Denmark’s Rising Pop Experimentalist Kill J Signs to Nettwerk Records
May 26, 2017 BY Nettwerk
“Kill J is one of the most exciting talents coming out of Copenhagen.” – NYLON
“There are few (if any) acts around at the moment who can match the ambition, both lyrically and visually, of Kill J.” – The Line of Best Fit
“Deliciously dramatic electronic pop.” – The Fader
“Making some of the best experimental pop in modern music.” – Pigeons & Planes
Rising Danish experimental pop artist Kill J has joined Nettwerk Record’s label roster! Listen to her cover of Aqua’s seminal pop smash hit “Barbie Girl“, now available to stream on Spotify. Featuring dark aesthetics and soundscapes, Kill J describes her interpretation as a “dystopian take on a classic. A feminist manifesto.”
Realising how subversive and relevant the lyrics are, even after nearly 20 years, Kill J decided to rework Barbie Girl into something truly original. “I was just thinking, if you take these words, and put them into this dark, dystopian soundscape… you could get some real heavy s**t” she told Pigeons and Planes in a recent interview.
Listen & Share: Kill J – Barbie Girl
Kill J is the brainchild of Julie Aagaard, who first introduced her brand of avant-garde pop and hip-hop infused, alternative R&B to the global spotlight with the single “Phoenix” in late 2013, alongside production partner and band mate Lennart Rasmussen.
Clouded in a shroud of mystery, with no story to pull from and scant photos of Aagaard appearing with her back to the camera, tastemakers quickly championed the music on merit alone. By 2015, after having released the highly lauded track “Bullet,” Kill J emerged from the shadows with a give no f**ks attitude, now as a solo artist with Rasmussen having left to pursue other solo projects.
Her debut EP, Quasi, was released in spring 2016, has done much to further captivate Kill J’s growing audience of eager fans whose support catapulted “You’re Good But I’m Better” to a #1 Hype Machine “Most Popular” chart position, a #3 Twitter chart position. An invite to SXSW soon followed in the same year where she did a slew of critically acclaimed performances at the renowned international arts festival.
Kill J has already gained a legion of fans in the media including SPIN, Idolator, The Line Of Best Fit, Stereogum, Pigeons and Planes, Clash and The Fader, whilst receiving airplay from the likes of Huw Stephens and Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1.
Originally a classically trained singer/songwriter/pianist, Aagaard’s formative years were heavily influenced by American pop acts like Mariah Carey to Iceland’s iconic Bjork. At 19, she decided to stray from becoming a classical singer and refocus her talent. The result is a sound that loosely reflects her early musical influences while creating something that is uniquely her.
Stay tuned for more news and brand new music from Kill J.
