| Marits Release Norway has almost been flooded by talented, ambitious female singer/songwriters. Many of them, strange as it is, have a name that starts with Ma. One of them with most success is Marit Larsen, the former half of M2M, that surprised many with her solo debut �Under the Surface� in March. 21 five out of six reviews, five weeks in the VG single chart, and the hit song �Don�t save me� (our reviewer� described this song as �brilliant� and a �small masterpiece�) tells all. The end of the tour The last weeks Marit has been on the road. An eleven day tour with two closing shows in Tr�ndelag, at Bl�st tonight and at Folkets hus in St�ren on Saturday. Her reception this far has been very positive. � - It�s my first tour, and everything has been great. I have a band that�s working out really fine, and a lot of people have showed up at the concerts, so I�m very happy, she says. � In her band there are musicians from the top-drawer of Norway�s music scene. Karim Sayed from Salvatore on drums, Even Ormestad from Jaga Jazzist on bass and Thom Hell on guitar all add to the energy on stage. � Passion for the music -It has been a good thing for me, the process of assembling the band. I have tried and failed, but finally I ended up with a really great gang. They are experienced but they are young and hungry, and everybody have a burning passion for the music. Live it�s more rocking too, but we still manage to bring across the playful sounds of the album. We switch instruments during the show, play with each other and have a good time. � At a Marit Larsen concert you will find both 10- and 50-year olds. A mixed bag. Why is this so? - It�s a little hard to say. Maybe it�s because my music has so many different sides to it. I don�t care for genres. I just want to make good music. To write good songs, that is my mission. Until September she and her band will do 46 concerts. It may sound exhausting, but that�s the way she wants it. -I have been waiting so long for this. I sat in my room all alone working on this record, so it�s very rewarding to go out there and get this immediate response. I will keep doing this until I have satisfied my live-playing hunger. � � Going international? But it�s not only in Norway the critics have been raving. The American media has given her good reviews. Can we expect an international break-through in the future? � - I have ambitions that as many people as possible shall be able to hear my songs. But I feel that it�s very important to make a new and solid foundation as a solo-artist, remember I want to do this for a number of years. There are some people that follow me because of my past in M2M. Our albums were released in 22 countries. If I get the chance to build my career abroad, I want to do it from the bottom. Play concerts and convince them that way, instead of doing it the other way around, through the record companies. � You have received overwhelming reviews, where do you go from here? � - I tried and I failed a lot before this album came out. But it has been good to be out of the limelight, in peace and quiet. I have just made the record I wanted to make, and it surprises me that it has been received so well. Really, it is a strange and peculiar pop-album! � - I have continued writing all along, and I have a lot of new songs. But I have no clear perspective about the future. I want to play a lot live, and we�ll have to see when I get hungry to make a new album. |
| Article thanks to Halvard and www.adressa.no |