about

Julia Gjertsen is a pianist, composer, and producer based in Oslo.

Her music moves through a landscape of both acoustic and electronic elements, often centered around the piano. Using layers of piano and synths, she creates spacious yet detailed compositions shaped by intuition, repetition, and a deep sensitivity to sound.

Raised in Northern Norway from the age of 11, she draws on the stark contrast between winter’s dark days and summer’s white nights, which often defines the sense of time and mood in her work. Her arrangements balance melody and pattern, moving between ambient atmospheres and modern classical expression. Memories, landscapes, and fragments of nature often surface in her music, where small impressions unfold into subtle progressions.

Her debut album, Fragile (Moderna Records, 2019), introduced a pared-back and intimate sound. With Formations (2022), she expanded her palette with flute and electronics, opening up looser structures and wider spaces. On her third album, Shadow Light (2024), she returned to a more acoustic piano focus, inspired by the contrasts of light and shadow.

She has contributed solo works to several compilations, including Runddans on Piano Day Compilation Vol. 1, curated by LEITER.

Collaboration is also central to her work, leading to projects with artists across genres such as Chilean composer Nico Rosenberg (Distant Fields, 2020; Paisajes Imaginarios, 2022), Finnish composer Juha Mäki-Patola (Dive, 2023), and Swedish trombonist and composer Gustav Davidsson (Wandering Mind, Drifting Weather, 2025).