Griff X Sigrid - Head on Fire (Official Video)

As the sheer exuberant joy of this video suggests, Sigrid and Griff already had a mutual admiration society going on. That was before they connected with each other during lockdowns and before they hung out together and had a songwriting session, the fruit of which was 'Head on Fire'. 

An uplifting, giddy headrush of pure pop, 'Head on Fire' seeks to capture the experience of meeting someone new, who utterly disrupts your thoughts and feelings, who you are not able to stop thinking about. A particularly irresistible ear worm, it's surprising that it didn't go on to dominate the charts upon its release in January 2022. Especially given the love it received from critics ahead of its release. But, over a year on, it's ageing well and has all the early hallmarks of a pop classic.

Sigrid Performs Don't Feel Like Crying Live At TRNSMT | BBC Scotland

Sigrid turns in a euphoric performance as part of this TRNSMT set, and her full live set from Rock Werchter in 2018 looks equally as good. You can watch it in full here.

Fantasy Festival number 5: The lineup

Lydmor: Danish composer and musician Jenny Rossander is well known in her home country, but didn't really start to be known in the UK until she released her album I told you I'd tell them our story back in 2018. She makes expansive, emotional electro pop, and you can read more about her here and here.

Pink Milk: Atmospheric Swedish noise merchants Pink Milk will be no strangers to regular readers of this blog. Their debut 2017 album Purple was an icy cacophony swirling through the music scene that year, and while they have been quiet of late, they have more than earned their place in a Fantasy Festival lineup. You can find them over on Bandcamp.

Pale Honey: Swedish grunge duo Nelly Daltrey and Tuva Lodmark were included in 2017's Fantasy Festival series, around the time they released their second album, Devotion. They've been teasing us with new material over the past year so it's to be expected that a third album may well be imminent. You can find out more here.

Grace Mitchell: Grace is another performer who I included in my 2017 Fantasy Festival lineup who has been a bit quiet since. Signed to Taylor Swift and Lorde's record label, she released a series of EP's and stand alone tracks (including the 2017 protest song 'The Kids (Ain't Alright)') that saw her poised to be the next great up and coming left of centre pop star. Here's hoping she's been quiet because she's working on something.

Allie X: Canadian singer/songwriter and visual artist, Allie X, has been bubbling under for a while now. 2020's Cape God album of dystopian synth pop has been well received, and, were things not as they are it would be expected that she would be touring the shit out of it, and probably performing at a number of festivals this summer. You can read a review of the album here.

Niki & The Dove: Swedish duo Niki & The Dove, following ten years of dramatic indietronica have, again, been a bit quiet recently. An alternative version of 'Sister Brother Mother Father' from 2016's album Everybody's Heart Is Broken Now, was released last year, signalling perhaps that they might be working on something but, for now, fans wait.

Sigrid: Norwegian singer/songwriter Sigrid was crowned BBC Music's Sound of 2018 and, since then, she's gone on to release a critically acclaimed pop album (including the legendary 'Don't Kill My Vibe'), do at least one stadium tour, and provide a refreshingly sunny take on Gen Z life. You can find out more here.