Danish singer-songwriter Tina Dico is expanding her presence in the Canadian music market with “Surfing,” the first single from her forthcoming album Balancing Small Things On Sharp Edges. Scheduled for release Oct. 23, the album marks Dico’s first release through a Canadian label, DMP/Fontana North/Universal, following a career that has produced five No. 1 albums in Denmark.
The Canadian release represents a new stage for an artist already well established in Europe and builds on Dico’s longstanding personal and musical connections to Canada.
‘Surfing’ Explores Connection in an Increasingly Noisy World
“Surfing” examines how individual actions, emotions and relationships can have effects beyond their immediate surroundings. The concept also introduces one of the central themes of Dico’s forthcoming album: maintaining balance between everyday life and a world competing constantly for attention.
“To me, “Surfing” is about how we’re all connected,” she explains. “You feel it every day in a family, where every person’s mood, character, words and actions affect everyone else. But it’s obviously true on a much bigger scale. What one person throws into the world ripples outward. We’re one big ocean of movement, all trying to keep our balance.”
That theme provides the foundation for Balancing Small Things On Sharp Edges, which explores the tension between appreciating ordinary experiences and navigating the distractions and pressures of contemporary life.
Canadian Label Release Opens New Chapter
Dico has built a substantial following in Denmark, where she has topped the national album charts five times and performed at major events including the Roskilde Festival.
She was also invited to perform during Danish Crown Prince Frederik’s 50th birthday celebration and, in April, sold out Copenhagen’s Royal Arena, drawing 15,000 people for a single performance.
Career Includes Zero 7, Glastonbury and Electric Lady Studios
Dico’s international career includes collaborations with ambient electronic group Zero 7 and an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.
Her sixth album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York, the recording facility founded by Jimi Hendrix. The project fulfilled a longtime ambition for Dico, who has cited Hendrix among her early musical influences.
Her move into the Canadian market adds another international chapter to a career spanning approximately 25 years of songwriting and recording.
Canada Has Longstanding Place in Dico’s Career
Canada carries both artistic and personal significance for Dico. Canadian songwriting figures Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen are among the artists she identifies as formative influences.
Nearly two decades ago, Dico also met her future husband and musical collaborator Helgi Jonsson while the two musicians were performing in Canada.
More recently, she appeared at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in July. She also performed alongside KT Tunstall at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in 2024.
Those appearances have helped establish a foundation for Dico as she increases her focus on Canadian audiences through her new recording partnership.
New Album Produced in Iceland
Balancing Small Things On Sharp Edges was co-produced by Dico and Jonsson at Big Spring Studio in Seltjarnarnes, Iceland, where the couple now live.
Dico said the changing nature of the music business has altered the way artists introduce new material to listeners.
“Releasing music today is very different from twenty years ago,” Dico says. “Everything moves so fast, and there’s always something new asking for people’s attention. I’m not really trying to compete with that. At this point I feel like I’m simply adding to the story. New conversations and a new chapter. The songs are there for anyone who wants to spend time with them and hopefully come and spend time with us at the concerts. That’s where the magic really unfolds for me!”
‘Surfing’ Brings Together Danish and Icelandic Musicians
Dico performs vocals and acoustic guitar on “Surfing,” while Jonsson contributes electric guitars, piano, synthesizers, backing vocals, vibraphone, percussion and trombones.
Additional musicians include Dennis Ahlgren, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen, Klemens Bittmann and Unnur Jónsdóttir.
Dico wrote the track, while Jonsson handled co-production, arrangement, engineering, mixing and mastering duties.
Tina Dico Looks to Build Canadian Audience
The Canadian release of “Surfing” gives Dico an opportunity to broaden her North American audience while maintaining connections to the musicians and songwriting traditions that have influenced her career.
With Balancing Small Things On Sharp Edges arriving Oct. 23, Dico is positioning the new album as both a continuation of her 25-year songwriting career and the beginning of a more sustained presence in Canada. For Canadian listeners, “Surfing” provides the first introduction to that next chapter.