In a Different World (Step III)

'In a Different World (Step III) ' is the fourth studio album by Aurora Aksnes.

Background & Promotion
AURORA started talking about her next release in an interview, saying that she wants to release a new album by 2020 after having released albums annually over the past two years.

On October 28, 2019, AURORA mentioned that she is working on two albums at the same time, one of which she has said is "longer into the future." She then talked about the closer one, saying: "It's not connected to Step 2. It has its own story. The perspective is much bigger. It's still quite political, and it's still quite opinionated and it's also very emotional. It's even more about the individuals that make the army. It's an album for every individual within the big army of love. “After that, AURORA said that this LP would be a standalone collection of songs and left a clue that says "Everything matters", mentioning that her fans would understand it.

During an interview with Fast Forward Magazine the following month, AURORA announced that she’s actually working on three albums and that one of them (likely the one previously mentioned) is already started and will be even more emotional. "I want to create something that feels like a best friend to the people. Music is an emotional language, the language of love." The Norwegian singer also established that this album will have a bigger perspective regarding what her latest work talks about. "I guess I'm going even wider with that perspective, more spiritual. And then maybe I'll go back really, really small again. It's really exciting."

On December 3, 2019, AURORA gave us more information saying: "my next album will be dressed in an armor of hardness. But I'm also really exploring the soft, delicate part of me, which I want to open up even more on my next album. And I'm discovering more and more things I want to be more involved in, because I've discovered fans all over the world who live in cultures that are unfair towards the people… I want to use my voice for something good, even though it might not matter, but at least I am there to show support."A few days later, AURORA indicated that she wishes to release something on January 2020.

The production for the album started on November, according to AURORA's interview with Billboard Japan. But she's still deciding about which project she has in mind to release first. One thing she's sure about is that she wants to make visuals that will make everyone think.

On February 1, 2020, AURORA posted a photo on her Instagram with a caption that includes a ton of supposed song titles. "The Seed" and "The River" were both marked, meaning that she plans to release or produce all the titles in there. A week later, "The Wave", "The Innocent" and "The Storm" were marked too; this could mean that those songs were just made or she plans to release them in the next project. ("The Wave" is already a registered song)

Two months after, AURORA mentioned in a live stream with Gay Times that a song was coming "sooner than expected" and that it's her favorite song that she'll have put out so far.The next month, an article on HTS revealed new music is coming in may.

On May 11, 2020, AURORA archived all her posts and then posted about a new song about love and a new era. The next day, she announced the album's first single, "Exist for Love", sharing that it was the beginning of Chapter 3. It was officially released on May 14th, 2020.

After the premiere of the music video, AURORA indicated that she already wrote many songs for the album but it's still in the making. A few days after, she answered some questions about this new album under Exist for Love's YouTube comment section: "it will be different from my other albums, but not all like Exist for Love", "As any album I make, I need to have both contrast in everything I do. The album will be soft, and light, and heavy and dark. But it will be a different album", "I have been working on it in the shadows for quite a long time now... But a few weeks ago I woke up one morning and I could see the whole concept really clearly in my mind, so its gotten real serious. I am having a lot of fun, it's going to be a very fun adventure writing this chapter".

The main inspirations for this album are darkness, light, the 1920s and love, according to an interview with Portal Aurora Brasil.

A second single was gonna be released in late June/early July. According to an interview with indierocks, "A song seemed meaningless and unimportant at the time, and I think I should listen to the world and release my next single when I feel it's respectful, when I think it's time, sometimes it's not my voice that should be heard." AURORA also talked about a new music video and more singles.

On August 23, 2020, it was reveled that the album title is ready but she doesn't want to announce it. She also mentioned the possibility of finishing the album in a "secret place" with nature, mountains and a cozy house by November. Two weeks after, the Norwegian singer-songwriter confirmed to NME that her next release won’t be another “step” and that people should expect “something completely different”. “It’s chapter three of my life, it’s a very new world for me,” she said. “I’ve gotten to explore some very new things within myself, which just makes it all the more fun. I’m asking questions to everything that made us the way we are now; in our past, in politics, religion, and in weird ways of thought we have created that make no sense – like racism, not being a feminist or burning women for being witches." When asked about more new music, she replied: "I have quite a lot ready already, but I’ve been wondering a lot about when’s the right time. Sometimes there is so much happening in the world that it feels wrong to release a song if it’s not a direct answer. It can feel a bit rude. I haven’t had it in me yet, but maybe [I’ll release more music] in the Autumn.”

Singles
The first single, Exist For Love, was released May 14, 2020.

The second single, The Innocent, was released December 29, 2020.

The third and final single, Every Living Thing, was released Janurary 1, 2021.

Tracklist

 * 1) The Sun
 * 2) Exhales/Inhale
 * 3) Witches
 * 4) Fire in My Soul
 * 5) The Wave
 * 6) Every Living Thing
 * 7) The Innocent
 * 8) Encrypted Love
 * 9) Eternal
 * 10) The Storm
 * 11) Exist For Love
 * 12) In a Different World

Scrapped Songs

 * Dancing in the Rain
 * Quiet Love