Girl In Red, real name Marie Ulven, is on the rise after making a name for herself with singles like “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend” and “We Fell in Love in October.” The 22-year-old Norwegian’s debut album If I Could Make It Go Quiet is set for release in just a couple days, then she’s scheduled to perform on The Tonight Show on May 3. Before those major life events, though, Ulven has shared a new video for “Serotonin,” in which she joyously carries a bouquet of red balloons around Oslo.
Ulven says of the song (which was co-produced by Finneas):
“There are things on this album that I haven’t been able to talk about in my songwriting previously. ‘Serotonin’ is brutally honest, lyrically, especially about having these intrusive thoughts — thoughts of never going to be okay, and thinking my therapist hates me. I stopped going to my therapist because I felt like I was such a big burden for her that she didn’t like me. I’m pretty sure a lot of people have felt that, whether it’s a friend or a family member or a therapist. I’m addressing a lot of things I haven’t been comfortable talking about, or admitting to myself, or even things to tell my closest friends and family.”
She also said of the album more broadly, “I feel like I’m exploring a little bit more of the hate side of love with this album. I also feel like I’m exploring a little bit more of being vulnerable and letting someone in. I haven’t talked about that before… [The album] is a big, boiling pot of thoughts and things I haven’t said. […] I really poured my heart into a lot of these lyrics, fully. I just feel like I emptied myself in this album.”
Watch the “Serotonin” video above.
If I Could Make It Go Quiet is out 4/30 via World In Red/AWAL. Pre-order it here.