K-391

Norwegian producer Kenneth Osberg Nilsen uses the name K-391 for his buoyant, dreamy EDM and electropop songs, which generally explore themes of fantasy and escapism. Actively releasing music since the early 2010s, the artist amassed hundreds of millions of streams before making his commercial debut. His single “Ignite” (with Alan Walker, Julie Bergan, and Seungri) became an international hit in 2018, topping the charts in his home country.
Nilsen was born in Bamble, Norway in 1994. A fan of dance music and hip-hop since childhood, he started making music on his computer around the age of 14. Initially known as Keosni391, he soon shortened his moniker to K-391, and his track “Electro House 2012” began to make waves online. The prodigious artist continued releasing dubstep and electro-house tracks and demos at a rapid pace, and tunes like “Summertime” and “Fantastic” became further online hits. Some of these tracks were collected on digital albums Sunshine (2014), Overture (2017), and Hello, World (2018). Nilsen’s music took a more accessible turn when he began collaborating with Alan Walker. The two released an instrumental titled “Ignite” in 2017, and a vocal version featuring Julie Bergan and Seungri was issued a year later. This version became a major pop hit throughout Scandinavia (reaching number one in Norway), as well as a dance hit in the United States. K-391 continued working with Walker, co-producing songs on his full-length Different World, in addition to releasing the single “Mystery,” featuring Wyclef Jean. In 2019, Nilsen collaborated with Walker and Tungevaag for a single titled “Play,” a remake of Mangoo’s 2000 track “Eurodancer.” A further worldwide hit, it peaked at number two in Norway. ~ Paul Simpson