Marit Larsen | |
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Marit Larsen in Nuremberg, December 2015
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Background information | |
Birth name | Marit Elisabeth Larsen |
Born | 1 July 1983 |
Origin | Lørenskog, Norway |
Genres | Pop, Folk, Pop-Folk, Acoustic |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
Instruments | Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Mandolin, Harmonica, Glockenspiel, Zither, Tambura, Domra, Celesta |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels |
Atlantic (1998–2002) (M2M) EMI (2004–13) Warner (2013–15) (Nordic countries) Sony (2008–15) (other countries) Håndbrygg Records (since 2016) |
Associated acts | M2M, Marion Raven, Thom Hell, Milow, Teitur Lassen, Garness |
Website | MaritLarsen.com |
Marit Elisabeth Larsen (born July 1, 1983) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. She began playing violin at age of 5 and played it until the age of 8. She gained international fame during her teenage years as a member of the pop duo M2M with childhood friend Marion Raven. She then pursued her own music career releasing her solo debut album, Under the Surface, in 2006. Her second album, The Chase, was released in Norway in October 2008. The third album, titled Spark was released in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland on 18 November 2011 and Germany, Austria, Switzerland on 16 December 2011. Her fourth studio album When the Morning Comes was released on 20 October 2014. Larsen toured in its support within Norway with her own concerts, played songs from the album in Germany and Switzerland at public festivals and was the opening act at two of Johannes Oerding's concerts in November 2015.
Marit Larsen was born in Lørenskog, Norway. She became friends with Marion Raven at age five, and they formed their own band when they were eight, naming it "Hubba Bubba" after their favourite bubblegum. They released a children's album, Synger Kjente Barnesanger, under the band name "Marit & Marion". The album was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award when they were both 12-years-old. They later decided to shorten the band name to M2M. Atlantic records signed them to a worldwide contract in 1998. Their debut single, Don't Say You Love Me, was both a critical and commercial success, was their debut album, Shades of Purple. Despite critical acclaim, their second album, The Big Room, did not perform as well commercially, and the duo broke up the year of its release.