– It’s just really cool. That’s what Marie Ulven, the girl behind the artist Girl in red, says to news. She has been awarded Telenor’s culture prize, which comes with a cash prize of NOK 500,000. – I think it’s really cool. I am the youngest person to have received this award and also the only one in the pop sphere, she continues. When news calls, she is sitting at home in her apartment on Sankthanshaugen in Oslo, in a quiet moment between two energy-sapping concert tours. Girl in red is the youngest ever recipient of Telenor’s culture prize. Photo: TWENTY TEN MANAGEMENT / TELENOR When she answers, the pitch is flat. Because although she is happy about yet another award, she does not think it is as easy to feel the feelings that should come with the recognition. – To be completely honest, I’m not feeling very well. I just can’t get into the vibe at this very moment here. I can’t help but say exactly how I feel right now, you know what I mean? – Yes? – It would be lying if I were to put on a sort of clown hat now to cheer and cheer when I’m really just having a really hard day. Roses for their openness Girl in red has built its brand on being honest. It is also something that the jury behind Telenor’s cultural award emphasizes. The jury behind Telenor’s culture prize emphasizes Girl in red’s honest approach to being an artist and communicating with fans and the rest of the outside world. The picture is from when she played at Øyafestivalen this summer. Photo: Eskil Olaf Vestre “Most artists have a huge barrier between their artistic life and their private life, but Girl in red challenges this distinction through her open, honest appearance and direct communication with fans,” the statement reads, among other things. – She has a very distinctive expression, she is a pop carpenter, she writes the songs and the lyrics, and when it hits, it hits big, it hits us all, explains jury leader Martin Eia-Revheim to news. Turned blue in the face But it is demanding to be a Girl in red, thinks Marie Ulven. Last weekend things were about to go wrong during a concert at the Superbloom festival in Munich. – Then I was just thoroughly tired. You know when you just feel like you can barely lift a finger or walk up a flight of stairs and feel like, damn, now I’m tired. That’s how I was on Friday. I couldn’t imagine how I was going to stand there and rock. But then you somehow manage to carry it out anyway, says Ulven. This summer, Girl in red played at the world-famous Coachella festival – with, among others, Billie Eilish. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer / AFP But it came at the cost of losing strength. – Afterwards I thought I was going to die, and the medical team at the festival had to come and check me because I was completely blue in the face. – If you don’t have the energy, then you don’t have it. And then you always end up in the red, continues Ulven. Record in Spellemanns nominations The 23-year-old has hardly had a quiet day since she broke through in 2018 with the song “I wanna be your girlfriend”. The following year, she was named Untouched of the Year and nominated for both the Spellemannprisen and P3 Gold. Last year she also released her first studio album, “If I Could Make It Go Quiet”, which landed her a place on the list of the world’s 500 most streamed artists on Spotify. P3 Gold 2018 – Girl In Red – “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend” With the album, she also set a nomination record under the Spellemannprisen – a total of seven pieces. She won three of them, including Player of the Year, which world star Billie Eilish took the time to present when they toured together. In other words, there have been many awards. And many concerts. And little time to live here and now. – It’s just a bit much at the moment. I have traveled half of this year here. So even though a good thing has happened, then, I feel a little empty. It’s just the way it is, she says and adds: It’s a bit much at the moment, says Girl in red, who has been traveling for much of the year and will be on a US tour next month. She hopes to find the surplus to work on a new album. – But I think it’s important that people get those sides too, get to hear those sides there. New album in store Now she will tour for a month in the USA, but hopes to get the energy to work on her upcoming album throughout the autumn. – Now I dream of being inspired and getting a lot of execution ability and a lot of energy. She laughs a little. – And maybe a little holiday, then. Girl in red performs “Rue” at P3 Live. For now, she is booked for concerts until April next year. And even though being an artist is overwhelming at times, it’s the love of music that keeps Girl in red going. – Music is the one art form that just hits all people, regardless of language. Music connects people. And I think it’s so intense that I get to see it while playing concerts.
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– I feel a little empty – news Culture and entertainment
