''All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

by Norwegian singer-songwriter

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. It was released on 11 March 2016 by

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

and Glassnote Records. The album followed the release of her debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) '' Running with the Wolves'' (2015), which contained two songs that were later included on the album. Aurora collaborated with several producers including Odd Martin Skålnes, Magnus Skylstad, Nicolas Rebscher, Alf Lund Godbolt, and

Electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

during its recording. ''All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend'' has been described predominantly as an

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

album, along with folk,

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

, Nordic-folk, and

alternative pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

that explores fantasy, heartache, life, and death through its lyrics. The album was met with positive reviews from music critics. At the Spellemannprisen '16, ''All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend'' won Pop Solo Artist and was nominated for Album of the Year; the music video of the song " I Went Too Far" won Music Video of the Year. Commercially, the album topped the Norwegian albums chart in its first week, while also reaching the top 50 in various North American and European countries, in addition to attaining modest positions on several European charts. The album was certified platinum in Norway, and has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. Six singles supported the album, all of which were supplemented by accompanying music videos. "

Runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proc ...

" became a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little prom ...

six years later and peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 in the United States. The second single, " Running with the Wolves" reached number 72 in Germany, becoming her first song to chart in that country. An acoustic version of "Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" was released in August 2015 while its studio version was released a month later. Her cover of the song "

Half the World Away "Half the World Away" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It is well known as the theme tune to the popular BBC sitcom ''The Royle Family''. The song was written by Oasis' lead guitarist Noel Gallagher, who also provides lead vocals. The so ...

" by

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

was released for the 2025

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

Christmas advert and included in the album's deluxe edition. The singles " Conqueror", "I Went Too Far", and "Winter Bird" were released throughout 2016.

Background and development

Aurora began playing piano at the age of six, but it wasn't until she became nine that she decided to compose her own songs. When a live performance at her high school's leaving ceremony and a recording of her song "Puppet" were uploaded online, it was quickly discovered by a representative of the Norwegian management agency of Artists Made Management. Even though she initially denied the proposal, she accepted it since her mother advised her that "maybe there's someone out there who desperately needs er music" In a few hours, both songs received thousands of visits in Norway, which earned Aurora some recognition in her country, in addition to a fan base on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

. After releasing a series of non-album singles, she followed with the release of her debut EP '' Running with the Wolves'' in May 2015, which received positive reviews from online music blogs and national press. Aurora embarked on a short tour in cities of the United States and the United Kingdom to promote it. Like in ''Running with the Wolves'', most of the album was recorded at Lydriket Studios, located in her native Bergen, while additional recording was taken at The Engine Room and

Angel Recording Studios Angel Recording Studios Limited (also referred to as Angel Studios) was a British recording studio based in the eponymous recording and mixing complex in Islington, London. The company was incorporated by James Warren Sylvester de Wolfe on 5 De ...

in London. Band members from her live band, Magnus Skylstad and Odd Martin Skålnes produced most of the songs from the album. The songs from the album were written from Aurora's childhood to March 2015, when the album was finished. In early 2016, Aurora featured in British band

Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; grc, Ἴκαρος, Íkaros, ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, King Minos sus ...

' song "Home" and released a cover of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's "

Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...

" for the HBO ''

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

'' television series.

Music and lyrics

''All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend'' is mainly an

, folk,

, Nordic-folk, and

record, featuring elements of

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

new age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

, and

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...

. The album is mostly a collection of experiences that Aurora wrote about while growing up in her native Norway. According to her, the record is mainly "about bad experiences from the past that can be good memories, nd aboutcome to peace with everything that happened." Lyrical

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

themes throughout the record present vivid lyricisms about fantasy, heartache, life, and death. The productions of the record has been characterised as "

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post– World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...

" with spacy electronics, pulsating beats, yearning modalities, and

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

-driven sounds. Critics compared the record to the music of artists like

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

, Lykke Li, Florence Welch,

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

, and

Enya Enya Patricia Brennan (; ga, Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin; born 17 May 1961), known professionally by the mononym Enya, is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician known for modern Celtic music. She is the best-selling Irish solo arti ...

Songs

''All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend'' opens with the

folktronica Folktronica is a genre of music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring uses of acoustic instruments – especially stringed instruments – and incorporating hip hop, electronic or dance rhythms, although ...

and

number "

". The song featured echoing water droplet effects, screeches, and transitions. Aurora has stated that the song takes an influence from

Nordic folk music Nordic folk music includes a number of traditions of Nordic countries, especially Scandinavian. The Nordic countries are Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The many regions of the Nordic countries share certain traditions, man ...

and is about "a girl begging to go home – the only place where she belongs, or just the only place left to go". The second track, " Conqueror", is a synth-pop and

song that features "clattering drum beats building towards a euphoric chorus". The track has been described to be "poppy" and "playful", musically upbeat with a catchy percussive beat, sparkling synths, and a battle-ready chorus. The Scandipop song, " Running with the Wolves" serves as the third track. Its lyrics is about "the dawning realisation that the answer is to be found in this world, however damaged it might be". The fourth track, "Lucky", is a piano and organ-led

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

with lyricisms about "someone striving against their inner voice telling them to give in". "Winter Bird" is the fifth track which has been described as a

-tinged folk, Nordic folk, and "

- ambient-folk dream" with nature themed lyrics. The sixth track, " I Went Too Far" is a

-inflected

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

and synth-pop ballad. The ballad has been described as "solemn" with a synth-swirling chorus and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

-insistent beat. "Through the Eyes of a Child" is the seventh track, it has been described as an "icily atmospheric" ballad that "showcases lovely piano and voice". The eighth track, "Warrior" has an upbeat uptempo sound that showcases the brighter side of the record with a vulnerable and authentic

self-love Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, ...

inspired message. The lyrics are about someone "struggling to let love back into their life". Ninth track, "Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" is a solemn and shimmering ballad with a "creeping" title that has a smooth and synthy minor. Lyrically, the ballad speaks about a mercy killing of a protagonist "recounting the story of her own death". The tenth track, "Home" has been described as a "chilly, almost robotic" song. Eleventh track "Under the Water" and twelfth track "Black Water Lillies", share the same subject about drowning and death within the lyrics. On "Under the Water", the ballad talks about the romanticisation of drowning. The closing track of the standard edition, "Black Water Lilies" follows the same theme as "Under The Water". "Black Water Lilies" features extended notes, reverberating piano, and simple beats, about "overcoming forces both in the natural and mental realms".

Release and promotion

Aurora initially announced that the album was expected for release in September 2015, but was later postponed. During that time, she revealed that some of the songs were "less dreamy" and "more happy" in comparison to previous ones and concluded that "it's not just a sad and dark record, there is some hope in it ..which is nice!" Months later, Aurora announced in January 2016 that the album would be released on 11 March of the same year. The album in its standard and deluxe editions was issued on 11 March 2016, by

and Glassnote Records. An international deluxe edition was released digitally for several countries on 26 August 2016. To promote the album, Aurora did several performances. She performed at the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Concert, saying that she and her family "have been following it from the living room at home for many years", and "it is an incredibly beautiful thing to be a part of." Her presentation was praised by the concert's host

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's '' The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 20 ...

. She has played a sold-out headline show in London and supported

Of Monsters and Men Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic indie folk/rock band formed in Reykjavík in 2010. The members are lead singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, singer and guitarist Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson, lead guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, ...

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

in November 2015. On 14 March 2016, Aurora made her American television debut on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'', performing "Conqueror", which was later performed on '' Conan''. She also starred in her own short documentaries: "Into the Light", and "Nothing is Eternal", directed by Isaac Ravishankara and produced by The Fader. She also partnered with

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

for a creative content distribution program, becoming the first in a series of emerging artists.

Tour

The album received further promotion from her second headlining concert tour, the All My Demons Tour, which began on 7 January 2016 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, United Kingdom. The tour included dates in various countries including: Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, United States, and her native Norway. With more than two hundred public appearances around 2016, Aurora suffered from constant health problems (including loss of voice) and in December of that year her

cecum The cecum or caecum is a pouch within the peritoneum that is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is typically located on the right side of the body (the same side of the body as the appendix, to which it is joined). The wo ...

was emergency removed in a hospital, which prevented her from fulfilling her last three concerts in the United States. She said in 2019 that her success that year meant a difficult time in her personal life, having to deal with

panic attack Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...

s and accepting that making music had become a job that involved "share" herself with the world. However, this led her to conclude that she must get better herself before she could help others.

Critical reception

''All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

score of 80, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 10 reviews. Writing for ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'', Madison Vain commended Aurora's vocals and production and added that the record "channels a similar magical vibe as the art-pop superstar jörk.

Accolades

''All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend'' won the ''GAFFA'' Awards for Norwegian Album of the Year and the Spellemannprisen '16 for Pop Solo Artist and Music Video of the Year for the song " I Went Too Far". At the latter ceremony the album was nominated for Album of the Year. She was also awarded a plaque on the Bergen Walk of Fame, which is located on Nøstegaten Street in the Nøstet district.

Track listing

All tracks produced by Odd Martin Skålnes and Magnus Åserud Skylstad, except where noted. Notes * signifies an additional producer. * signifies a remixer. * "Conqueror" contains elements of " Now We Are Free" by

Lisa Gerrard Lisa Germaine Gerrard (; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian musician, singer and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with music partner Brendan Perry. She is known for her unique singing style technique ...

. * Physical releases of the album title "Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" as "Murder Song".

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend''. Musicians *

Aurora Aksnes Aurora Aksnes (born 15 June 1996), known mononymously as Aurora (stylized in all caps), is a Norwegians, Norwegian singer, songwriter and record producer. Born in Stavanger and raised in the towns of Høle and Os, Hordaland, Os, she began writin ...

– vocals ; piano ; synth * Alf Lund Godbolt – synth ; programming * Nicolas Rebscher – synth ; keyboards ; programming * Odd Martin Skålnes – synth ; piano ; drums & percussion ; programming ; bass guitar ; acoustic guitar * Magnus Åserud Skylstad – synth ; piano ; drums & percussion * Øystein Skar – synth * Pete Davis – keyboards & programming *

Michelle Leonard Michelle Leonard (born 5 June 1973) is a German / British singer and songwriter, now based in Berlin. Leonard has written and co-written multiple songs, both singles and for albums, that have achieved gold and platinum status. Leonard is known ...

– keyboards & programming * Edvard Erfjord – programming * Henrik Michelsen – programming * Matias Monsen – cello * Askjell Solstrand –

wurlitzer organ The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instrument ...

* Geoff Lawson – conductor ( The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) * The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – orchestra Technical * Magnus Åserud Skylstad – production & recording , mixing * Neil Comber – mixing * Odd Martin Skålnes – production & recording , mixing * Jeremy Wheatley – additional production, programming & mixing *

Alex Wharton Alex Wharton (born 1939), later also known as Alex Murray, was part of the singing duo the Most Brothers with Mickie Most, and later, co-manager and producer of the Moody Blues. Singing and acting career The Most Brothers worked in the famous ...

– mastering * Edvard Erfjord – production & recording * Henrik Michelsen – production & recording Artwork * Jane Long – artwork, graphics, design * Knut Skylstad – photography * Bent René Synnevåg – photography

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2016 debut albums Albums produced by Magnus Skylstad Albums produced by Electric (music producers) Decca Records albums Glassnote Records albums Aurora (singer) albums European Border Breakers Award-winning albums