Aurora – What Happened to the Heart?

The mystifying, genre-twisting Aurora has a loaded discography of heavily conceptual tracks; her latest record, What Happened to the Heart? certainly dives into the artist’s mind, body and soul. The album is introspective, touching and quintessential Aurora. As the singer reveals more about herself in these 16 songs, it’s like she can hear her listeners begging for more. A few months have passed since the release of the record, and now her new book by the same name will be found in bookstores around the world as a supplemental, diary-style publication. 

The singer begins with a poem inspired by the album and book’s namesake; this is a never-before-seen look into Aurora’s thought process, and the pages that follow are no different. Glossy images decorate the pages in between entries; these are from the original album photoshoot and also provide an artistic visual complement to the rough-draft notes, drawings, writing in the margins and loose-leaf ideas of her personal notebook. Aurora shows that she is a researcher; she values finding the truth within her own words and seems to find inspiration from philosophy and science as well. 

The reader is taken on a journey through What Happened to the Heart?. Each song is presented alongside a beautifully shot image of herself that represents the theme. Then, the following pages go deep into her writing process. She speaks with herself, finding information within the tracks she had already written and expanding upon them later on. She laughs, and oftentimes questions herself. She also incorporates visuals, whether it be random magazine clips or her own doodles as a representation of her train of thought and personality. Her notebook contains clipart of various anatomical themes and apparatuses; this is important to Aurora, and she wants readers to feel it too.

The artist is not attempting to be complicated; she simply wants the world to see her as she sees herself. Many artists may seem disconnected with their fanbases, but with this new chronicle, Aurora emphasises her love for her supporters as well as her desire for her work, as well as her sparkling personality, to be understood by the world. What Happened to the Heart? is easy to digest and whimsical; it does not try hard to be overly sophisticated or pretentious, but rather the opposite.

Taryn Crowley
Image: Wanda Martin

What Happened to the Heart? is released on 17^th October 2024. For further information or to order the album visit Aurora’s website here.