Oh Land (AKA Nanna Øland Fabricius) is a Danish-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter/producer that I’ve been obsessing with ever since I heard her debut single, “Sun Of A Gun.” While the single seemingly came out half an eternity ago I haven’t got to posting about it until now. If you haven’t heard of Oh Land by now, then I guess it’s new for you! Classically trained in ballet, a slipped disc and spinal fracture forced her to stop dancing. Since then, she’s been focused exclusively on music. In 2008 Oh Land released an album in Denmark called Fauna, releasing it on Danish indie label Fake Diamond Records.
Oh Land‘s eponymous sophomore album was released on March 15th in the States via Epic Records. Oh Land collaborated with producers Dan Carey (Sia, Kylie, Lily Allen), Dave McCracken (Ian Brown, dEUS) and Pharrell Williams (Britney Spears, Shakira, Beyonce) to create a stunning album filled with electro beats layered over folk style vocals. The album went on to peak at #184 on the Billboard 200 chart. Preceding the album’s Spring release, Oh Land had released a self-titled EP back in October featuring 4 tracks from the album, including first single, “Sun Of A Gun.” Talking about the meaning behind “Sun Of A Gun,” here’s what Oh Land had to tell MTV.
“It’s a love story about being in a relationship with a person who’s kind of destructive, but you keep coming back because you can’t let it go. And then I liked that it was also a metaphor for how we orbit around the sun.” {SOURCE}
Oh Land made her U.S. television debut March 2nd, appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman and performing “Sun Of A Gun.” Her live performance was really cute. Not only did she sing and dance but she also played the drums. The performance featured some white balloons with moving faces that sung along to the backing track. Kind of eerie but visually really cool. Check out this live performance on VEVO for an idea of what I’m talking about. On April 7th Oh Land was awarded the ‘Brink of Fame: Music Artist‘ award at the 2011 NewNowNext Awards and toured the U.S. as the supporting act for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Oh Land can next be seen playing a string of dates all across Europe, including one at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival. Check below for tour dates and cities.
Oh Land‘s self-titled album is available on iTunes HERE so go and snag it. You can also pick up Fauna if you’re so inclined. Look out for “Sun Of A Gun” remixes by Jonathan Peters, Kris Menace, Ian Pooley and Hoxton Whores and check out the thirtytwo-directed video below which pays homage to Oh Land‘s history as a ballet dancer. Kind of looks like Heidi Klum or Claudia Schiffer, doesn’t she?
Tour Dates:
May 13th//Brighton, UK//The Great Escape
May 17th//London, UK//XOYO
May 18th//Paris, France//Fleche D’Or
May 21st//Amsterdam, Netherlands//Bitterzoet
May 23rd//Cologne, Germany//Werkstatt
May 24th//Hamburg, Germany//Prinzenbar
May 26th//Berlin, Germany//Privat Club
May 27th//Aarhus, Denmark//SPOT festival
May 28th//Copengagen, Denmark//Vega
June 25th//Glastonbury, UK//Glastonbury Festival