imprint 9AM Records.
