A Swedish born and raised singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with Scandinavian and Germanic roots, Menke, will soon release her new single Only When In Motion. Coming back strongly anchored in her cultural heritage, the single will plunge into striking instrumentals and delicate vocals to express the clarity one finds when moving forward in life. Menke continues to weave in between strings, keys and wine glasses as instruments, demonstrating her wide range of musicality.
Originally discovered by Swedish House Mafia’s Steve Angello, he describes her music: “Menke’s music represents all things Scandinavian; the beauty, the nature and the melancholy. The first time I heard her music I was almost paralyzed, moved by the obvious apprehension of the world we’re now living in. It’s very difficult nowadays to discover something truly unique, something with its own given place in the universe. But Menke has all that. Her creativity reaches in and touches the deepest parts of my soul. Artists such as Menke need to be made the most of.”
Cosmos Music also writes about her music: “Menke is a young standout talent with an expression and a voice capable of freezing time”, and Clash Music writes: “Menke has a careful, precise, but endlessly suggestive sound.”
Menke is said to have a special eye for electronic producers, having already collaborated with ones such as Christian Löffler, Alva Noto, Satin Jackets and Molø. Despite this, her style remains deeply orchestral and simply sublime.
Menke released her debut album through Size Records in 2018, titled Till havet. Sung all in Swedish, she reimagines eight poems by Swedish author, Karin Boye through atmospheric and symphonic melodies. With more than 15+ million streams, this excellent 22-minute debut record established Menke as a visionary talent. The album also contained the track Moln, which was featured on The Line of Best Fit – “one of the world’s biggest independent music magazines” that has been “ahead of the curve in new music discovery for over 15 years”, calling the single itself “a thing of majesty”.
Her first English-language single was released through Cosmos Music a year later in 2019 under the title Echo. Menke draws ethereal pictures of vast landscapes once again reminiscent of the Scandinavian world that shapes her artistic visions, reflecting this sentiment through her lyrics: “Reflections is the past/ Reflections is to last/ Colours our path”. The instrumentals are minimalistic yet endlessly frisson-evoking, with gentle plucks at the guitar strings and drum loops. Menke has a unique touch for sirening us into introspective depths, evoking the beauty of exploring our internal essence. Her next English-language single was released that same year, under the title Apathy, exploring feelings of self-assurance and apathy towards external condemnation.
She then made a comeback to Swedish lyricism with the release of her EP, Elver in 2024. More imposing in sound, Menke also featured ambient sounds of nature throughout the record, further continuing to charm with her vocal elegance, also in Norwegian for the first time in her work.
This year, Menke is coming back with another single track in English, Only When In Motion that was born out of a time when she experienced resistance, uncertainty and heaviness. Written alongside a British songwriter, Nick Hahn, she explains the creative process and meaning behind the song: “The only thing that brought relief and helped my thoughts to rest was setting my body in motion and letting my heart beat harder. When we move, our thoughts become clearer, fear softens, and what has been can wash away. It’s a reminder that life is not something we hold on to, but something we move through”. Just as her previous release, Echo, encourages us to welcome our past as an element that always impacts who we are, Only When In Motion encourages us to welcome change and movement forward, because that’s where we’ll find life’s very essence. Menke expresses that life is not found in stillness, but in pulse and change.
Through Only When In Motion, Menke is making a return to more soft percussive, symphonic and harmony-focused instrumental architecture rather than stable looped pulses. Only When In Motion’s production brings spotlight to the fineness of strings and keys as well as vocal layering as an instrumental choice.
Throughout her discography, just as in Only When In Motion, Menke captures gorgeous landscapes in her lyrics: rivers and seas, valleys and dawn hours emerging in the skies. Although The Line of Best Fit calls her soundscapes “a thing of majesty”, Menke creates more than just sounds – she also takes us on a journey across the world’s grandeur, whether that be through her evocative lyricism or the use of nature’s ambient noises. Her music is dynamic and layered in meaning, making the listening experience all the more emotive and captivating.
The track Only When In Motion is officially and globally available for streaming now. You’ll be able to hear its full melodious magic and lush lyricism in full glory via the link below.
Follow Menke’s Instagram account to know more about her creative journey and releases: menke.music | Instagram.
You can also find and listen to Menke’s previous music using these links: Spotify I Apple Music I Youtube I Instagram.
Article by Rozalia Lewandowska
