It was about a year ago that I was first introduced to Denmark based Oskar Kops Kronback, best known by his stage name KOPS via his song, “Sorry Not Sorry”. Immediately hooked by his voice and songwriting, “Sorry Not Sorry”, quickly became a staple in my personal playlists, where it still lives today. The multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, producer has already cemented his spot as an artist to watch in Denmark, but personally I don’t think it will be long before he connects worldwide. About his creative process he says, “I either spend a day or a year on one song. I love incorporating wordplay and use a childlike way to talk about love, death, depression, astronomy, and religion.”
While I was eagerly waiting on new music, a couple of weeks ago I was finally blessed with his tune, “Gone”. Initially recorded and put out on YouTube in 2016, fans kept the pressure on KOPS for an official release which he has finally delivered. The emotional ballad was given a live, acoustic treatment and pushed out to the masses. With nothing more than a stunning piano to back him up, KOPS gives a memorable performance that cuts deep. About the release he says, “To me Gone symbolizes a turning point in my life. Not only because it was the end of a terrible area in my life, but also because I might never write such a song again. A lot of people has been asking for “Gone” for more than a year now. And I have gotten so much great response. It has been truly overwhelming to see that something I created has influenced so many people.”
Aside from the revamp on, “Gone”, KOPS has been pretty quiet as of late, but apparently he has been hard at work. Coming off of a great 2017 which saw support from Beats1, BBC1, P3 and radio spins in Germany, Italy, Norway and Sweden, KOPS has spent a majority of his time since creating new tunes and prepping their release. Luckily for us, it seems the time has come.
On September 12th, KOPS unleashed his newest single, “Salvation”, and it is an absolute gem. In a way that only he could pull off, KOPS blends deep rooted feelings of wellbeing and religion with bubbling Pop melodies. Over a dynamic, melodic, dance floor friendly production, KOPS lets out heavy thoughts and difficult feelings that are rarely put on display in the Pop world.
About the new single KOPS says, “To me it [Salvation] is centered around the feeling of powerlessness. Finding someone to be with, but nevertheless feeling alone. Feeling on top of the world though still being at rock bottom. The feeling of knowing it all even though you just don’t get it. To feel so lonely that it seems impossible to ever be understood again.”
Bringing an authenticity to his music that is equally as impressive as his musical abilities, KOPS is without a doubt creating from the heart – and I can’t get enough of it. Ignore the lyrics and you get Pop smashes… pay closer attention and his tunes will have you feeling some type of way – it is an interesting paradox that I have yet to see duplicated or done so well. I’ll be waiting patiently for the next release.
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