Ruben

Known for his deep, soulful electro-pop ballads, Norwegian songwriter Ruben became a breakthrough star in 2018 with single 'Lay By Me' and was quickly being compared to the likes of Sam Smith, James Blake and Khalid. Growing up in the tiny village of Bjarkøy on an island in the north of Norway, Ruben Markussen was 13-years-old when he began writing songs that reflected the beauty and isolation of his homeland. By the age of 20, he was involved in a student exchange scheme which took him to experience the music industry in Los Angeles.

His social anxiety and loneliness became the subject of his debut single 'Walls', which made the top ten in Norway in 2017 and he spent most of his time locked away in his bedroom creating stark, soul-bearing torch songs on his laptop. He landed a deal with Universal Records in Norway and his track 'The Half' was another great downbeat dancefloor hit, reminiscent of the sounds produced by The XX and Robyn. He also teamed up with Ask Lars on electro-R&B 'Go for Love' but it was 'Lay By Me' that became his big calling card with its grand, orchestral melancholy and earned him nominations for two awards in Norway's version of the Grammy Awards, 'Spellemannprisen'.