Back in 2018, Norwegian singer-songwriter, girl in red released “we fell in love in october,” launching her straight to fame after the track gained traction on social media. Other songs from that year like “i wanna be your girlfriend” also helped the singer grow her audience, known for her personal stories of being a queer woman in her early 20s.
From Horten, Norway, girl in red, also known as Marie Ulven, began writing songs in 2015, writing about her teenage experiences that feel universal. After the release of “i wanna be your girlfriend,” this feeling became part of Ulven’s signature songwriting skills, earning her a spot on NRK Urørt, a website revolving around Norwegian artists.
Her emergence on the popular website led to an increase in the streaming of her songs and in her social media following. Following her widespread virality, girl in red began releasing more new songs, including “say anything,” “summer depression,” “girls” and “4am,” which gained the attention needed for her to release her first EP.
The EP, titled “chapter 1,” includes all of girl in red’s previous releases, and even was featured on Apple Music’s playlist, “Pride: A Compilation of LGBTQ Artists for GLSEN,” alongside artists such as MUNA, Cyn and Superfruit. Even after a successful EP, the singer didn’t stop there, dropping her biggest hit, “we fell in love in october.” It also reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.
As she continued to work on her music, girl in red also began collaborating with other artists in her genre. This led to her first duet with beabadoobee on “Eleanor and Park,” which is still only available to listen to on YouTube. Based on the book by Rainbow Rowell, the song helped both singers grow in popularity yet again, with listeners enthralled with the duet’s take on falling in love at a young age.
After being heavily involved in the music scene for over a year, the singer didn’t lose any steam, releasing her second EP called “chapter 2” in 2019. With five songs named “watch you sleep.,” “i need to be alone.,” “dead girl in the pool.,” “i’ll die anyway.” and “bad idea!,” the EP saw girl in red open up more to her audience, detailing instances of depressive thoughts, toxic relationships and feelings of doubt and insecurity, all common occurrences that anyone in their 20s can relate to.
The following year, girl in red was nominated for Newcomer of the Year at Norway’s Spellemann Awards, proving the singer’s national acclaim for her artistry. Her notoriety only increased with the announcement of her first album in 2021, “if i could make it go quiet.”
Her debut reached the Top 10 in Norway, the United Kingdom and Australia, and was also in the Top 100 of the Billboard 200. Co-produced by Matias Tellez and released via world in red, the album contained breakthrough singles such as “Serotonin,” “Did You Come?” and “midnight love.” The first single was also produced by Finneas, entering into the Top 20 Billboard Alternative Songs chart for that year.
A major turn of events came when Taylor Swift noticed “if i could make it go quiet” shortly after its release, posting it on her Instagram story. Thus, the two started their friendship, with both singers supporting each other online. This newfound friendship led to arguably girl in red’s biggest accomplishment just two years later: opening for Swift on her “Eras Tour.”
Performing in cities such as Pittsburgh and Chicago, the singer widened her audience even more, opening for one of the biggest acts in music. With one album and two EPs under her, it seems like girl in red just keeps getting bigger, garnering the attention of music’s best.
While girl in red has not released any new music since 2022’s “October Passed Me By,” she has already shown that her success will only be linear as she keeps growing and evolving in her sound.
