In less than a year, 29-year-old Ruben from the island of Bjarkøy in North Norway has gone from releasing his humble attempts at pop music to reaching a large audience, in Norway and internationally. With more than 400 million streams and nominations for national music awards, including the Spellemann Prize (Norwegian Grammy) for Newcomer of the Year and Song of the Year, Ruben has gotten a kick-start to his career. Not bad for a guy who initially started making music as a way overcome his inner demons.

His debut EP Melancholic carries on the themes from the songs that have already created waves. They alternate between light and dark, pain and hope - based Ruben’s own experiences. As he explains: I wanted to make this EP to show those who know me that even though I’m often a happy and energetic person, there’s a lot behind all that, as it is with most people. I wanted to show a wider range, another side of who I am ... and maybe start a conversation.”