Caroline Polachek Writes Aria for Kurt Cobain Opera

Caroline Polachek has released the aria she wrote for Kurt Cobain, featured in the Oliver Leith opera Last Days, an adaptation of Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film of the same name centered around the final few days before the Nirvana frontman’s death.

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Titled, “Non Voglio Mai Vedere Il Sole Tramontare” (Italian for “I Never Want to See the Sun Go Down”), the aria was produced by British composer Danny L Harle for Last Days, which runs at London’s Royal Opera House through October 11.

Leith’s Last Days opera is based on the Gus Van Sant film inspired by the five days between Cobain leaving rehab in Los Angeles to his suicide on April 5, 1994, at his home in Seattle.

Following up her third album, Pang, in 2019, Polachek recently released the singles “Bunny Is a Rider” in 2021 and “Billions” in 2022. In 2020, Polacheck covered The Corrs’ 2000 hit “Breathless” in advance of a Pang remix, and collaborated with Charli XCX for “New Shapes.”

Polachek recently covered Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” for the Jack Antonoff-produced Minions sequel soundtrack. Her new single “Sunset” is set for release on Oct. 17. 

Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images

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