Indie Rock Hit Parade Live Session: Ora the Molecule
The Norwegian electronic musician/DJ performs live in our studio…
Ora the Molecule | photo by Paige Walter for WXPN
Joining us in the studio for this Indie Rock Hit Parade live session is an artist whose journey has literally taken her around the globe.
About a decade ago, Norwegian-born Nora Schjelderup was living in Los Angeles, dreaming of forming a band called Ora the Molecule. To make ends meet she worked as an Uber driver, where she discovered a love for putting together playlists and mixes to soundtrack her rides. A serendipitous pickup (and subsequent transport) of a professional DJ led to a change in Schjelderup’s plan: Instead of becoming a bandleader, she became a DJ. And instead of becoming a band, Ora the Molecule became the space-age alter ego of Nora herself.
While on tour with recent World Café guests Cut Copy, Ora the Molecule paid us a visit to perform songs from her newest album, Dance Therapy. Watching Nora in action is a multi-sensory experience; one moment she’s grooving along to synthetic beats, the next she’s conjuring a ghostly theremin solo. All while decked out in one of the most unforgettable outfits ever to grace our studio.