The road from the English provincial town of Hereford to a Grammy nomination is long and winding. And Ellie Goulding has travelled it with talent, hard work and a little luck. Rather than studying at university, she chose to perform in London pubs and earned herself a recording contract. A cover version of Elton John’s hit «Your Song» shot her to fame. Then she landed a global hit with «Love Me Like You Do». In his songs, Asaf Avidan brings together all the stories in his life that inspire him. His voice becomes the interplay of characters. In his international hit «Reckoning Song», he sounds at times old and fragile, and at other times powerful and passionate.

Zeno van Essel