A night of music and escape with Aurora

By Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Concert Review
Aurora: What Happened to the Earth? Part 4
Jan. 31, 2025
New Frontier Theater, Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City

IT TOOK half an hour after the performance-fantasy-storytelling project by Yaelokre and Filipino-Japanese singer Ena Mori before Norwegian singer Aurora (real name: Aurora Aksnes) entered the stage. The audience — her fanbase call themselves Warriors and Weirdos — cheered when the lights dimmed and a video on screen showed the singer facing the camera saying, “It’s so quiet. Hello?” The haunting introduction of “Churchyard” (2019) began in the background as Ms. Aksnes entered the stage barefoot, looking like a forest fairy in a light-colored gown.

After two opening songs, the 28-year-old singer greeted the crowd, “It’s about time that time here. You have no idea how excited I am to be here finally.” She then quickly responded to the screams by casually imitating the crowd’s excitement. “Everyone that we have met — what kindhearted people you are. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s something in people’s eyes and hearts here that is just incredible. I have felt so good since the very second I came to your country,” she said.

She said that she will proceed with a song, of course, asking the crowd how to say “of course” in Filipino. She made three attempts to say “siyempre” and got it right the third time.

As a surprise for the evening, she performed “Infections of a Different Kind” (2018), which she introduced as a song she “wrote from a dream” at age 18. This song is a personal favorite because it showcases the singer’s wide vocal range. The intense red stage lights shifted to blue for a calmer atmosphere. The crowd fell quiet as she sang and hit the notes flawlessly, similar to the studio version.

After the first ballad of the night, came an ethereally subdued version of “The River” (2019), accompanied only by Zen-like background music on a loop which highlighted the blend of the melody with the harmonies of the backing vocals.

Things then shifted to an upbeat mood with “A Soul with No King” (2024) and “All is Soft Inside” (2018). This was followed by a mysterious rendition of the 2016 single “Runaway” — a track that recently garnered 1 billion streams on Spotify. It was probably the most popular song of the night as the crowd sang along from beginning to end.

In her second chat, Ms. Aksnes asked the audience how to say “salamat” and “mahal kita.” The crowd had fun teaching her the words by the syllable which she repeated until she said (and proudly screamed them out) correctly. “Thank you for teaching me. It’s a very beautiful language. I only know three things, but I want to learn more, I promise next time when I come back,” she said enthusiastically.

To introduce the love song, “Exist for Love” (2020), she told the crowd, “You are worthy of love… You should be free in the love you have in you, because it is so important.” The stage lights transitioned to a deep blue accompanied with visuals of what looked like stars or fireflies, creating a relaxed atmosphere. The crowd grew quiet as they waved their light sticks and white roses.

The standout performance of the evening was “The Seed” (2019), an anthem for Mother Earth. The blue stage lights remained, and graphics of dried trees flashed on screen. Once again, the crowd began to sing along, but Ms. Aksnes’ words and upper-range vocalizations (that have similar qualities to traditional Scandinavian herd calling kulning) stood out and sounded clear. It was hauntingly beautiful to watch.

When the introduction to the next song began, it took me a while to realize it was “Starvation” — a track from her latest album, What Happened to the Heart? (2024). The bass dropped midway, intense red stage lights were joined by blinking strobe lights, and the concert turned into a rave party.

After Ms. Aksnes exited the stage, the crowd naturally cheered for more. I was thinking (and hoping) that my other favorite song — the women empowerment anthem, “Queendom” (2018) — would be part of the encore.

The energy in the theater continued when she re-entered the stage singing “Cure for Me” (2021), a dance track about self-love and acceptance. The energy was on a new level when she waved the Pride flag and moved around with improvised movements.

Near the concert’s final moments, the singer began accepting gifts from those in the front row, including a rays of sunlight headdress. Without hesitation, she put it on as she sang “Some Type of Skin” (2024).

The show ended quietly with Ms. Aksnes alone onstage playing the keyboard on the final song about recovering from pain, “Invisible Wounds” (2024).

I never expected that a Norwegian artist with a niche fanbase like her’s (I have never heard her songs on Philippine radio), would schedule a stop in Manila for the Asian leg of her tour. It ticked off an item on my bucket list to see her perform live.

Before the encore, Ms. Aksnes thanked the crowd for a sold-out show, and said that is a possible reason “to have her back.” I am keeping my fingers crossed that she returns. Hopefully, she performs “Queendom” then.

Listen to Aurora on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, or visit https://www.aurora-music.com/ .

Michelle Anne P. Soliman was a BusinessWorld reporter covering the lifestyle beat from 2017 to 2023.