Herkedal Shares Wild Raspberries & Plum Trees EP

by | Oct 1, 2023

Herkedal is a young artist with a veteran soul. His songs are rich with evocative nostalgia and timeless musicianship, but he also appeals to a contemporary audience to the extent that he won the TV talent contest IDOL in his homeland of Norway. Since that moment, he has stepped away from the spotlight to master his own artistic direction, a process that is today completed as he shares his debut EP Wild Raspberries & Plum Trees. Listen HERE.

Herkedal

Herkedal (Press)
Herkedal (Press)

We’ve previously been beckoned into Herkedal’s world with the singles When Heaven Calls, Rabbit Hole and Weeping Willow. Those three songs have put a spotlight on Herkedal’s inimitable world, a richly textured soundtrack of chamber pop, jazzy flourishes, soul and modern pop, all topped by an idiosyncratic voice which dances from booming baritone to the tenderest of soulful croons within a single phrase. His lyrics are just as distinctive as his music, whether he’s writing an end-of-life symphony for a women he met while working in a care home (When Heaven Calls), daring himself to take a gamble that could change his life (Rabbit Hole) or finding sanctity in sadness (Weeping Willow).

Check out live living room session performance of the EP’s closing track Weeping Willow below:

The EP’s title track and new single Wild Raspberries & Plum Trees is the heart of the project, its luscious, dramatically orchestrated pop transporting us to a sonic safe space as Herkedal’s words conjure images of a beautiful nature environment. And it’s one that has special personal significance to him too.

Herkedal says: “The idea when we started this project was me picturing my grandmother’s garden. She died in 2019 and she lived up in the mountains in the west of Norway. Her garden was filled with fruit trees, wild raspberries and it was a paradise for me and my sisters growing up. So the EP is kind of a picture of my grandmother’s garden, which I really love.”

The EP is completed by another new song in the shape of Beauty In It All. Feeling like the opening to a gothic musical, its slow motion melancholy makes for a haunting first chapter ahead of the more euphoric and flamboyant moments that follow.

Herkedal wrote four of the EP’s songs with producers Kristoffer Lo and Myrtoula Røe. The exception was Weeping Willow, which he co-wrote with producer duo Andrea Louise Horstad and Bjørn Helge Gammelsæter.

Inspired by Nina Simone, Laufey and Sufjan Stevens, Øystein Herkedal was still a teenager when his mix of covers of RY X and Tom Odell with his own originals helped him win over the nation during IDOL. Most artists would have quickly capitalised on such a breakthrough, but Herkedal’s musical passions were a step apart from chart-bound pop. Instead he studied at the prestigious music school LIMPI where mentors include artists such as Dagny and Kiesza as well as acclaimed songwriters and producers such as Fred Ball and Amund Bjørklund. He focused on developing his live band too, leading to a high impact live debut at Vill Vill Vest, which inspired Norwegian tastemakers Gaffa to state, “It is no exaggeration to say that Herkedal has a voice that few in the country can match.” He has since performed at Trondheim Calling and by:Larm.

Shawn Colvin Charms At Union Chapel

Sophie Lloyd @ Download Festival XXII - Saturday (Simon Reed)

Saturday In Photos At Download Festival XXII

As Download XXII roared into its second full day, Saturday continued the weekend's adrenaline-fuelled ride with...
Charli xcx @ Lido Festival 2025 (Henry Redcliffe)

Charli xcx’s ‘PARTYGIRL’ Rules The Night At LIDO Festival 2025 — A Euphoric Takeover In East London

East London was ablaze with brat energy on Saturday night as Charli xcx delivered a genre-defying, euphoric headline...
Green Day @ Download Festival XXII - Friday (Simon Reed)

Friday In Photos At Download Festival XXII

The sun rose over Donington Park as Download XXII launched into its first full day of music on Friday, setting the...
Roger Daltrey with The Who - Teenage Cancer Trust @ Royal Albert Hall (Kalpesh Patel)

Roger Daltrey Awarded Knighthood for Services To Music And Charity

Roger Daltrey, legendary frontman of The Who and lifelong champion of young people facing cancer, has officially been awarded a Knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours list for 2025. The honour recognises not only his groundbreaking contributions to British music, but also his tireless work with Teenage Cancer Trust, the charity he has helped elevate to national prominence over the past three decades.

Sophie Grey @ Heilbronn (Kevin Ford)

Sophie Grey Brings ‘Retro Electro’ To The Big Stage With Sting Collab And New Music Video

Armed with a keytar, a singular sonic aesthetic, and an unapologetic love for retro-electro vibes, Sophie Grey is carving her place on the global stage — one synth-heavy track at a time. This summer, the rising artist has not only opened arena shows across Europe but has also shared the stage with none other than Sting, adding her signature flair to performances of The Police classic Spirits In The Material World on his 3.0 tour.

Fiaa Hamilton (Adam Brazier)

Fiaa Hamilton Celebrates Birthday With Empowering New Single ‘Nothing Is Perfect’

Rising pop powerhouse Fiaa Hamilton continues her skyward trajectory with the release of her bold and emotionally resonant new single Nothing Is Perfect, arriving just in time to mark her birthday. The track sees Fiaa cement her growing status as one of 2025’s most compelling new voices in pop, following a breakout year that’s included a New Faces For 2025 nod from The Sun and a performance at TikTok’s Live Fest alongside Jason Derulo and Zara Larsson at London’s iconic Roundhouse.

The Sons Of Guns (Cléa Margaret)

The Sons Of Guns Bring Modern Sunshine To ’70s Folk-Rock With Radiant Debut EP ‘You Shine The Sun’

Emerging from the sun-drenched hills of Nice with roots stretching back to Doncaster and even Bombay, genre-blurring...
Kane Brown (Dennis Leupold)

Kane Brown Drops Summer Anthem ‘2 Pair’ & Gears Up for International Tour

Genre-blending country trailblazer Kane Brown is officially soundtracking your summer with his brand-new single 2...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing