Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen (; born 13 August 1988), known professionally as MØ (), is a Danish singer and songwriter. She signed a recording contract with

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

in 2012, releasing 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.

, ''

Bikini Daze ''Bikini Daze'' is the debut extended play (EP) by Danish singer and songwriter MØ. It was released on 18 October 2013 by Chess Club Records and RCA Victor. The EP was made available as a digital download and as a limited-edition 10-inch vinyl ...

'' (2013), and her debut studio album, ''

No Mythologies to Follow ''No Mythologies to Follow'' is the debut studio album by Danish singer and songwriter MØ. It was released on 7 March 2014 by Sony Music by Chess Club Records and RCA Victor. The album received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, ...

'' (2014). MØ collaborated with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea on the 2014 single " Beg for It", which peaked at number 27 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, earning MØ her first entry on the chart. The following year, she co-wrote and provided vocals for the

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving af ...

and

DJ Snake William Sami Étienne Grigahcine (born 13 June 1986), known by his stage name DJ Snake, is an Algerian French music producer and DJ, first achieving international recognition in 2013 by releasing an instrumentation-oriented single called " Turn D ...

collaboration "

Lean On "Lean On" is a song recorded by American electronic dance music group Major Lazer and French DJ and record producer DJ Snake featuring vocals from Danish singer MØ. It was released on March 2, 2015, as the lead single from Major Lazer's thi ...

", which became an international success, charting at number one in several countries, number two in the United Kingdom, and number four in the United States. In 2016, MØ was featured on Snakehips's single " Don't Leave", and another Major Lazer single " Cold Water" with Canadian singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

, which debuted at number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. MØ earned her first commercially successful solo single with 2016's "

Final Song "Final Song" is a song by Danish singer and songwriter MØ. It was released on 13 May 2016 for her second studio album, ''Forever Neverland'', but was only included on the Japanese release of the album. The song was written and composed by MØ a ...

". In 2017, she released her second extended play, '' When I Was Young'', followed by her second studio album, ''

Forever Neverland ''Forever Neverland'' is the second studio album by Danish singer and songwriter MØ. It was released on 19 October 2018 by Columbia Records. It is her first full-length release since her debut studio album ''No Mythologies to Follow'' (2014), an ...

,'' in 2018. In 2022, MØ released her third studio album, ''Motordrome'', which was followed by a repackaging titled ''Dødsdrom.''

Life and career

Early life

Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen was born in

Ubberud Ubberud is a village west of Odense, in Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of th ...

, near

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

, and she grew up in Ejlstrup on the island of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...

, Denmark. Her father, Frans Ørsted, is a psychologist, and her mother, Mette Ørsted, is a teacher. She has an older brother, Kasper, who is a doctor. MØ was seven when she became interested in music thanks to the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...

. As a teenager, she became interested in punk music and

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers wer ...

movements, listening to Black Flag,

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Ar ...

Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...

and especially

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of t ...

, saying she looked up to

Kim Gordon Kim Althea Gordon (born April 28, 1953) is an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Los Angeles, Califor ...

as a "big hero and role model".

2006–2012: Side projects and MOR

In 2006, MØ released a side project titled The Edmunds, which included tracks such as "Garbage King" and "Polly Get Your Gun". MØ also released several other side projects during 2008–10 including titles such as "A Piece of Music to F*ck to" and "The Rarities". The side-projects included songs that have been previously taken down due to an unknown reason, but has been re-released by a fan on

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 ...

. MØ and her friend Josefine Struckmann Pedersen formed duo MOR in 2007, and released two EPs, ''Fisse I Dit Fjæs''("''Pussy in Your Face''") and ''Vanvidstimer''("''Madness Hours''"), in 2009 and 2011, respectively. MOR disbanded on 7 September 2012, due to personal reasons.

2012–2015: ''No Mythologies to Follow'' and collaborations

In 2012, MØ began creating

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

pop songs and began collaborating with producer Ronni Vindahl. On 14 January 2013, MØ released her debut single, "Glass". On 15 March 2013, she released "

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

" with the B-side "Maiden". "Pilgrim" was recognised as P3s Uundgåelige (P3 Unavoidable), a label given to rising artists by Danish radio station

DR P3 DR P3 (referred to in Denmark simply as P3) is a Danish current-based hit music radio station operated by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. It is broadcast on FM radio, DAB, and Internet radio. It commenced broadcasting on 1 January 1963 as ...

, as it peaked at number eleven on the Danish Singles Chart. On 27 March 2013, she performed live on television at the Danish P3 Guld Awards. On 7 June 2013, she released the single "Waste of Time". On 18 August 2013, it was confirmed through producer and DJ

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first re ...

's manager Ash Pournouri that MØ had co-written and provided vocals on a track called "Dear Boy" which was later featured on Avicii's debut album, ''

True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...

''. On 30 August 2013, she released the single "

XXX 88 XXX may refer to: Codes and symbols * 30 (number), Roman numeral XXX * XXX, designating pornography ** XXX, an X rating ** .xxx, an internet top-level domain intended for pornographic sites * XXX, a symbol of the straight edge lifestyle * XXX, t ...

" MØ's first extended play, ''

'', was released on 18 October 2013. In October 2013, she supported AlunaGeorge on UK tour dates. The single " Don't Wanna Dance" debuted on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

on 16 January 2014 as

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

's Hottest Record. MØ's debut studio album, ''

'', was released on 7 March 2014 and her album was inspired by the great Michael Jackson. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a Metascore of 77 out of 100 indicating ''"generally favorable"'' reviews. Music blog Pretty Much Amazing called the album "complex and euphoric", while ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' noted that "what MØ lacks in originality, she makes up for with warlike ardour". ''No Mythologies to Follow'' debuted at number 58 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, selling 1,438 copies in its first week. MØ began touring in Europe and the United States in support of the album, ending in June. On 2 June 2014, she made her US television debut on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

'', where she performed the songs " Don't Wanna Dance" and "

". "

Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...

" was released on 16 June 2014 as a single from ''No Mythologies to Follow''. On 23 June, MØ announced additional United States and Canadian tour dates beginning in September. In November 2014, she won four awards at the

Danish Music Awards The Danish Music Awards (DMA) is a Danish award show. The show has been arranged by IFPI since 1989, and was originally called ''IFPI-prisen'' ("IFPI-Award") until 1991, when it changed its name to ''Dansk Grammy'' ("Danish Grammy"). It was chang ...

: Danish Album of the Year, Danish Solo Artist of the Year, Danish Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Danish Music Video of the Year. In 2014, MØ was featured on Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's song " Beg for It", which was released as the lead single from Azalea's reissue album, '' Reclassified''. Azalea and MØ performed the song for the first time on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' on 25 October. MØ was also featured on

Elliphant Ellinor Miranda Salome Olovsdotter (born 8 October 1985), known professionally as Elliphant, is a Swedish singer, rapper and songwriter. Her sound was initially created together with the Swedish production duo Jungle, which consists of Tim Den� ...

's " One More", which was officially released as a single on 22 September 2014. The official music video was released a day later, 23 September. MØ also co-wrote the song " All My Love" by

, featuring vocals from American singer and songwriter

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

. MØ co-wrote and provided vocals for another Major Lazer song, "

" with

, which was released in March 2015. The single topped the charts globally in MØ's native Denmark, Australia, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand, while reaching the top five in several countries, including France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. According to the

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

, "Lean On" was the fifth best-selling song of 2015 worldwide, and one of the best-selling singles of all time, with global sales of 13.1 million.

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active use ...

named it as the most streamed song of all time, and has over one billion streams globally as of June 2017. The music video for “Lean On” premiered on April 30, 2015, and became a viral success with over 2.5 billion views on

, making it the sixteenth most viewed video on the site.

2015–2017: ''When I Was Young EP'', and more collaborations

On 1 October 2015, it was announced that the first single from MØ's upcoming second studio album, "

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending ...

", produced by

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD wit ...

, would be released on 15 October 2015. On 14 October, the single made its world premiere on a

segment hosted by

Annie Mac Annie Mac (born 18 July 1978), is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, including hosting her AMP (Annie Mac Presents) ...

before the studio version was released the following day. "Kamikaze" charted in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Australia and Belgium. On 13 May 2016, "

", the second single from MØ's second album, was released and also made its world premiere on the same radio segment hosted by Mac. The song was co-written with Swedish singer

Noonie Bao Jonnali Mikaela Parmenius (born 9 August 1987), better known by the stage name Noonie Bao, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and record producer. She has written songs for artists such as Don Diablo, Ava Max, Katy Perry, Zara Larsson, Charli ...

and English singer MNEK. It became MØ's first top 40 single as a lead artist in the United Kingdom, with the song reaching number 14 on the

. Additionally, the song reached the top 40 in more than 10 countries worldwide. On 22 July 2016, Major Lazer released the single " Cold Water" which features Canadian singer

and MØ, marking the fourth time she has worked with Major Lazer. In the United States, "Cold Water" debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming MØ's second top 10 and her third top 40 single, It is also her highest-charting single in the United States. MØ is the highest-charting Danish act along with Jørgen Ingmann ("

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

") and Lukas Graham (" 7 Years"), who all reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, "Cold Water" debuted at number one on the

. The song became MØ's first number-one single, and she is only the fourth Danish act to reach number one in the UK. Additionally, it is the first time two Danish acts have reached number one in the same year (with the other being Lukas Graham's "7 Years"). On 17 September 2016, MØ announced the release of her new track titled "

Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

" on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

. It had made special appearances in previous concerts and shows. The song was produced by American producer Bloodpop also co-written by English singer

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...

alongside

. In October 2016, the song's official audio was released. On 6 January 2017, English electronic duo Snakehips premiered their new track " Don't Leave" which features vocals from MØ. The official lyric video was also released the same day, it has been said that it will be featured in Snakehips upcoming debut album. On 10 March 2017 she was featured on Charli XCX's "3AM (Pull Up)" taken from her mixtape, '' Number 1 Angel''. She was featured alongside

Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

on the song "9 (After Coachella)" by Cashmere Cat, which was the fifth single from his debut album, '' 9''. On 21 April 2017 " Nights with You", the third single from her upcoming second studio album, was officially released worldwide after premiering on

MistaJam Peter Dalton (born 19 January 1983), known professionally as MistaJam, is a British DJ and radio presenter. He is known for presenting radio shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2005 to 2020; since 2020 he has presented on Capital and ...

show the previous day. On 26 October 2017, MØ released her second extended play, titled '' When I Was Young'', as a surprise. The EP is composed of songs that MØ wrote over the course of four years since the release of ''

''. On 30 October 2017, MØ announced a co-headlining North American tour with Cashmere Cat titled the "Meøw Tour" in support of the EP. The tour took place from January to April 2018. In 2017, MØ co-wrote and provided vocals on

's song " Get It Right" for the album ''Major Lazer Presents: Give Me Future''. They both also performed the song on '' The Jimmy Fallon Show'' with an appearance from

GoldLink D'Anthony William Carlos (born May 17, 1993), better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer. In 2014, he released his debut mixtape, ''The God Complex'', which received critical acclaim. In June 2015, GoldLink was cho ...

2018–present: ''Forever Neverland'' and ''Motordrome''

In 2018, MØ collaborated with producer Jack Antonoff to provide vocals for the ''

Love, Simon ''Love, Simon'' is a 2018 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Greg Berlanti, written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, and based on the novel '' Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda'' by Becky Albertalli. The film stars Nick R ...

'' soundtrack with the song "Never Fall in Love". She also collaborated with Noah Cyrus on the song “We Are...” and was featured on Alma's '' Heavy Rules Mixtape'' with the song "Dance for Me". On 19 October 2018, MØ released her second studio album, ''

,'' by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

. The album was preceded by five singles: "Nostalgia", "Sun in Our Eyes" featuring

, "Way Down", "Imaginary Friend",and "Blur" featuring

Foster the People Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members are singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis. Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending several years in ...

. The album also features collaborations with

, What So Not, Two Feet and

Empress Of Lorely Rodriguez (born October 19, 1989), known professionally as Empress Of, is a Honduran-American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer based in Los Angeles, California. To date, she has released three studio albums via XL Recor ...

. She revealed that other singles "Kamikaze", "Final Song" and "Nights with You" will only be available on the Japanese edition of the album. In 2019, MØ performed her single "Blur" 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 ...

,'' she co-wrote and provided vocals to the theme song for ''Moominvalley'', and was the support act for

Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their fi ...

's tour across the United Kingdom. MØ performed at 2019's

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

and

Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...

. In October 2019, she released her debut mixtape, ''MMMMØ - The Mix''. On May 27, 2021, MØ released the song "Live To Survive". In an interview with ''

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

'' in July 2021, MØ confirmed that her third album, '' Motordrome'', would be released in 2022. It was later confirmed for release on 28 January 2022.

Artistry

Stage name

MØ said in an interview from Wonderland Magazine that her grandfather, Mogens Ørsted, who used to be an artist would sign his initials on his paintings. Therefore, she decided she wanted to do the same with the same initials within her own name. The word ''mø'' means "maiden" or "virgin to life" in Danish.

Musical style

MØ's music has been classified as electronic,

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 ...

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 ...

, and

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

, and has been described as "electro music with guts". ''

'' described her music stating; “her music, muscular and melodic, is a hybrid of bouncy EDM drops and scandipop on steroids”, and '' NME'' called her work a cross between Siouxsie Sioux and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

. MØ has described her sound as "an organic yet dynamic mix of electro, indie-pop, soul and street vibes". She showcased different musical styles in her debut album, including indie pop,

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

, dark pop,

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...

and

alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, hipster R&B, dark R&B, emo R&B and left-field R&B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and came to pro ...

. Her second album, ''Forever Neverland'', was described as electropop and

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

, containing elements of

tropical house Tropical house, also known as trop house, is a subgenre of house music, and a derivation of tropical music, with elements of dancehall and Balearic house. Artists of the genre are often featured at various summer festivals such as Tomorrowland. ...

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...

. MØ's music has been compared to electropop artists Grimes and Twin Shadow, and her vocals to those of

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...

Influences

MØ's influences include the

, Twin Shadow,

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

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 ...

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Mo ...

J Dilla J, or j, is the tenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual name in English is ''jay'' (pronounced ), with a now-uncommon vari ...

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing ...

Little Dragon Little Dragon are a Swedish electronic music band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 1996. The band consists of Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion), Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards). Little Dragon' ...

Santigold Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. '' Billboard'' presented her in 2022, saying: "Spanning punk rock, hip-hop, and dance music, S ...

, Karen O, Black Flag,

Bonobo The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the comm ...

Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company limited (NICO) is a Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC buys the vast majority of Iran's gasoline imports. NICO is a key pl ...

, Portishead,

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

, MS MR,

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

, Grimes,

SZA Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she began making music in the early 2010s, releasing two extended plays before signing with the h ...

, and Lykke Li.

Discography

* ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2018) * '' Motordrome'' (2022)

Tours

Headlining

*Fall Tour (2014–2015) * When I Was Young Tour (2018) * Forever Neverland World Tour (2019) *Motordrome World Tour: Chapter 1 (2022)

Co-headlining

* MØ and Cashmere Cat: The Meøw Tour (2017–2018)

Supporting

* AlunaGeorge – UK Tour (2013) *

Years & Years Years & Years is the solo project of British singer Olly Alexander. Originally formed as a band in 2010, Years & Years' music has been described as electropop, mixing R&B and 1990s house elements. The band's debut studio album, '' Communion'', ...

– Communion Tour (2016) * Sia – Nostalgic for the Present Tour (2017) *

– Pray for the Wicked Tour (UK dates) (2019) *

Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their si ...

–

Mercury Tour The Mercury World Tour is the fourth concert tour by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons in support of their fifth and sixth studio albums '' Mercury – Acts 1'' (2021) and '' 2'' (2022). The tour began on February 6, 2022 at the FTX Arena ...

(2022)

Awards and nominations

Årets Steppeulv Awards

Billboard Music Award The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...

Danish Music Awards The Danish Music Awards (DMA) is a Danish award show. The show has been arranged by IFPI since 1989, and was originally called ''IFPI-prisen'' ("IFPI-Award") until 1991, when it changed its name to ''Dansk Grammy'' ("Danish Grammy"). It was chang ...

European Border Breakers Awards The European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) was an annual prize awarded to recognise the success of ten emerging artists or groups who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the past year. ...

GAFFA-Prisen Awards

Gay Music Chart Awards

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - , 2017 , Best Danish Music Video , " Nights with You" , ,

iHeartRadio Music Awards

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, Dance Song of the Year , " Cold Water" (shared with

and

) , ,

International Dance Music Awards The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs is an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards have been held every year since the conference's creation in 1985 e ...

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - , rowspan="2", 2016 , Best Commercial/Pop Dance Track , rowspan="2", "

" , , rowspan="2", , - , Best Featured Vocalist ,

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, Best Song , "

" (shared with

and

) , , , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, rowspan="2", Best Danish Act , rowspan="3", MØ , , , - ,

, , , - , 2022 , Best Nordic Act , ,

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - ,

, Song of Summer , rowspan="2", " Cold Water" (shared with

and

) , , , - ,

, Best Dance , , ,

Nordic Music Prize The Nordic Music Prize is an annual award for the Best Nordic Album Of The Year, inspired by the Mercury Prize and introduced in 2010. The prize was initiated by the by:Larm conference in Norway. The first Nordic Music Prize was presented by the ...

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - , 2014 , Nordic Music Prize , ''

'' , ,

Rober Awards Music Poll

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - , 2013 , Best EP , ''

'' , , , - , 2017 , Floorfiller of the Year , "

3AM (Pull Up) "3AM (Pull Up)" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Charli XCX, written for her mixtape ''Number 1 Angel'' (2017). The song features Danish singer and songwriter MØ. The song received positive reviews from critics, with some consideri ...

" (with

) , ,

Sweden GAFFA Awards

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - , 2019 , Best Foreign Solo Act , MØ , ,

UK Music Video Awards

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - , 2016 , Best Pop Video — International , "

" , ,

WDM Radio Awards

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - , rowspan="2" , 2017 , Best Global Track , " Cold Water" (shared with

and

) , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best Electronic Vocalist , MØ ,

Zulu Awards

{, class="wikitable Sortable" , - ! Year ! Category ! Work ! Outcome ! , - , 2016 , Best Female Artist , MØ , ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mo 1988 births 21st-century pianists 21st-century Danish women singers Danish electronic musicians Danish women pianists Danish pop singers Danish women singer-songwriters Electropop musicians English-language singers from Denmark Indie pop musicians Living people People from Odense Municipality Pop pianists RCA Victor artists Synth-pop singers Women in electronic music 21st-century women pianists