Norwegian pop artist Aurora, decked in red and surrounded by her band (clad in black), brought a bit of spinetingling Scandinavian atmosphere to the searing Mumbai heat at Lollapalooza India 2025 on Mar. 9, 2025.
Playing the Keep Walking stage during the humid early evening slot, Aurora stayed true to her free-spirited artistic approach by providing a journey through emphatic cuts like “Churchyard” and “The Seed” alongside quieter songs like a stripped-down version of “Daydreamer” and “A Soul With No King.” Of course, we got her international hit “Runaway” as well, but you could Aurora was clearly invested in telling a story rather than easily plying the thousands gathered with high-energy songs.
Speaking to Rolling Stone India after her set, Aurora spoke about her love for India and (obviously) got to talking about food. “I am weak for samosa chaat and I love thalis and a lot of things I can’t remember the names of. It’s a real dream here,” she says with a laugh.
In our interview, the artist – who released her latest album What Happened to the Heart? in 2024 – speaks about performing in India, the importance of activism and stage elements, among other things. Excerpts:
Rolling Stone India: How was the show for you? What was it like playing to an Indian audience?
Aurora: Oh, it was wonderful. They were so kind to us and so sweet. And I know they were really, like, warm and tired, because it’s just after a long day of the warmth, but they gave us a lot of energy, and it was really beautiful. I adored it, and I love having the wind in my dress.
What was it like getting the offer to come to India?
I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been waiting to come to India ever since COVID times, because I had a lot of conversations with many people from India back then, and I’ve been hoping ever since that I could come as soon as possible. So this is amazing. I absolutely adore this country. You can feel the charge in the ground, you know? The energy and the people. It’s really special.
Any plans while you’re here? I know your next shows are only in April, right?
I have eaten so much good food here. I’ve tried so many beautiful tastes, and it’s all so beautiful and colorful and complex, and I always eat with my hands. So I love that it’s more normal here, that you eat with your hands as well, because I feel like you’re much more in contact with what you’re eating. It feels so much better. I feel so happy that I can do that everywhere here, which is super nice. And I love Kingfisher [beer] as well. [Laughs]. But yes, the plan is to eat more, because the food here is one of my favorite foods.
Aurora live at Lollapalooza India 2025 in Mumbai on Mar. 9, 2025. Photo: RVR_16/BookMyShow Live
Tell me about your environmental activism and maybe what you’ve heard about causes in India?
I feel like people, or the world, often blames the people who are already surviving in their everyday life and working all the time and doing their best, when the real problems are often with the big corporate, rich people and I feel like to fight for the environment is to fight for all the people who need the environment the most. It’s the same to fight for the children and the women as well, because Mother Earth can’t tell us that she needs us to care for her, because we can hurt her again and again, and she will kind of just take it and take it, like many women do and many children do, because the world is unfair to women, children, animals and the earth.
So I feel like when I speak about the land, I also speak about this fundamental thing in the human soul, that it’s so important to have compassion with the things that we hurt in this world. I know we need to empower women more and more, and also in India. I know there’s a lot of violence everywhere in the world against women. It’s everywhere in the world where there are people, it’s the same problems. But it felt really good to be in India on Women’s Day, because I know to empower the women is extremely important.
What has it been like growing up with music, seeing its power, seeing how your music specifically can influence people?
Oh, I don’t know. It’s really weird. It’s a strange thing that you can have a feeling inside of you, and then I don’t know how I can write music… It just happens. It’s a magical thing for me in music, that people make it, and I just make it because it makes me feel good to sing. It’s very spiritual in the music and singing. You feel almost healed by it.
When I sing, it makes me feel healing and stronger, and connected to [people]. To have people understand what comes from my soul is very… It’s a big honor to meet people like this. It’s very easy to love people when you meet them through music all the time. People are so beautiful when they like feel it’s a dream. That’s deep.
You have this blue fuzzy element you’re hanging from your mic — I saw it on KEXP — what is that?
[Laughs]I like strange and fuzzy things. It’s like a woman’s touch to put small, beautiful things, and this blue, fuzzy thing is the best gift I have in my life, but also my curse, because it’s a purse, but everything I put in it falls out. So I lost many wallets and many things in this purse. But I love it because it looks so beautiful, but it’s a shit purse. [Laughs]You have a song with Ane Brun, “My Name,” on your new album. You also consider her an influence right?
She really taught me that you can put a lot of melancholy in music, because she’s been with me during many dark times. So I’m very inspired by that, to make music for people who are having darkness in this world. It’s beautiful. She’s a wonderful woman. It’s a full circle for me, because this album is about the human and “My Name” is very personal. So to have her on the song, which means a lot to me, is very full circle.
If you feel you will and are influencing the next generation of artists, what do you hope they take from your music?
That it can be wild and vulnerable and really aggressive at the same time. The world needs artists to say something about what they believe in, because the world is a bit lost right now. There’s a lot of bad leaders all around us, all men, and I think, I hope they just keep using their voices, because I think the world will really need it soon.
What else is coming up in 2025?
I’m moving house. I’m moving into a new apartment, and I’m gonna write more music and a lot of interesting things. Actually, I can’t say it all, but I’m trying a few things. There are a few different surprises that’s coming [that] I will prepare this year, for I hope to come back to India.
Aurora performed at Lollapalooza India, produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live.
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