On track to becoming an icon of Scandinavian music, AnSoFi is on a quest to touch the hearts and souls of listeners through sensational sounds. Though relatively new to the industry, AnSoFi has incredible potential.
She gives listeners a taste of hauntingly beautiful music, draped in Nordic heritage and emotional nuance, using sounds versatile enough to span the globe.
AnSoFi is set to release her self-produced debut single “Love and Fear” on November the 5th, 2021, and we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at what this fantastic artist can do.
Fresh from checking out her brand-new single, here’s our insights into AnSoFi, an artist set to become a sensation on the Copenhagen music scene.
Who is AnSoFi?
The Scandinavian singing sensation
Currently based in Copenhagen, AnSoFi is the moniker of “Anne Sofie Strandheim Eike”, a Norwegian / Danish songwriter, producer, and composer.
While the Scandi music scene might be best-known for its impact on the metal and pop landscape, AnSoFi avoids harsher, more aggressive music by focusing on a different kind of powerful sound: the piano-based ballad.
The debut single of AnSoFi, Love and Fear is a beautiful piano-driven song designed to touch the heart and open the mind. Like many musical icons in the region, AnSoFi isn’t afraid to experiment with her harmonies.
A unique mixture of jazz, electronica and classical elements fuse together to create something truly special.
Listening to AnSoFi’s single will give you a number of distinct vibes to work with, including ethereal post-classical and indie pop elements comparable to Florence and the Machines, Susanne Sundfør, and a Ane Brun.
The heart of the song is certainly the vocals of AnSoFi herself, which offer incredible levels of scope, sure to capture attention.
Music inspired by Scandinavia
According to AnSoFi, the soundscape evident in Love and Fear is inspired by her upbringing in the countryside of Denmark, mixed with the more dramatic mountainscapes of her parent’s home in Norway.
Much of AnSoFi’s songwriting is informed by the Nordic folklore and magic she discovered during her youth, which adds to the almost mystical atmosphere in her music.
AnSoFi uses music as a tool to explore thoughts and feelings about society, human nature, and the communities we find ourselves in.
According to AnSoFi, she believes music can create a space for true human connection, where people are free to discover the true depths of their emotions and the potential of their mind.
To nurture her skills, AnSoFi studied classical piano following the Suzuki method during her childhood, which helped to guide her innovative approach to composition.
It’s easy to hear the expertise in AnSoFi’s use of lyrics and sounds, which is no surprise when you consider she began writing songs when she was only 11.
Though AnSoFi hasn’t had much opportunity to share extensive themes in her music yet, we’re likely to see a lot of social commentary in the sounds produced by the artist going forward. AnSoFi has a master’s degree in law, fueled by her interest in the rights of minorities and women.
She has also spent some time in London, honing her skills as a composer and songwriting before returning to Copenhagen to launch her first single.
The new single: Love and Fear
Love and Fear is the debut single from AnSoFi, releasing on the 5th of November 2021. The piano ballad has an emotional edge to it, asking listeners to reconsider the connection between fear and love, particularly in a post-pandemic world.
Through her music, AnSoFi explores the complicated questions many of us are asking in a world changing dramatically since 2020. Though dark piano chords highlight the potentially destructive nature of fear in our new world, the overall tone of the song is one of hope and optimism.
AnSoFi’s inspiring vocals combine with more empowering elements of trip hop and post-classical sounds to remind us that we can accomplish anything with love if we can only overcome the boundaries of fear.
For lovers of Scandinavian artists, AnSoFi may be reminiscent of Agnes Obel, one of the better-known singer and songwriters in the Danish scene.
According to AnSoFi, the song “Love and Fear” came to her at a time when it felt as though the world was reaching a critical breaking point in the midst of the pandemic.
“For some time now, it seems as though we’ve been globally holding our breath, keeping our distance, and waiting for safety to arrive. Yet, among all this uncertainty and chaos, we also discovered a new focus.”
2020 was, undoubtedly a limiting year in terms of human interaction and opportunity, but it also became a magnifier of fear. Outdated concerns and fear-based patterns came to the surface in a tense environment.
Even AnSoFi herself felt the impact, saying she had been working on her solo project for almost four years, and still hadn’t released any music, something the artist has thankfully redressed with this debut release.
Lockdown was the turning point that forced AnSoFi to “face the music” and figure out what was really stopping her from taking that next step.
Finding hope in an unpredictable world
With the catalyst of lockdown to fuel her creative spirit, AnSoFi decided to face her obstacles head-on, finding a new way of working that allowed her to acknowledge fear, but not be ruled by it.
AnSoFi told Scandification that she actually wrote her concerns down on a piece of paper and placed them on an extra chair near the piano when she was recording.
She also decided to record vocals and pianos simultaneously, as she believed this helped her to reduce her self-awareness and tendency to “overthink” things.
During the confusion of lockdown, AnSoFi rediscovered her power, learning how to mix her new songs and put sounds together to create something she could be proud of.
The debut single “Love and Fear” isn’t just an insight into AnSoFi’s qualities, but her journey as an artist to overcome her internal uncertainties, at a time when the pandemic was accelerating feelings of fear like never before.
According to AnSoFi, “Love and Fear” shares her hope that the fear we discovered during the pandemic doesn’t have to consume us. Rather, this unusual series of events over the last couple of years could be the key to making us stronger as human beings and societies.
Listening to Love and Fear, you can hear the hopeful intent behind the lyrics. AnSoFi asks us to join us in “facing the music”, reevaluating our situation, and finding new ways to make space for love, humanity, authenticity, and community in our chaotic lives.
Scandification: Discovering Scandinavia.
Now read these:
—An introduction to Agnes Obel
