This year marked 25 years of Øya Festival in Oslo, Norway. One of the more relaxed festivals in the calendar, organisers opted for a less-is-more approach—and it paid off. There was no overcrowding, no sound bleeding, and clashes were almost non-existent.
Øya Festival was exemplary in other ways, too. There were plenty of international acts to draw us in—indie veterans like Jarvis Cocker and PJ Harvey, homegrown heroes like Sampha and Nia Archives, and stateside icons like Vince Staples and Janelle Monáe were all brought over—but it was the festival bookers’ focus on spotlighting their own hotbed of local talents that provided the treats you won’t find anywhere else.
Standing tall on that formidable bill, the locals did Norway proud, so we thought we would give you the rundown of five Norwegian acts that stole the show at this year’s Øya Festival.
Delara
Norwegian-Iranian singer Delara has had a phenomenal year. She started 2024 with a rapturously received, sold-out homecoming show in Oslo—her first show in her home city in five years—and her appearance at Øya was all the richer for it. Last year, Dalara released her debut album, Shahrazad, with a title derived from an Iranian folk tale, One Thousand And One Nights, and artwork featuring Delara draped in a scarlet gown. Taking to the stage in that red gown once more, Delara stunned this year, transforming her feather-light sound into something far more explosive, fortifying her heavenly vocals with thundering guitar riffs and a stage show that was quite literally incendiary.
Tøyen Holding
Capturing the spirit of the festival as a whole was Tøyen Holding—aka producer/rapper Fredrik Øverlie (Fredfades) and rapper Daniel Yalew Steinset—who took to the Amphiet stage to serve up what they called a “full course concert”. Joined by a team of waiters serving oysters to the fans throughout their set while Fred and Dan sipped wine on stage, we were led through seven years and three albums of smokey, laid-back rap infused with Dilla-esque jazz coolness and the occasional splash of disco and funk. We’d recommend starting with the first and working your way chronologically to hear them dig deeper into those cosmic instrumentals.
Gjenfødt Kultur
On a similar tip, rap group Gjenfødt Kultur (which translates to “culture reborn”) handed out roses to their fans in the front row. Drawing influence from everything from bossa nova to the moon landing, Gjenfødt Kultur have a dizzying energy about them, zipping from film and TV references to ‘90s and 2000s rap tropes. Graduating from the Bibliotek stage the year before to the Hagen stage this year, the GK boys took fans young and old through their catalogue, including two songs from this year's EP sincetwentysixteen, which most of the crowd already seemed to know inside out.
Oscar Blesson
Hailing from Oslo’s Holmlia neighbourhood, Oscar Blesson’s style has been described as melancholic in the past, but there’s a bit more to him than that. On stage and on wax, Blesson comes across as more dreamy than sad, and there’s plenty of energy. Tracks like “Sesongkort” from his most recent project, transit music, for example, tap into a hazy sound that has echoes of UK trapwave laced with skittish, Jersey Club drum patterns, and capped off with an unhurried, nonchalant, and occasionally Auto-Tuned flow. If you go back to his debut album, vi blør i kor, cuts like “Standard”, are practically house music. A suave and stylish presence on stage, and he’s got a deep, varied catalogue to dig through, too.
Cezinando
A rising star in Norway, Cezinando’s ascent hasn’t been entirely smooth, but he seems to be firmly back on track now. Despite his set time clashing against Pulp, the singer/rapper attracted a sea of devoted loyalists, easily packing out the Tent Stage. Every Norwegian I spoke to insisted in the strongest possible terms that his set was not to be missed. Showing off a broadened sound this year, Cezinando proved his mettle as a singer as much as a rapper. In fact, his set was a strong contender for the most eclectic of the festival, with moshpit bangers and slick raps sitting side by side with more tender, soulful moments and some big, crowd-pleasing anthems. Just like Gjenfødt Kultur, there seemed to be no such thing as a casual Cezinando fan.