Viktoria Søndergaard | Music of Secrets | October 17, 2025
Denmark’s leading outlet for fresh, forward-thinking jazz, April Records, proudly presents the debut release from award-winning Danish vibraphonist Viktoria Søndergaard. Music of Secrets is set for release on October 17th 2025.
With wide ranging influences from jazz, chamber music, cabaret, pop, rap and Sukuma-inspired grooves, as well as the hymns and melodies of the Danish Højskolesangbog traditional/folk songbook, the music is grounded in collective expression and responsibility.
The album’s bold, boundary-pushing sound was built on a strong sense of musical community, as well as Søndergaard’s desire to integrate spoken word and lyrics into her practice to convey her thoughts and feelings on the world around her on a deeper, more personal level.
Composing with her four collaborators in mind, Viktoria imagined her quintet playing each note as she composed, making the music inseparable from their presence. The album integrates spoken word, rap, singing, screaming, and whispering – a shared sonic tapestry that expresses joy, wonder, questioning and celebration.
“It’s a band built on inspiration, joy, dreams and love,” Viktoria says. “For me, one of the most beautiful things in art is that we have a platform to say something about the society and world around us. This album is an attempt to do just this.”
Balancing warmth and intimacy with tension and exploration, the music weaves rich instrumental textures and spacious soundscapes with intricate vocal arrangements – intertwining voices that move between comforting folk-like harmonies and angular, avant-garde expression. The quartet’s deep listening and intuitive interplay are evident throughout, shifting fluidly from open, exploratory passages to tightly locked grooves. The result is a sound that feels both grounded and searching: a sonic conversation inviting the listener into a space of vulnerability, curiosity, and connection.
With a sparkling tone, emotive improvisation and refined control over her instrument Viktoria is recognised as a fearless explorer and bold musical voice. A recipient of the Aarhus Jazz Talent Prize, Tivoli Jazz Prize and the 2025 Carl Prize Honorary Award presented by Marilyn Mazur, she balances adventurous writing and collective invention with melodic immediacy and emotional power.
Line up
Viktoria Søndergaard | Vibraphone, Choir & Rap
Elvira Skovsang | Lead Vocals, Choir & Rap
Frederik Blæsild Vuust | Piano, Choir,
Rap, Lead Vocals on “Her Absence”
Ida Duelund | Double Bass, Choir & Rap
Siv Øyunn | Drums, Choir & Rap
Track Listing
Mor, Mor
The Human Noise
I Thought it was the Moon
Benitez
Her Absence
Vi legede i marken
Le Soleil le Pain et L’Âme
It’s So Nice
As Dots
To Marilyn
PR Quotes
Jazzwise (UK)
“Søndergaard combines jazz and chamber music here with flourishes of cabaret, pop, rap, and Denmark’s folk traditions across her own distinctive sonic tapestry.”
Salt-peanuts (DK)
“An elusive placement between the popular and the advanced”
SK Jazz (SK)
“a bold, multi-layered work that shows how limitless jazz can be in the 21st century. This discovery is definitely not to be missed and I recommend listening to it!”
Jazz-fun (DE)
“a bold, multifaceted work that demonstrates just how boundless jazz can be in the 21st century. A discovery not to be missed!”
Esensja (PL)
“The record surprises with avant-garde moments, cinematic atmospheres, and contemplative vibraphone passages.”
Donos (PL)
“Søndergaard treats music as a space for conversation about the world, relationships, loneliness, community and spirituality.”
Jazzthing (DE)
“music of relentless intimacy that is difficult to categorize, yet somehow captivates everyone”
Jazzflits (NL)
“This is truly a work of art, giving Scandinavian jazz and improvised music a new chapter.”
Jazz Journal (UK)
“A sort of punk attitude comes in to manhandle traditional jazz sensibilities, shaking up expectations of what music is and can be.“
Era Jazzu (PL)
“With sparkling sound, emotional improvisation and refined instrumental control, Viktoria Søndergaard emerges as a fearless explorer and a bold voice of Denmark’s improvised music scene”
Blue in Green (UK)
“Viktoria Søndergaard unveils a genuinely triumphant debut.”
Verhoovens Jazz (DE)
“An album that at first glance appears easily digestible subsequently reveals itself to be a complex work with ambitious musicians who, like a parabolic mirror, challenge our listening habits.”
Cuttings
