a live performance at Aurora's high school's leaving ceremony and a recording of her song "Puppet" were uploaded online, she was quickly discovered by a representative of the Norwegian management agency of Artists Made Management. Even though she initially denied the proposal, she accepted it since her mother advised her that "maybe there's someone out there who desperately needs [her music]." Aurora was eventually paired with Norwegian musicians and producers Magnus Skylstad and Odd Martin Skålnes, who were responsible for the production of her debut album. Skylstad would also take a significant role in the singer's career, producing the majority of her music. Before recording the song, Aurora played "Runaway" to Skylstad, the latter shares writing credits with the singer. Skylstad recorded and produced the song's demo, which was uploaded to By:larm's website in late 2013 alongside another song titled "We Were Going to Do That". This early version of the song included piano, strings, bass, beat, and a different bridge, which the singer said it was omitted from the final version because she struggled singing that part live. In 2014, Aurora signed a recording contract with Petroleum Records in Norway, Glassnote Records in North America, and Decca Records in the rest of the world. "Runaway" was eventually re-recorded on winter 2014 at Lydriket Studio in Bergen. Skylstad and Skålnes recorded, produced, and mixed the song, while mastering was made by Alex Wharton. Composition and lyrical interpretation "Runaway" is a downtempo folktronica, synth-pop, electronic, and electropop song with influences from Nordic-folk music. A "tenderly catchy" tune, its sparse production contains "echoing water droplet effects, creeping screeches, and windswept transitions." According to sheet music website Musicnotes.com, "Runaway" runs at a moderately slow tempo of 58 beats per minute (BPM), and is played in the key of A minor. Aurora's vocals span a range between the notes of A3 and E5. Her vocals were compared to those of Emilie Nicolas, Florence Welch, and Joni Mitchell. Aurora said she wanted to place "Runaway" as the opening track of All My Demons Greeting Me As a Friend because she felt the song "puts people in the right mood and mind for the rest of it." Lyrically, the song is about escapism and "realising you want to get home again." Aurora expanded that "home" for her refers to "where my parents are," which was something she reflected while touring. In an interview with The 405