Delara has just made a strong impression on Danish audiences with "Tæt på", her sweeping ballad and duet with Tobias Rahim that has spent weeks on the charts. But in her home country of Norway, she’s long been one of the most distinctive voices in pop – blending infectious hooks, Middle Eastern musical influences and fearless political commentary without missing a beat.
Her lyrics have been studied in Norwegian high schools. She’s collaborated with legendary rap duo Karpe. And her growing fanbase includes none other than Alicia Keys. At the end of 2023, Delara released her long-awaited debut album, Shahrzad, which received rave reviews and won her the coveted Spellemann Award (Norway’s equivalent of a Grammy) for Album of the Year.
Delara’s musical world is both gripping and uncompromising. She fuses synth-pop, R&B and Middle Eastern elements with lyrics about migration, womanhood and love – delivered with both power and vulnerability. Her Iranian-Norwegian heritage is central to her sound, and Shahrzad draws on the narrative force of One Thousand and One Nights to speak to modern struggles and hopes. This is pop with depth and bite.
Following Shahrzad, she lit up some of Norway’s biggest festival stages last summer. At Roskilde, expect a performer who knows exactly how to command a crowd.
