Lene Marlin

Born in Tromsø, Norway, Lene Marlin Pedersen displayed an early passion for composing her own songs. At fifteen she received her first guitar from her parents in 1995, an instrument that prompted countless hours of solitary writing in her bedroom during the region’s lengthy winter nights. In 1997 her friends reached out to NRK, Norway’s principal media organization, to share news of her abilities; a local Tromsø station quickly arranged a demo session whose results prompted Virgin Records to offer her a contract on the spot. While still attending school, the seventeen-year-old began laying down tracks for her first album, an effort whose impact proved immediate: the single “Unforgivable Sinner” set a record for the fastest sales in Norwegian history, and the album Playing My Game ascended to the top of the domestic charts. Further afield, “Sitting Down Here” climbed into the British top five in 2000, and the album itself reached the Italian top ten. Another Day, her sophomore release, appeared in 2003 and repeated that pattern of success, claiming the summit in Norway and third place in Italy. Lost in a Moment followed in 2005 and found receptive audiences across Europe, yet it was once more her Norwegian listeners who remained most devoted; the same pattern held for 2009’s Twist the Truth. Beyond her own recordings, Lene Marlin contributed songwriting to other performers, among them Rihanna’s 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad. Her fifth studio set, Here We Are: Historier Så Langt, surfaced in 2013.