Ten Norwegian artists to discover at this year's Øya Festival in Oslo

Name almost any contemporary Norwegian band or artist that tours outside of Scandinavia and there’s a high chance that Øya helped to launch them on the global stage. With past success stories including artists like Susanne Sundfør, Ane Brun, Jenny Hval, AURORA and girl in red, who all played the festival in the earliest days of their careers, it’s always worth checking out who is bubbling up.

This year, Øya’s international contingent includes Blur, Yo La Tengo, Róisín Murphy, boygenius, Caroline Polachek and Lorde, who is poised to announce new music any day now. From the Norwegian side, there’s the triumphant return of Ålesund-born Sigrid as the Saturday night headliner, back at Øya after 4 years of success at home and in the UK. Susanne Sundfør will also return, in support of her recent album blómi, which taps into her Norse heritage. Øystein Greni’s BigBang are back too. Still going after three decades, they were one of the few bands to play the first ever Øya in 1999.

Other highlights include UK live favourites Dry Cleaning and Jockstrap, experimental R&B and hip hop artists Shygirl and Liv.e, socially conscious soul music from Little Simz collaborator Obongjayar, techno legends Moderat and a hugely anticipated reunion from Sweden’s The Soundtrack of Our Lives, who provide an alternative flavour to the Saturday finale for those not into Sigrid’s energetic modern pop.

Digging into the undercard, Best Fit have picked out ten promising Norwegian acts to check out when the gates open at Tøyenparken in a couple of weeks (8–12 August). SKAAR, pictured above, is fresh off a European tour opening for Tori Amos and will release the second part of her Mad Woman project later this year, with a new single “Imposter Syndrome” coming soon.

Well-crafted pop is also on offer from ARY, Lille Venn and Synne Sørgjerd, while HILLARI and Beharie are ambitious flagbearers for Oslo’s healthy soul and R&B scene. Norwegian hip hop is represented by Jonas Benyoub and Eirik Aas, while Fangst and Embla and the Karidotters offer two different takes on rockier modes.