The sea was both my first love and my first fear. The ocean first showed me how powerful she is when I was just five years old - I nearly lost my life to her back then. It was the start of a lifelong fascination, fear and love with the sea, which I have personified in my music.

I wrote my record Sea after a night on the roof of my house. As I looked out on to the moonlit ocean, I was gripped by this feeling of being home and completely at peace. I got this weird sensation of belonging, like I could never really live or breathe without the sea. Not only was this hugely inspiring but it made it so clear to me why the sea and water spirits are one of the biggest players when it comes to common worldwide folklore.

The Nøkken is a Scandinavian take on the water spirit that has haunted waters and lakes for centuries and most countries have a similar phenomenon of their own. The Nøkken is both lethal and unreliable, much like the water. We conjure up entities with the same characteristics as the matters we're attempting to explain and we warn people to take care around danger by objectifying natural things. It’s pretty basic psychology – don’t go near the water, or the Nøkken will get you.

The Nøkken is the sea, and the sea is Nøkken. Beware of the sea. 

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