Antigua · alt-pop · electropop

Au/Ra

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Antiguan-German songwriter making moody, sci-fi-tinted synth-pop — dark-pop atmospheres delivered in a cool, conspiratorial hush, built for late-night headphones and soundtracks alike.

Au/Ra is the recording name of Jamie Lou Stenzel, a singer and songwriter born to a German father and Irish mother and raised in Antigua. She took her stage name from two elements on the periodic table, gold (Au) and radium (Ra), inserting a slash to set herself apart from other acts called Aura; the name itself comes from a character she invented in a piece of Lord of the Rings fan fiction she wrote as a teenager.

She began releasing music as a teenager, working in a moody strain of alternative pop built on synths, restrained vocals and lyrics that draw on science fiction and astronomy. Her 2018 single "Panic Room," the lead track from her debut EP X Games, brought her wider attention.

Beyond her own releases, she has featured on tracks by electronic producers, most prominently Alan Walker's "Ghost" and the chart-topping "Darkside," both from 2018. She teamed with English producer Jax Jones on "I Miss U" in 2020, and released a second EP, Soundtrack to an Existential Crisis, the following year.

Her debut studio album, Heartcore, is scheduled for release in 2026, following two EPs that established her hushed vocals and widescreen synth production. Her songs have also turned up in television and advertising, extending their reach well past streaming and radio.

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