Meet Embla

Embla Karidotter makes queer country music about love, bad decisions, new beginnings and figuring things out as she goes.

After more than a decade behind the drums with Norwegian indie favourites Razika, Embla stepped out front to pursue her lifelong love of country music. What started as a solo project became Embla and the Karidotters: a collective of some of Norway’s finest musicians, with a core cast (Marie Moe on bass (Razika, Slomosa), Simen Følstad Nilsen on pedal steel (Aiming for Enrike), Benjamin Rø Haavelsrud on guitar and Nils Jørgen Nilsen on drums (Honningbarna, the Needs)) with additional friends and collaborators regularly joining the rotation.

At the centre of it all is Embla — a country songwriter with a sharp sense of humour, a soft spot for the countryside and a talent for turning the messy bits of life into songs. Her music brings together the storytelling and traditions of country with a distinctly modern perspective: emotionally honest, self-aware and never taking itself too seriously.

Her debut album, Hello, I’m Embla, Hello, I’m Embla won the country Spellemann music award 2022. Her third album, The Fool, is her most explicitly queer record yet.

Named after the Tarot card, The Fool is about taking the plunge into the unknown. The card represents new beginnings, infinite potential and the courage to make a decision when you have absolutely no idea what comes next. For Embla, that means stepping into a new chapter, embracing being out and making a record that celebrates queer life, love and community.

The Fool was written and performed by Embla and the Karidotters, recorded at Aber Studio and produced by Karidotter Simen Følstad Nilsen. Released by Die With Your Boots On Records, The Fool brings together the musicians who form Embla's core Karidott cast, alongside the wider community of musicians, friends and collaborators that have always surrounded the project.

Or, more simply: she's out, it's out, queer country forever.

Booking

Booking
Camilla Christensen, Standing Ovation

Label
Eivind Eide Skaufjord, Die With Your Boots On

Other inquiries
Embla Karidotter