Who is … Aura Dione?

She is a 27-year-old Danish singer-songwriter most famous for her current singles ‘Friends’ and ‘Geronimo’.

She doesn’t have a very Danish name …
Dione is indeed an international Dane, born to a Faroese/French mother and a Danish/Spanish father. She also spent the first seven years of her life travelling around with her parents before they settled in Bornholm when Dione was eight. She later spent time in Australia, where she was heavily influenced by Aboriginal art and culture. Her real name, however, is Maria Louise Joensen, but Aura Dione is probably a more fitting name for a pop star!

What’s her music like?
Dione likes to describe her sound as “progressive pop poetry” … but you might need to be a fellow singer-songwriter to understand that because it sounds like pretty standard pop to us. You’ve probably heard both ‘Friends’ and ‘Geronimo’ on Danish radio. The latter is supposedly about the “audacity of love and freedom”, but is best identified as the song with a completely nonsensical chorus with monosyllabic, repeated sounds as opposed to words: “Ge-ge-e jo jo uh lala”. Ivor Novello, watch out!

Oh, that one!
Unintelligible sounds aside, it’s a catchy tune. So catchy in fact, that she’s been nominated for a Danish Music Award, as well as for Best Danish Act at the MTV European Music Awards, both of which are taking place this coming week. Considering that her latest album, ‘Before the Dinasaurs’, was released on Sunday, Dione is a busy bee these days! Add a lawsuit on top of that and things look positively hectic …

Lawsuit?!
Dione is currently in the process of suing her former manager in a Los Angeles court for trying to steal the rights to her latest album. Among other things, the lawsuit alleges fraud, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment. Sounds like just another Tuesday for an LA talent manager.