Girl in Red on intrusive thoughts and mental health
Inside the mind of Marie Ulven, the Norwegian singer who is set to 'take over the world'
By Maud Haugland
If you or someone you know is struggling with intrusive thoughts, you can call OCDUK’s helpline at 01332 588112. If you just want to talk to someone about something that’s upsetting you, you can call Samaritans 24 hours a day, every day, at 116 123, free of charge.
Marie Ulven is planning to take over the world.
Just three years ago she started making indie-pop and rap-rock music with lo-fi beats under the moniker Girl in Red in her bedroom in a small Norwegian town. Now the twenty two year-old is an icon in queer communities all over the world for singing about queer love and relationships, not least on her newest album If I Could Make It Go Quiet. She has also been saluted for being an advocate for normalising therapy and open conversations about mental health in general.
Skyrocketing
In 2019, the year she graduated from high school, her career skyrocketed and she spent almost the whole year on tour all over Europe and America. ‘It was a bit sudden,’ she told charity P3. ‘It felt like a whiplash. In retrospect, I think it happened too quickly.’ The contrast to her quiet life in Horten with her mum was huge.
Nominations for several big music awards seem to have been flooding in the past year. In April, Girl in Red won the prestigious Norwegian Spellemann award for ‘International Success of the Year’ 2020. In November she performed at the MTV European Music Awards in Hungary, where she was competing in the category ‘Video For Good’ against other big stars like Harry Styles, Lil Nas X, H.E.R. and Demi Lovato, although Billie Eilish took the prize in the end.
On the last day of April this year, the singer-songwriter released her newest album, If I Could Make It Go Quiet, which has been met with both critical acclaim and enthusiasm from fans all over the world.
In an interview on a Norwegian talk show, Lindmo, in November, Marie revealed that she has become friends with the megastar Taylor Swift who sent her a long email explaining why If I Could Make It Go Quiet was the best album she had heard all year. The two of them continued to exchange emails and Taylor even did a painting for her with flowers and Girl in Red’s lyrics with a cute message on the back: ‘Words by Marie, flowers by Taylor’.
They haven’t actually met in person yet, but as Marie said: ‘Since I’ve met Ed Sheeran, I think there’s a 100% chance that I’m gonna meet Taylor Swift.’ Taylor Swift just released a new album of her own, Red (Taylor’s version), which has become the talk of the year. As far as I’m aware, there isn’t any obvious connection to Girl in Red here, but you never know.
Low on serotonin
Girl in Red’s latest hit, Serotonin, has been played over 60 million times on Spotify. She has said in multiple interviews that it is all about her own struggles with intrusive thoughts and depression. Serotonin is actually the hormone that stabilises our mood, happiness and feelings of well-being, according to hormone.org, so it’s fitting when she sings: ‘I’m running low on serotonin / Chemical imbalance got me twisting things / Stabalize with medicine / There’s no depth to these feelings'. Marie has even built a model Serotonin molecule that she keeps on her piano at home in Oslo.
After almost two years of lockdowns and loneliness, a lot of people could relate perhaps more than ever before, to the mental health crises Marie sings about. According to Young Minds, a charity organisation that helps young people struggling with their mental health, a staggering 80 percent of young people with mental health issues have said that the pandemic has led to their mental health getting worse.
When describing human brains, Marie told Genius: ‘We are so fragile and so small and so weird. Our brains can literally just be tilted over to being really good or really bad at any moment, and that is scary.’
It is estimated that about 1.2 percent of the UK population, up to as many as 800,000 people, suffers from OCD, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Marie told Genius that her therapist reassured her that: ‘Intrusive thoughts are usually the opposite of what you really want in life or the opposite of who you are as a person. So if you get a thought of hurting someone, it’s because you love that person so much, and you would never want to do that, and you’re so scared of that person actually getting hurt in general in life.’
What about the people at the other end of the music?
I talked to Carolina Reid, a computer science student who is a strong believer in that music can be used as therapy. ‘I think it can be really helpful for people who feel like they’re alone and who are more isolated with their mental health,’ she said. ‘Like, I know people whose families aren’t big on talking about it. And I think that music is just like: “Hey! You’re not alone. Like, I went through that too. And it works for everything, from heartbreak to general anxiety and not feeling that you’re enough.’
Besides, she really thinks it helps when artists like Girl in Red come out and speak openly about their mental health struggles as well. ‘It just shows again, like, just because you have money, or just because you have fame, what everyone thinks solves every problem, it doesn’t.
And sometimes it can even make it worse in terms of mental health and stuff. And you know what they say about how money can’t buy happiness? Well, it can solve a lot of problems like getting you into therapy and everything you need. But having that person there, that you don’t know, but who you look up to so much, say: “You’re not alone, like I went through that too. And if you just stay strong for a little bit longer, you’ll make it through.” I think that can really make a big difference.’
And her fans are no different. Below the music video of Serotonin on YouTube, there are countless of comments like this one from Ashley: ‘She literally made the most relatable fucking song for those with mental health issues without making the actual melody sad and depressing then had me fucking busting a gut watching the ending. She really said “hey I struggle too now I’m going cheer you up” thank you!!’ Others are thanking her for making them feel less alone, and the fans are connecting over shared struggles.
Dog therapy
One and a half years ago, Marie finally got herself a dog after having wanted one for a really long time. She says that Luna, the dog, grounds her and helps her calm down when she’s anxious and stressed. Especially at night when she fears that she might never wake up again, she calls Luna over and eventually falls asleep listening to her breathing. ‘Dogs can smell sadness!’
Even though Marie has become a huge star as Girl in Red, she hasn’t let the fame go to her head, and her dog is a big reason for that. ‘You know, when I have to pick up poop in public, you know, I really feel like a normal person.’ She even revealed that a big music label in LA gave her a big carpet with a picture of her and Luna on it and dog cookies. ‘It seems like the only personality trait I’ve got is being a dog owner,’ she said jokingly to Skavlan. “I’m like a crazy dog lady.’
Queer role model
‘Do you listen to Girl in Red?’ has become a code for queer people, especially lesbians, for ‘are you queer?’, because saying it directly may in many cases sadly be directly dangerous for them, even in the modernised western world. They are using Girl in Red as a way to find their community, as being queer can sometimes feel incredibly isolating. According to the Mental Health Foundation, LGBTQ+ people are much more likely to suffer from depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts than their straight peers. Not because they are gay or queer, but because of the discrimination and exclusion they experience because of prejudices and homophobia.
On being a role model for people in the LGBTQ+ community and for people struggling with their mental health, Girl in Red told Skavlan, Scandinavia’s biggest talk show, that she used to feel weird about it. ‘In some ways role models don’t exist. A role model can be the person sitting next to you on the bus. A role model is a completely random person who has resonated with you at some point in your life.’ However, she has come to view it as something nice, even though she still thinks people wouldn’t idolise her as much if they really knew how ‘messed up’ and imperfect she really is.
The world in red?
We are definitely seeing more conversations about mental health after almost two years of COVID and isolation. Artists like Girl in Red have helped people by talking about their own struggles and becoming a person people can relate to so that they don’t feel so incredibly alone. Her openness about mental health might actually be one of the reasons why she has become so successful, so quickly.
Although talking about mental health and queer love are both important to Marie Ulven, her music is her number one passion. ‘I definitely want the whole world to watch because I want to be the biggest star in the world. I’m not a gal with small ambitions!’ She told Spotify earlier this year. And who knows, maybe there won’t be just a girl, but a world in red someday?
If you or someone you know is struggling with intrusive thoughts, you can call OCDUK’s helpline at 01332 588112. If you just want to talk to someone about something that’s upsetting you, you can call Samaritans 24 hours a day, every day, at 116 123, free of charge.