MØ

Under the stage name MØ, Danish singer Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted merges pop and electronic realms with her clear vocal delivery. Her initial breakthrough arrived in 2013 when she supplied vocals for Swedish producer Avicii’s “Dear Boy,” featured on the successful album True. Additional guest appearances on electronic cuts soon followed, highlighted by the worldwide 2015 phenomenon “Lean On” alongside Major Lazer and DJ Snake and its 2016 sequel “Cold Water” that included Justin Bieber. She reached the top of the Danish charts in 2018 with her second album Forever Neverland, which contained the solo single “Final Song,” and the project’s rollout extended through the remainder of the decade. The 2021 release of “Live to Survive” introduced a fresh chapter that culminated in the 2022 album Motordrome.

Ørsted entered the world in Odense and first turned toward music after receiving a Spice Girls CD at the age of ten. Her tastes evolved with exposure to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sonic Youth, and the Smashing Pumpkins, shaping the electro indie pop style she began to develop. She started composing her own material, and in 2012 she performed at the CMJ music showcase in New York, where critics responded favorably.

The 2013 single “Pilgrim” displayed her approach through insistent rhythms paired with glitchy electronics, understated guitar lines, and sultry singing. Visibility increased that same year following her contribution to Avicii’s track and the subsequent release of “XXX 88,” a Diplo collaboration that drew parallels to AlunaGeorge and Grimes. Her first full-length effort, No Mythologies to Follow, emerged in 2014 and was fronted by two Danish Top 40 entries, “Don't Wanna Dance” and “Walk This Way.”

Ørsted achieved her first major international success in 2015 with the multi-platinum “Lean On,” recorded with Major Lazer and DJ Snake; the song led charts around the globe and ranks among the most streamed recordings ever. Later that year she issued the single “Kamikaze,” which appeared on charts in Denmark, Australia, and the U.K. “Final Song” followed in May 2016, and months afterward she reunited with Major Lazer for “Cold Water,” again featuring Justin Bieber, a track that became her highest-placing U.S. single to that point and reached number one on the U.K. singles chart.

In 2017 she put out the EP When I Was Young together with the singles “Don't Leave” featuring Snakehips, “3AM (Pull Up)” with Charli XCX, and “9 (After Coachella)” that included SOPHIE and Cashmere Cat. The intimate track “Nostalgia” arrived the next year and appeared on her sophomore album Forever Neverland, issued by Columbia in October 2018. Guest spots came from Charli XCX on “If It's Over,” What So Not on “Mercy,” and Diplo on “Sun in Our Eyes,” while further promotion arrived via “Blur” featuring Foster the People. The 2019 compilation MMMMØ - The Mix collected remixes and previously unheard material reworked by Walshy Fire.

Ørsted’s third studio album, Motordrome, surfaced in 2022 after sessions with producers Ariel Rechtshaid, Jakob Littauer, Jam City, and additional collaborators. Supported by the singles “Live to Survive,” “Kindness,” and “Brad Pitt,” the record climbed to number nine on the Danish albums chart.