Astrid & The Scandals

Astrid & The Scandals is a Slovenian alternative pop band led by the singer and harpist Astrid Ana Kljun. Astrid was born on 24 January 1996 in Celje and trained in Velenje, Žalec, Maribor and Ljubljana, which is why the band is on Muzika-Balkan: it is a Slovenian band through and through. The sources do not say in which town the band is based today; it is a Slovenian group that has also toured Europe.

Astrid began at the music school in Velenje, where she finished nine years of harp, and also learned solo singing in Žalec. She studied harp at the conservatory in Maribor and at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, and in 2019 took a master's degree in classical singing at the Ljubljana academy, the same year she first sang with the symphony orchestra of the Ljubljana Opera. She has also worked in cabaret.

In pop she first sang at EMA 2020 with "Sing to Me", as Astrid in Avantgarden. In 2020 she met the producer Tomaž Zupančič, also a member of MRFY, who became her partner in music and in life. Together they released the singles "Stanovanje", "Devojke" and "Hey, Julie" and the EP Triptih, three songs in three languages: "Kostarika", "Berlin" and "Seme". In 2023 the two formed the band that became Astrid & The Scandals, with Astrid singing and playing electric harp, Zupančič on keyboards, guitar and bass, Luka Flegar on guitar and Anže Knez on drums.

The band released the singles "Dry Out" and "Release me" and the debut album 18:48, and in 2024 toured Europe, with festival dates that, by Astrid's account to RTV Slovenija, included Eurosonic, Exit and INmusic. Astrid also directed and produced many of the band's videos. In 2024 she was one of nine finalists for the HEMI award. At EMA 2025, Slovenia's selection for Eurovision, the band sang "Touché", in English, written by Astrid with Flegar and Zupančič, and finished third. The playlist gathers all their videos.