girl in red Says What She Wants
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When people say, “Do you listen to girl in red?” it’s not a question about musical tastes. Well, it is, but in 2020 it also became something of a code meant to identify queerness. When she was a high schooler in Norway, making music was something that girl in red Marie Ulven did for fun. It quickly became a profession, and something that’s allowed her to form a deep connection with her fans.
That the trend is still referenced even now, she says, is “really cool. Connecting with an artist—it’s special, and I feel like it’s more rare now than ever. It’s the most precious thing in my life.” She’s even been known to send Starbucks to fans waiting in line for her shows.
She had early success on SoundCloud, releasing indie-pop singles like “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend,” which got thousands of streams, while she was still in school. “I was in class every day just refreshing YouTube,” she says. “I definitely was not good in school and had terrible grades because my mind was constantly elsewhere.”
In 2018, “We Fell in Love in October” marked a breakout for her, followed by her second EP, her debut album if I could make it go quiet, and a tour. In April, she released I’m Doing It Again Baby! and kicked off her second tour, which will include stops at Radio City Music Hall, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and the Greek Theatre, all prestigious but relatively intimate.
Opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour last year gave her experience playing in much larger stadiums, something she’d like to do on her own. “I met this promoter guy, and he was like, ‘You got to have at least five big hits to play stadiums.’ So I was like, ‘I’ve got a long way to go.’”
On opening for Taylor Swift
“I got a message when I was at Aaron Dessner’s studio that there might be this possibility to do that. And I remember I was like, ‘Oh no, it’s clashing with my own headline shows.’ And Aaron Dessner was like, “What the fuck are you talking about? You’re playing these shows.’”
On having control over what she wants to say
“I can do anything I want, basically. I produce and write all my own music, and then I have my collaborator, who is also my best friend, Mattias Tellez, who I made the first and second record with. There’s a lot of freedom to do anything. On this new album, there’s a lot more humor and sarcasm. It’s just fun energy, maybe ballsy, big dick energy on this new album. It has a different energy and vibe to it. I’m definitely free to do whatever I want, which obviously is really important. No one’s like, ‘Oh, you should maybe write more about this,’ thankfully. Even if they did, I would be like, ‘fuck off.’”
On the matching Cartier watches she and Tellez bought
“We’re all about the Cartier. I don’t wear a Cartier to tell time. I wear a Cartier because it’s the watch to wear. When I say it out loud, I realize nobody gives a shit and we’re in our own bubble. I got mine engraved on the back because this is my first ever watch ever and it says, ‘I’m doing it again, baby’ on the back. That’s just such a ballsy thing to do because this album could really flop, and then I’ll always have a reminder that it went to hell.”
On feeling grateful
“This whole thing, I’m just so grateful every single day. Every time I land on a plane, I’m like, ‘we landed, I’m alive. We’re here.’ I am so grateful to be alive. Every day I’m like, I hope I don’t die because I really want to experience this album.”
“Even when you love your job, you can really get your head up your own and start taking shit for granted. I’ve definitely complained a lot about life on tour. But I’m biting my teeth and just doing the dirty nitty-gritty work now because I don’t have time for this complaining shit. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and from now on, I plan on doing everything I can to keep this opportunity in my hands.”
On living in Oslo
“My apartment is Oslo and I love that. I have my dog there, my girlfriend, all my friends. But also I’m definitely feeling this need to be more present in the States and be more present in the music industry.”
“I have a struggle though with moving to L.A., but also I feel like if I want to be the artist that I think I can be, I have to be in the market a little bit more. I definitely feel like an outsider sometimes. In a way I think my European perspective infused into the American market can be a cool mix.”
On style
“My fashion style sense is rapidly changing recently because I've been in my low-key, nice quality cashmere sweater era, just looking proper. But I think I leaned a little bit too much into the preppy style, and now I’m in my Wes Anderson era, like tracksuits and stuff.”
“Sometimes I feel like some artists dress like artists, but their music isn't that great. And sometimes they dress really sick and their music is fucking sick and they just have a whole package. But I’ve kind of wanted to just look like anyone. I don’t want to stand out. Now I’m finding a balance of expressing myself with my style.”
“I’ve never had stage outfits. I started implementing stage outfits last year by putting on a shirt instead of just walking on stage with the shirt that I wore the entire day. I want to start with doing that a little bit more to see what that can be, what that can look like. With the new set design and the new music that I’m creating right now, I feel like I should have a je ne sais quoi with my clothing.”
A version of this story appears in the May 2024 issue of ELLE.
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