Karen Juhl on SILVER

”I’m choosing silver. There is a lot of silver on my album and in my book Mother Tongue. And even though it feels like Beyoncé is owning silver now, I continue to find silver in many shapes and sounds. From SOPHIE to Jenny Hval and SØS Gunver Ryberg. Silver like a shield yet soft and flexible. Silver that melts, flows, and freezes into shapes. Silver with a hint of white because it captures the sunlight. I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

Nwando Ebizie: True Believer

What a playful, metallic beat. A dark and dramatic vocal. The slightly dissonant 'true believer' is almost a mantra, but it's all a bit off, rhythmically and tonally. It creates friction in a way. Silver because the song is like a shield but at the same time quite soft and flexible.

Felicia Atkinson, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: And All The Spirals Of The World

Silver because it both melts, flows, and freezes into shapes along the way.

Charlie XCX: New Shapes

Power synth and power vocals. Christine, Charlie XCX, and Polachek on the same track, what can I say. The perfect distribution of energy, tension, and release, as only the pop masters can do it. Silver for the larger-than-life vibe.

SOPHIE: Immaterial

It feels like hyper-gospel to me. I feel like jumping and smashing something. The manipulated voice, the smoothness, and the digitally exalted have just the right character in Sophie's universe. Silver for being like a silver statement necklace that escapes you every time you try to hold on to it.

Mija Milovic: Resting Mind pt. 2

Mija is a Danish music mate of mine, and she blends grunge elements and minimal composition in a unique way, I think. The song is silver with a hint of white because it captures the sunlight.

ilinx: Shortcut

Another Copenhagen gem and good mates too. I share many interests with them, something about speculating on early music and song forms, with an idea of going back to basics, I think. Silver for the purity and sincerity in a way. Like a silver friendship necklace in three parts put together and clicking perfectly.

Violeta Parras: Gracias a la Vida

I don't speak Spanish, so I found a translation of the song. It's a beautiful text, a kind of enumeration of everything life has given you. Very 2023 appreciation-like. The song strikes me as wise. So silver for the wisdom that comes with silver hair.

Jenny Hval: Cemetery of Splendour

All the sounds are crystal clear yet soft, very silver. It develops into an almost childlike, joyful celebration of the world in the outro, and the song is eventually completely taken over by nature and the real sounds themselves. Also silver here because Jenny Hval is the slightly cooler and more withdrawn friend behind the gold. The one everyone actually wants to be friends with.

SØS Gunver Ryberg: Spine

After dark silver magic.

Jockstrap: Angst

To me, it sounds like you're holding an incredibly delicate sheet of silver, trying not to damage it, but everything starts cracking—both the harp and the voice. It cracks inside too. And there's a bit of fear, as if something's about to shatter, until you realize that those cracks are splitting the cold right down the middle, and warmth is spreading.

Karen Juhl is a Danish art pop artist, singer and producer. With an equal
love for experimental composition, literature and pop music Karen Juhl
often works in between art forms. Inspired by artists such as Laurie
Anderson, Solange and M.I.A., she explores what songwriting can be in
the 21st century. Her debut album and art book Mother Tongue is out
Sep 22nd, a fragmented yet meditative reflection on fragility in a hyper-
globalized world. The book combines the album's lyrics with digital
collages exploring the intertwining of personal and shared narratives.

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