Mekdes (singer)

Last updated
Mekdes
Birth nameChristina Mekdes Vinholt Pedersen [1]
Born1998 (age 26–27) [2]
Ethiopia [1]
Genres
Occupations
Years active2018–present
Publishers Mermaid Records

Christina Mekdes Vinholt Pedersen (born 1998), known by her stage name Mekdes, is an Danish-Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and producer. Releasing one studio album and two extended plays, she has been nominated for several awards in the Danish music industry, including her win at DR P3's Guld, being named as "The Talent" for 2021. She featured alongside URO to release the song "‎Føles Godt" in 2023, which has since received triple-platinum certification from IFPI Danmark.

Contents

Career

Born in Ethiopia, Mekdes was adopted and moved to Denmark at eight months old. [4] Raised in Starup, she moved with her family to Kolding when she was 12, where she continues to live. [5] She played handball for much of her childhood and, while in scohol, dropped out of a music course. [5] Two weeks after posting her music to Instagram, she was contacted by a record label when she was 17 years old; however, she elected not to sign a contract, citing differences over the details. [5]

Mekdes released her debut single, "Right Direction", on 15 May 2018 under the Trinity Music label. [1] [6] During 2019, she performed at several festivals around Denmark including Spot [7] , NorthSide Festival, [8] and Smukfest. [9] In front of approximately 100 listeners, her performance at Spot marked her first concert, [7] while her performance at Smukfest saw her win the Live Camp competition, which was scheduled to give her the honor of opening Bøgescenerne at the following year's festival. [10] In November 2019, she was presented with the Growth Layer Award from the DPA, an association for Danish songwriters, composers, lyricists and producers. [11] The DPA cited her dedication to songwriting and singing talent. [12]

With the COVID-19 pandemic canceling festivals and other performances during 2020, Mekdes spent time at her home in Kolding and worked on music, [10] ultimately releasing her her debut extended play, Fly, on 28 August. [13] The album was written, performed, and produced by Mekdes alone, aside from the track "Lonely", which was co-produced by Vasco. [14] While citing her vocals and songwriting as a positive for Mekdes and the album itself, critics mentioned the production as a drawback. [14] [15] She began playng live shows again in September and October, [16] [17] In November 2020, she received a nomination from the Danish Music Awards as one of the new Danish live performers of the year, though she ultimately did not win the award. [18] She became the first Danish artist to be invited to Spotify's Oyster Studio, which highlights musicians from Scandinavia, releasing the single "Give You More". [19] [20]

In December 2020, Mekdes announced her a tour for 2021, scheduling 13 concerts between in April and May. [21] She also return to festivals, including GrimFest in July. [22] The end of 2021, she was nominated for DR P3's Guld award. The program described her "wild vocals and obvious natural talent" as she won her first award. [1] Mekdes's first studio album entitled Greedy was released on 21 January 2022, [23] after previously releasing a single of the same name in late 2021. [1] Having self-produced the album herself, her debut received mixed reviews with critics citing a lack of "playlist-ready" singles. [24] Receiving recognition for the production of the album from the Danish Music Awards, she was nominated for Producer of the Year, though she did not win the award. [25]

In January 2023, URO released a song in a collaboration with Mekdes. The song, entitled "Føles Godt", reached triple-platinum certification from IFPI Danmark. [26] It was later released on URO's debut studio album, Allerhelst Vil Vi Elskes. [27] Their song was nominated for P3's Listener Hit at the yearly P3 Guld   [ da ] in late 2023, though did not win the award. [28] [29] The duo performed the song at the Crown Prince Couple's Awards ceremony in November 2024. [30] They later performed the song at Roskilde Festival, Denmark's largest music festival, in June 2024. [31]

Personal life

Mekdes lives in Kolding with her partner. [5]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetails
Greedy

Extended plays

TitleDetails
Fly
Mekdes Synger Toppen Af Poppen
  • Released: 8 March 2024 [32]
  • Label: Mermaid Records

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
DEN
[33]
2018"Right Direction"—Non-album singles
"Out Of Here"—
2019"On My Mind"—
"Lose a Minute"—
2020"In Favor of You"—
"Lonely"—Fly
"Give You More"
(Spotify Studio Oyster Recording)		—Non-album singles
2021"Hanging Upside Down"—
"Greedy"—Greedy
2022"Du Er Det Værd"—Non-album single
2023"‎Føles Godt"
(URO featuring Mekdes)		—Allerhelst Vil Vi Elskes
2024"Knust"—Non-album singles
2025"This Isn't Cool"—
"Easy"—
"Waiting For You"—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
2020 Danish Music Awards New Danish Live Name of the YearMekdesNominated [18]
2021 P3 Guld   [ da ]The TalentMekdesWon [34]
2022Danish Music AwardsDanish Producer of the YearGreedyNominated [25]
2023P3 GuldListener Hit"‎Føles Godt"
(URO featuring Mekdes)		Nominated [29]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Korkmaz, Narin Frausing (11 November 2021). "23-årigt 'naturtalent' hyldet med vigtig musikpris: 'Hun laver noget, vi sjældent hører herhjemme'" [23-year-old 'natural talent' honored with important music award: 'She does something we rarely hear here at home'] (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "Mekdes" (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  3. ↑ Christensen, Mie (22 June 2022). "Mekdes: "Jeg lagde en sang på Instagram i håb om at blive opdaget – og så skete det fandeme"" [Mekdes: "I posted a song on Instagram hoping to get discovered – and then it fucking happened"]. Woman (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  4. ↑ Haarbye, Maria (7 July 2021). "Musiker Mekdes: "Jeg kan blive helt bange for, at jeg er den eneste, der kan lide det, jeg laver"" [Musician Mekdes: "I can get really scared that I'm the only one who likes what I do"]. Alt for Damerne (in Danish). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bjerge, Rikke Sun Mi (11 September 2022). "23-årige Mekdes takker nej til Instagram: 'Jeg synes ikke, det er nødvendigt at poste alle mulige ting'" [23-year-old Mekdes says no to Instagram: 'I don't think it's necessary to post all sorts of things'] (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  6. ↑ Right Direction. Apple Music (Media notes). 15 May 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  7. 1 2 Krogh, Flemming (2 May 2019). "Solen spottede Mekdes på årets første Spot-koncert" [The sun spotted Mekdes at the first Spot concert of the year]. Århus Stiftstidende (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Wolkoff, Christian (3 October 2019). "NorthSide afslører de første seks navne til 2020 – Green Day, Lukas Graham m.fl" [NorthSide reveals the first six names for 2020 – Green Day, Lukas Graham and others]. GAFFA (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  9. ↑ Svidt, Ole Rosenstand (13 June 2019). "Smukfest offentliggør Live Camp-programmet" [Smukfest announces Live Camp program]. GAFFA (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  10. 1 2 Ellegaard, Christian (9 July 2020). "Corona-isolation blev vendepunkt for dansk sanger: 'Min store drøm er gået i opfyldelse'" [Corona isolation was a turning point for Danish singer: 'My big dream has come true'] (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  11. ↑ Svidt, Ole Rosenstand (18 November 2019). "Sangskriverpriserne fra DPA er uddelt – international hitmager blandt vinderne" [The DPA Songwriting Awards have been presented – international hitmaker among the winners]. GAFFA (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "Mekdes blev hædret med Vækstlagsprisen ved awardshow i Docken" [Mekdes was honored with the Growth Team Award at the award show in Docken]. Ugeavisen Kolding (in Danish). 19 November 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  13. 1 2 Fly - EP. Apple Music (Media notes). 28 August 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  14. 1 2 Stolberg, Kjartan F. (2 September 2020). "Mekdes har en fremragende stemme – men sangene på hendes debut-ep kan ikke følge med" [Mekdes has an excellent voice – but the songs on her debut EP can't keep up]. Soundvenue (in Danish). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  15. ↑ Lund, Simon (14 November 2020). "Vi anmelder 15 danske albums: Sange til bollevennerne, til banken, til storbyens cowboys og alle de knaldhætter, der ikke lader sig stoppe af en pandemi" [We review 15 Danish albums: Songs for the friends-with-benefits, for the bank, for the city cowboys, and for all the firecrackers who won’t let a pandemic stop them]. Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Svidt, Ole Rosenstand (19 June 2020). "Soul-stjerneskuddet Mekdes tager på Danmarksturné" [Soul star Mekdes goes on tour in Denmark]. GAFFA (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  17. ↑ Blakaj, Alida; Wolkoff, Christian (1 October 2020). "Her er 12 koncerter, du skal opleve i oktober" [Here are 12 concerts you must experience in October]. Soundvenue (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  18. 1 2 Mathiasen, Marie Holm (28 November 2020). "Her er alle vinderne fra 'Danish Music Awards'" [Here are all the winners from the 'Danish Music Awards'] (in Danish). TV 2. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  19. ↑ Grundahl, Søren Pors (14 July 2021). "Sommer Pop Up: Mekdes gav koncert i sin hjemby" [Summer Pop Up: Mekdes gave a concert in her hometown] (in Danish). TV Syd. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  20. ↑ Warner, Haley (10 November 2021). "Mekdes Wins 2021 P3 Talent Award". The Daily Rind. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  21. ↑ Felter, Henrik (3 December 2020). ""Årets Nye Live Navn"-nominerede Mekdes tager på turné" ["New Live Name of the Year" nominee Mekdes goes on tour]. GAFFA (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  22. ↑ Svidt, Ole Rosenstand (25 June 2021). "GrimFest klar med de første 13 navne" [GrimFest ready with the first 13 names]. GAFFA (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  23. 1 2 Greedy. Apple Music (Media notes). 21 January 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  24. ↑ Stoleberg, Kjartan F. (27 January 2022). "Mekdes' store potentiale er fortsat uforløst på playlisteparat debutalbum" [Mekdes' great potential remains unrealized on playlist-ready debut album]. Soundvenue (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  25. 1 2 "De er nomineret til DMA 2022" [They are nominated for DMA 2022] (in Danish). IFPI Danmark. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  26. 1 2 "Uro feat. Mekdes "Føles Godt"" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  27. ↑ ‎Allerhelst Vil Vi Elskes - Album by Uro (in Danish). Apple Music. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  28. ↑ Frank, Nanna (6 October 2023). "'Hvad er det, der sker her?' En maskeret kunstner og en 'lille hund' er blandt de nominerede til stor pris" ['What's going on here?' A masked artist and a 'little dog' are among the nominees for a major award] (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  29. 1 2 "Her er vinderne af P3 Guld" [Here are the winners of P3 Guld]. GAFFA (in Danish). 20 October 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  30. ↑ Clausen, Jacob Bøgen (11 October 2023). "Her er vært og optrædende til Kronprinsparrets Priser 2023" [Here are the hosts and performers for the Crown Prince Couple's Awards 2023] (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  31. ↑ Lehmann, Jennifer Frydensbjerg (30 June 2024). "Roskilde Festival: Da Uro hev Mekdes på scenen, både føltes og lød det ekstremt godt" [Roskilde Festival: When Uro took Mekdes on stage, it both felt and sounded extremely good]. Soundvenue (in Danish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  32. ↑ Mekdes Synger Toppen Af Poppen - EP. Apple Music (Media notes). 8 March 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  33. ↑ "Discography Mekdes". danishcharts.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  34. ↑ Dohrmann, Jan (9 November 2021). "Så er det afgjort: De løb med P3's guld" [So it's decided: They ran with P3's guld] (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
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