“I think I’m a bit quirky,” Ea Philippa Tange, the artist behind Bianca Nisha, confesses.
By Graeme Smith
‘Quirky’ feels like the right descriptor of her music, but that’s not to diminish the profundity of it. You can be a little out there and have plenty to say. In fact, it often helps.
“I hear the music in my head in a very specific way, which makes it feel most natural for me to work mostly on my own during the writing process,” Tange goes on, responding to my question about how her solo singer-songwriter stuff compares to previous projects.
In her native Denmark, she’s known for leading a nine-woman orchestra and being part of the electro-pop duo Lucaléy. It was a twist of fate that made her transition to the Bianca Nisha project.
“I was in an accident and suffered a severe concussion,” she explains. “I couldn’t work on a computer or make electro-pop for a long time, but I couldn’t live without making music, so I discovered that I could sit at the piano and sing and play very softly, and that’s how Bianca Nisha began.
“What started as the art of the possible turned into something I truly loved. I also found myself returning to writing for cellos again, which is how my musical journey began, and it felt very much like coming home in my own music.”
A sense of the classical runs through her new album, Blood&Sugar, as she makes that piano and cello combination sing. It comes to the fore in tracks like Cheater where the cello becomes almost rock and roll.
“I’ve been experimenting with new ways of using the cellos in particular,” Tange says. “I’ve played with contrasts — making them sound quite rough and raw on tracks like Heavy and Cheater, and in general giving them very percussive roles in the arrangements.”
The result is something that feels completely unique and, well, quirky. The Bianca Nisha sound has the same innovative energy of Kate Bush while sitting within its own, Nordic space.
Yet, what grabbed me the most was the storytelling. The lyrics are full of natural imagery and metaphor right from the layered opening title track.
“I always find it hard to pinpoint what inspires me, but nature definitely does,” says Tange. “I write many of my lyrics while walking in the woods — literally writing as I walk.”
It makes Blood&Sugar an immersive listen; you feel as if you’re walking alongside Tange as the album journey takes us to some unexpected places. As the record progresses, the experimentation ramps up. Eavesdropping signals the switch, proving a highlight. It reads through to the classical-infused Frozen Freedom nicely.
Tange released Bianca Nisha’s debut in 2022, and I was interested to hear how she thought her new album compared. “I’ve built further on the almost dogmatic sound I established on my debut,” she explains, “but I didn’t just want to make a replica of that first album. I wanted to explore how far I could stretch the signature sound I had created and still sound unmistakably like myself.”
I think Blood&Sugar is a triumph and that Tange should keep pushing the sound she’s made her own. It’s brought her success so far and no doubt her new album will win her some more fans. You can count me among them.
Tange takes the album on tour in Denmark in November 2025, collaborating with paper artist Veronica Hodges who has created large-scale scenography for the performances.
“Hopefully, we’ll get to play many more shows after that,” Tange adds. “One of my big dreams is for my music to be used in sync; that’s definitely something I’d love to explore further. Another dream is to play abroad. We actually have a few things in the pipeline that I can’t reveal just yet, but I’m really hoping this new album will open some of those doors.”
Fingers crossed we get to welcome Bianca Nisha to York at some point. In the meantime, we can delight in Blood&Sugar which is out now. You can listen to it below.
Supported by Musosoup #SustainableCurator
