ANSWERING THE CALL
When things look bleak, the Nordics stick together. To deepen an already growing romance, we’ve joined forces with SPOT Festival (Denmark), Trondheim Calling (Norway) and Arctic Sounds (Greenland) in the exchange project Nordic Live Incubator – a collaboration aiming to shape a stronger future for the music industry and the communities around it.
After welcoming one artist from each country to Viva Sounds last year, the exchange now moves north. In 2026, we’ll be sending one bright, shining light from Gothenburg – Nora Lucia – to each of the partner festivals. First up is Trondheim Calling, and she took a moment to answer a few questions about the journey ahead.
For those who haven’t come across Nora Lucia before, how would you describe yourself and your project?
Nora Lucia is my solo project after previously only playing in bands. I write music that exists in a blend of folk, singer-songwriter, and indie dream pop. For me, it’s a space to realise and express emotions and thoughts through lyrics and creativity. It’s a project that, over time, has become more and more personal.
You’re one of the artists taking part in Nordic Incubator. What does that context mean to you right now?
Above all, it’s incredibly fun and an honour to be part of it. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get the chance to play my music abroad and discover new places, but also to meet people from the Nordic music industry and connect over something we all truly care about.
Nordic Incubator brings together both emerging artists and future industry professionals, moving between several Nordic showcase festivals. What are you most looking forward to in that setup?
Beyond the opportunity to share my own music, I’m really looking forward to discovering new music that I might not have found otherwise – especially up-and-coming artists from other countries. I also find it exciting to get a glimpse into different parts of the industry. Being an artist is very much like running a small business, so gaining insight into all those areas feels both useful and inspiring.
The next stop is Trondheim Calling – is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to there?
I’ve actually never been to Norway before, so that alone is really exciting. I also haven’t played abroad with the Nora Lucia project yet, so this will be another “first time” experience. The whole Nordic Incubator group was in Gothenburg for Viva Sounds last autumn, where we got to share our local music scene – now it’ll be great to experience Trondheim Calling instead and be on their home turf.
And looking a bit further ahead: what does the rest of 2026 look like for Nora Lucia?
The focus is simply to keep creating, writing, and playing live. And of course, I really hope to be able to release new music this year. It feels like my songwriting has moved into a new phase, and I’d love to share that with people – so fingers crossed.