Her debut release ʻCapsuleʼ was her fantastically colourful, elemental tour de force – deserving that warm space in your minds ear, reserved only for something truly special. By releasing two outstanding EPs in 2011 called ʻBy The Fire/Now and Hereafterʻ and ʻAquarius Dreamsʻ she shows great musical curiosity and inventiveness. Cornelia is definitely a voice of her own and a composer of great promise.
Cornelia has already caught the ear of numerous contemporaries, from José González declaring she has a ‘charming voice’, music mogul Guy Sigsworth exclaiming her simply ‘wonderful’ to Flying Lotus urging her to keep up the good work as ‘it sounds really, really good’.
Cornelia’s formative years in Sweden were spent making songs to the backdrop of Öland’s magnificent and vast landscapes. It was only after years in choirs, playing in bands, performing on other records and a brief spell as a songwriter for other artists that Cornelia was pushed to explore the possibilities of DIY music. And so ’Camp Mozart’ became the label home for her own musings. Close friend Jamie Woon managed to pursuade Cornelia to re-locate to London from her homeland in 2009.
Since then her music has taken yet another turn, as her songs build like audiographic landscapes against a vast, boundless sky. Cornelia’s live performances not only gives you an insight in her complex, layered productions but portraits her passion for visual storytelling in a quest to ‘encourage links between all human senses’.
2012 was the year of exciting co-laborations with two widely acclaimed artists, Portico Quartet (Real World Records) and Scratcha DVA (Hyperdub). The song ‘Steepless’ is written by Cornelia and Portico Quartet in close dialogue. The detailed simplicity of this song brings back memories of lives passed and ultimately dares to ask the big question about life and death from a slightly new angle. ‘Steepless’ was released on Portico Quartet’s self titled album end of January 2012 and as a live recording on the newly released Live/Remixes album. ‘Pretty Ugly’, written and produced by Scrathca DVA and Cornelia featured as the title track for Scracha DVA’s debut album on Hyperdub and has been described by Mary Anne Hobbs (XFM) as ‘a beautiful track with a dazzling sound’.
2013 looks just as promising, expecting further releases with Bonobo (musician), Henry Saiz and Portico Quartet and a solo album under way.
CORNELIA links
Myspace : www.myspace.com/corneliadahlgren
Soundcloud : www.soundcloud.com/cornelia
The Cornelia Diaries : www.iamcornelia.com
Capsule : www.highoncolour.com