Released in the United States on Oct. 14, 2014, Black Star Elephant has already become popular among American music-listeners. The album, recorded by the Norwegian duo Nico & Vinz, is the second they have released.

Among the 13 songs on the CD are the very popular “Am I Wrong,” which basically jump started their fame, as well as the up and coming “In Your Arms.”
I was excited when I heard about the release of this album because their top hit, “Am I Wrong,” had a very catchy tune, even though it was overplayed on the radio. But mainly, I was tired of hearing the same songs and same artists played over and over again, so it was nice to be able to listen to a fresh set of singers that have a different style than the average Hollywood star.

Though their recorded songs sound good, digital technology works like magic. When I saw them opening live for Bruno Mars, they were off key most of the time and out of breath from all of the dancing. However, they didn’t lack a stage presence, and were able to fire up the crowd with their feel-good music and charisma.

“In your arms,” not surprisingly, is about wanting to lie back down in somebody’s arms. Though the lyrics are cheesy to me, it has a very catchy tone that hooks the listeners.

“Runnin’” also has a very unique approach to it. The instruments in the background flow well with the accent of their voices and the overall mood of the song. I often caught this song getting stuck in my head.

While many albums contain songs that sound the same, that was not true for Black Star Elephant. This album includes a variety of different sounding songs. One unique song in particular was “Imagine.”

“Imagine” easily catches the ear with its background melody. The softer voices of the singers makes this song one of the most relaxing on the whole album. The producers did a great job with conveying both a positive mood as well as showing off the singing voices of Nico & Vinz.

And though there were few upbeat, energetic songs on the album, that was ok to me. Overall, I thought that most of the songs were easy to listen to, and a handful of them were very memorable.

Kahouly Nicolay (Nico) and Vincent Dery (Vinz) have brought a new style of pop to the U.S. with their unique melodies and singing voices. They are a very strong singing duo that I believe will continue to succeed in the music industry.