Maria Apetri – more commonly known as Danish platinum-selling artist Fallulah – sits on the brink of international stardom, comfortably toeing the line between effortlessly cool indie credibility and wider commercial appeal. She first burst onto her native music scene with debut single I Lay My Head –immediately securing Song Of The Week on highly influential Danish station P3 Radio – and swiftly underlined her chart-topping status with her album The Black Cat Neighbourhood (Sony/RCA), released to unprecedented waves of critical acclaim. In the first year alone she scooped the ‘Main Prize’ at the Danish National Radio Awards, was nominated for both the Danish Grammies and the Critics Choice Awards, and saw her track Bridges become the most played single on national radio. Add to that a headline performance on the X Factor Finals and a sell-out tour of Denmark and you begin to see why, even to seasoned industry insiders, the rapid rise of Fallulah is something to behold. Born and raised in a townhouse on the Amager Peninsula of Copenhagen, Fallulah was introduced to the rhythms and fiery temper of Balkan music early on; influences that would shape her sound over the coming years. Fallulah lost her father, Nicolae, an established Romanian dancer and choreographer aged just 9, something she has cited as a heavy influence in her music. “I feel my dad’s spirit on the entire album,” she said. “On the up-tempo tracks it’s in the rhythm and in my cries, that’s something I have from him. In the slow songs you can feel him in the sadness in the sadness and the melancholy. Give Us A Little Love is seen through the eyes of a child, it is my brother’s and my voice from a time when we were left to care for ourselves without being prepared”. Sensitivity and vulnerability battle against strength and defiance – the characteristics of everything Fallulah stands for. Moving to New York to attend the Broadway Dance Centre aged 21, Maria grew in confidence and shed her initial fears of singing in front of others. Returning to Copenhagen she finally began to record songs, assemble a band and consequently turn the music world on its head. Now with her native country firmly conquered, Fallulah has her sights set on the rest of the world. With tours in countless European countries already under her belt and debut shows in the US on the horizon and a growing plot in the UK, Hold Your Horses… there’s a new girl in town. FOLLOW ME HERE TOO: https://twitter.com/fallulahmusic www.instagram.com/fallulah fallulahmusic.tumblr.com www.youtube.com/fallulahmusicDK