Ethereal, Healing, and Honest: Lauren Pedersen (Abøn) Soars with Wings of Adelaine
A serene new soundscape
On June 6, Flatcar Records released Wings of Adelaine, the newest album from Edmonton-based singer-songwriter, composer, and producer Lauren Pedersen—better known by her artistic moniker Abøn. Featuring floating, layered vocals and lush, orchestral textures, the 10-track album offers a tranquil, cinematic listening experience that invites listeners to, in Pedersen’s words, “enter a place of peace and feel whole.”
“Each song is really my prayer for them to feel peace,” she said. “That really weaves through everything.”
From dance to composition
Pedersen’s artistic background is as eclectic as her music: she holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, a BFA in dance performance from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), and a Master’s in music from Berklee College of Music. But music had always been central.
“During my dance career, I started a band called The Willows. That’s when I first started arranging and writing music seriously,” she said. “We were all dancers as well. So I knew then that I wanted to put all of my eggs in the music basket.”
While The Willows leaned more toward jazz, Pedersen later sought to expand her musical range. That journey led her to Berklee, where her work in composing and producing found full expression.
Harmony in everything
A defining characteristic of Wings of Adelaine is its rich harmonic layering—an instinct that stems from Pedersen’s time with The Willows.
“I never heard only one voice,” she explained. “Whenever I wrote anything, I heard at least ten voices in the mix.”
With the freedom of a solo project, she was able to explore that fully: layering around 20 tracks of her own vocals, in addition to live strings, winds, and other instruments. “I just love harmony so much,” she said.
Danish roots, prairie soul
Though born and raised in Alberta, Pedersen maintains a deep connection to Denmark—her father immigrated from there, and her twin brother lives in Copenhagen.
“I have spent time there almost every year of my life,” she said. “They value the arts so much... In Denmark, it made me feel like, no, there are artists that are thriving, and they care so much.”
A sound rooted in healing
Pedersen is also a trained sound therapist, though she downplays that influence when it comes to Wings of Adelaine.
“I think zero percent of the breath work,” she said, laughing. “But I was interested in the healing powers that sound and music hold from such a long time ago.”
That intention—of healing and restoration—is still very much part of her creative process. “I just want so much to create peace through music,” she said. “But not have it under the umbrella of a sound journey or something. It’s really, this is what music is to us. It’s so important for us humans.”
Composing the album, she said, was a “supernatural experience.”
“It starts with maybe one or two bars, and then I just try to erase all structure and form from my mind and allow the music to write itself,” Pedersen said. “It feels like I’m building a puzzle that I already see the image of in my mind.”
Pedersen begins with vocals and piano, then gradually adds bass, strings, and woodwinds—filling in layers as needed. The production complexity is no small feat: “I would have like 100 layers in each session or more,” she said. “It’s like playing chess 10 times at the same time.”
A global ensemble
The recording features musicians from Edmonton, Toronto, and as far away as Australia. Strings, clarinet, French horn, and a Persian dulcimer all make appearances.
“I didn’t even know about the Persian dulcimer before this album,” she said. “My producer said, ‘There’s a player here in the city.’ I thought, I gotta weave that in somehow. It added so much magic and kind of fairy tale twinkles.”
Pedersen co-produced the album with Chris Graham of Flatcar Records, who had previously worked with her on The Willows.
“He really believes in the music,” she said. “And I really had been longing to work with someone, because it’s a very lonely process… I’m sitting in front of my screen all day alone.”
While the album was nearly finished when Graham joined the project, he helped organize the live recording of strings and finalize the mix.
A prayer in sound
Though she didn’t know it at first, her stage name—Abøn—means “a prayer” in Danish.
“That was not something that I knew until a little bit later,” she said. “It was my nickname reversed… and then it just meant a prayer. And that’s really the strongest prayer that I have for my music.”
Wings of Adeline isn’t just an album—it’s an experience. With its sweeping orchestration, intimate vocals, and serene sonic landscapes, Abøn has crafted a record that feels like a deep exhale in a noisy world. Whether you’re seeking beauty, calm, or simply a moment to breathe, this album delivers all that and more. It’s the kind of music that doesn’t just fill a room—it fills a soul.