With her new album, Plæygirl, Danish pop star MØ fully embraces all sides of herself, from her punky roots to her runaway EDM success. We get to know the real MØ – a charming, messy, funny delight
Every pop star’s fanbase needs a name and MØ’s new album title, Plæygirl, is practically begging to inspire one for her supporters. Say it with me: Plæygirls. The only problem is, fans of the Danish artist have already claimed the most charming name possible. “They call themselves MØmins,” says MØ, emphasising the pronunciation so it’s clear it’s a play on ‘Moomins’, the iconic characters created by Tove Jansson. “And I’m obsessed with the Moomins. I own everything there is to own with the Moomins printed on it. It’s like, insane. It’s too much, actually.” As she says this, she takes a sip from a red Moomin mug.
Whatever one calls fans of MØ, whose given name is Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen, there are plenty of them. After bouncing around in the indie club scene for a few years, MØ broke through internationally in the biggest possible way with 'Lean On', the absolute banger she shares with Major Lazer and DJ Snake. Though the track still slaps, that was a decade ago, and even chatting over Zoom, it’s immediately clear MØ, now 36-years-old, is in an entirely different place. “I had the indie start to my career, and then all of a sudden it became very mainstream. It was a huge blessing, but at the same time, it all went so fast,” says MØ. “I had a moment of maybe floating out of my body a little bit and then slowly finding my way back into myself again.”
Photo: Betty Krag
Photo: Casper Sejersen