Norwegian pop sensation Sigrid: On stardom, feminism and a bright 2018

It’s hard to imagine 21-year-old Norwegian singer Sigrid having a more perfect start to 2018. Already tipped for greatness, a few days after our interview, she was officially fast-tracked to the big time after winning the BBC’s Sound Of 2018 poll (previous winners, of course, including the likes of Adele and Sam Smith).

She may be well on the way to major stardom, but it’s a status Sigrid wears lightly. Speaking down the line from London, she has a notably warm and polite demeanour, even apologising for a brief interruption to the call (“My Mum was trying to FaceTime me,” she explains).

The singer came to prominence last year courtesy of the electro-pop anthems ‘Strangers’ and ‘Don’t Kill Me Vibe’, both of which became international hits. The latter tune boasted a strong message of female empowerment, and I ask if Sigrid feels it now has additional resonance in the light of the Me Too movement.

“I hope so,” she replies. “I hope young girls are inspired by the song and speak up. The whole Me Too movement is great. I saw just a split second of Oprah Winfrey’s Golden Globes speech on my Instagram and I’m going to watch the whole thing later. I know that she said this isn’t a moment, it’s a movement – and she’s right. It is a big movement. I’m so happy that this is finally happening. Not only the Me Too campaign, but the general feminist movement – it’s big. And it’s going to continue.”

What inspired the song?

“I was in a writing session and it was very difficult,” recalls Sigrid. “I felt like I wasn’t as important as the other people involved. But I didn’t speak up, and afterwards I was kind of pissed off with myself. At the time I tried to address it in a song, although I didn’t say the exact words, ‘This isn’t okay behaviour. We can’t have this vibe in the studio – it’s impossible to work.’

“So instead of saying that, I tried to do a different kind of track, which was difficult. ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ is obviously an important song, but I didn’t write it until later, with my co-writer Martin Sjolie. It was really good to get my thoughts out, and it was amazing to work with Martin on it. He’s one of the producers I work with most now.”

Although her rise thus far has been meteoric, Sigrid is quick to share the credit with the people around her.

“It’s been a great year, and I’m just humbled by the response I’ve received,” she says. “It’s been very cool and I’m very thankful for it. I also have to thank the people who work with me; there’s a big team behind the Don’t Kill My Vibe EP and the ‘Strangers’ single. I’m really lucky to have them.”

As well as the Sound Of... judging panel and pop fans around the globe, among those Sigrid has impressed is New Zealand superstar Lorde, who included ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ on a Spotify playlist (incredibly, Lorde – who had her first hit aged 17 – actually attained stardom at an even younger age than Sigrid).

“That was amazing,” enthuses Sigrid. “It was really cool, especially because I’d been listening a lot to her music while making mine. It was great that you could have a musical relationship, in a way. I think I read about my inclusion on the playlist in a tweet or something! I’ve been listening to her since her first album; I think she’s a great artist and a great songwriter.

“I love her lyrics. There were those lines from ‘The Louvre’ – “We’re the greatest/They’ll hang us in the Louvre/Down the back/But who cares” – which were probably my favourite lyrics from 2017. I think they’re great.”

Another notable moment for the singer last year came with her cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic ‘Everybody Knows’ for the blockbuster movie Justice League.

“It was a huge honour to be able cover one of the most brilliant songwriters of our time,” says Sigrid. “It was great fun to make, and I love the lyrics too. And obviously, it was super-cool to be a part of Justice League.

“It was used in the opening scene and it’s part of the official soundtrack – it plays during the first two minutes of the movie. It’s definitely a special moment, because I watched it in the cinema; I saw it in Bergen with the guy who produced it with me. (Laughs) Hearing your voice in a movie is weird!”

As well as working on her debut album, Sigrid is also keeping busy with live work. She shortly departs on her maiden voyage to Australia, while last year found her venturing out on the summer festival circuit.

“I played Glastonbury and also Other Voices in Ireland,” she reflects. “There’s definitely something special doing festivals, but it’s hard to choose between them and your own gigs, because they’re so different. However, I do love playing festivals because it’s always a challenge – you never know how it’s gonna go. When you’re doing your own club shows, you know that people have bought a ticket to only see you.

“At festivals, people just pop by and they’ve never heard of you before. That was complicated for us, because it was the first year we did festivals. Still, it was really fun to have that challenge of keeping people’s attention.”

What inspired Sigrid’s most recent hit, ‘Strangers’?

“Well again, I wrote it with Martin Sjolie. It’s inspired by the general feeling of wanting a situation to be something it’s not. In this case, we made it into a relationship scenario, where you’re really hoping you have this special bond with someone. It’s a sad one! But I love sad songs.”

What’s the best sad song you’ve heard recently?

“‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ by Bonnie Raitt. It’s beautiful.”

And what was the best record Sigrid heard last year?

“Maybe Ctrl by SZA,” she responds. “It basically broadened the genre of pop. That’s what I want to do as well – I want to make records that explore what pop can be. She did that in a wonderful way; the lyrics, production and vocals are superb. It’s just a really nice album.”

So when can we expect Sigrid’s own album?

“I don’t have an exact date,” she says. “It will be out when it’s finished! I’m aiming for 2018, but we’ll see. It’s been a very interesting process and we’ve got a lot of songs. It’s been really fun.

“I’ve worked with several different people, which is the way I love to do it. I do have some key writers and producers I always come back to, including of course Martin Sjolie. I always sit at home in my apartment and write on the piano, then take my ideas into the studio.”

Would Sigrid ultimately like to be as big as her fan Lorde?

“I’m aiming to make the music that I love,” she says. “If people want to listen to my music, that’s amazing. I am ambitious, but it’ll always be about making music that I love. To be honest, I think my biggest goal in life is getting a cat!”
Sigrid plays The Academy, Dublin on March 23.