Monika Engeseth, also known as Moyka, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter from Hallingdal, Norway. She has called herself a "Norwegian Pop Witch".[1]

Moyka
Moyka performing in Norway, 2020
Moyka performing in Norway, 2020
Background information
Also known asThe Norwegian Pop Witch
BornMay 16, 1997
Norway
Genres
Occupation(s)Artist, Producer, Singer, Songwriter
Years active2019–present
Labels
  • SNAFU Records
  • Made Records
Websitewww.instagram.com/moykamusic/

Her pop music has its own style but is influenced by other Norwegian singers such as Aurora or Sigrid, or bands like Highasakite or Röyksopp.[2] She declares that developing her own "mystic universe", as do other artists like Lorde or Lykke Li according to her words, is something she always focuses on.[3]

She started releasing songs under the European record label Made Records in 2019. In 2021, she signed with the Stockholm and Los Angeles based record label SNAFU Records.

Early life

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Engeseth grew up in a city located in Hallingdal Valley (eastern Norway) and always wanted to create music since a very young age.[4] After starting to create music, she released her first songs through an EP named "Circles" after some months of work in 2019.

Career

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Her first EP named Circles[5] included 5 songs and was released on October 18, 2019.[6]

She started to become more recognized after performances on Norwegian national media, including NRK P3 radio and TV2 channel through "God Morgen Norge". She also performs at concerts across Norway and has sung at international music festivals.

She sang in January 2020 for the 34th edition of Eurosonic (Netherlands).[7] In April 2020, during the COVID-19 crisis, she performed[8] in the Verftet Online Music Festival, a Norwegian music festival gathering several artists that was fully virtual to avoid risk of contagion. In May, she was accepted to participate in The Great Escape Festival (2020 edition) in Brighton, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Her second EP called Spaces was released on June 12, 2020, and included four new songs.[10][11][12]

In 2021 she signed with record label SNAFU Records. In March 2021, Moyka released the double-sided single Stay and As Long As You're Here ("ALAYAH") as the first songs of her upcoming debut album.[13] Her third work and debut album "The Revelations of Love" was released on October 22, 2021.[14] The singer describes this album as a concept album turned about the different feelings of love; including both personal and fictional story songs. A physical version is made available in November 2022.

In January 2023, she announces being selected to participate to the inter-European Keychange musical event, co-founded by the EU's Creative Europe program and aimed to promote European artists thanks to showcases and conferences taking place around the world.[15]

Since March 2023, Moyka released four singles out of her second studio album Movies, Cars & Heartbreak, which was released on October 20, 2023. According to Moyka, the album is meant for "the brokenhearted, the thrill-seekers and party-people - and for those who love to dance and cry at the same time."[16] Following the album release, Moyka commenced her first Europe tour with concerts in Germany, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom between October 2023 and February 2024.[17]

Moyka reached a new wave of international popularity in March 2024 after several of her songs were featured in the third and final season of Young Royals, a Swedish teen drama series produced by Netflix. The season features the two songs Lonely and Perfect Movie Scene of Moyka's second album Movies, Cars & Heartbreak and a remix of her 2021 single As Long As You're Here, which was used in the final scene of the last episode. The remix was produced as the music directors of the series expressed interest in an adapted version of the song for the series.[18]

Since April 2024, Moyka is on a summer festival tour, performing in Denmark, Germany, Norway and Switzerland.[19]

Discography

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Albums

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Title Details
The Revelations of Love
  • Released: 22 October 2021
  • Label: Snafu Records
  • Format: Vinyl, Digital download, streaming
Movies, Cars & Heartbreak
  • Released: 20 October 2023
  • Label: Snafu
  • Format: Vinyl, Digital download, streaming
Title Details
Circles
  • Released: 18 October 2019
  • Label: Made Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Circles (Acoustic)
  • Released: 22 November 2019
  • Label: Made Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Spaces
  • Released: 12 June 2020
  • Label: Made Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Movies, Cars & Heartbreak
(Heartbreak Edition)
  • Release date: 15 November 2024
  • Label: Made Records, ADA Nordics
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

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List of singles as lead artist
Title Year Album
"Bones" 2019 Circles
"All The Things We Forgot"
"Circles"
"Kanazawa (Maybe We Don't Have to Go There)" 2020 Spaces
"Backwards"
"Spaces"
"As Long As You're Here" 2021 The Revelations of Love
"Stay"
"I Don't Wanna Hold On"
"December (I Never Learn)"
"Illusion"
"Rear View" 2023 Movies, Cars & Heartbreak
"Already Gone"
"Don't Turn Around"
"Perfect Movie Scene"

References

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  1. ^ "NA Meets: Moyka". Norwegian Arts. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  2. ^ "Listen To Norwegian Artist MOYKA's New Single: "Bones"". Wonderland. 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  3. ^ Robinson, Peter (May 11, 2020). "Moyka interview: "There's something magical about dancing away the pain"". Popjustice.com.
  4. ^ "Moyka". Eurosonic Noorderslag. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  5. ^ "Interview: Moyka Finds a Moment to Breathe in Debut 'Circles' EP". Atwood Magazine. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  6. ^ "Circles - EP by Moyka". Genius. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  7. ^ "Artist Guide - Eurosonic Noorderslag Groningen 2020". Eurosonic Noorderslag. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  8. ^ "Verftet Online Music Festival - @verftetfestival — Program". Verftet Online Music Festival - @verftetfestival. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  9. ^ "The Great Escape Festival 2020 cancelled due to coronavirus crisis". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2020-03-23. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  10. ^ "Moyka has dropped her 'Spaces EP', and a new single to go with". RIOT. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  11. ^ "Spaces - EP by Moyka". Genius. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  12. ^ "Moyka Unveils Stunning Synth-Driven Sophomore 'Spaces EP'". CULTR. 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  13. ^ "Musikknyheter.no - Moyka er klar med ny musikk". www.musikknyheter.no. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  14. ^ "Moyka Releases New Song "Illusion" from Debut Album "The Revelations of Love"". pm studio world wide news (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  15. ^ "Moyka". Keychange.eu. 9 January 2023.
  16. ^ Mosk, Mitch (2024-03-20). "Feature: Moyka's 'Movies, Cars & Heartbreak' Is an Album for the Brokenhearted, the Thrill-Seekers, & Party People". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  17. ^ "Moyka (@moykamusix) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  18. ^ Scott, Benjamin; Películas, Mundo (2024-03-21). ""As Long As You're Here" by Moyka: A Captivating Finale for Netflix's "Young Royals"". Mundo Peliculas (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  19. ^ "Moyka (@moykamusix) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-06-08.
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