12 CHRISTMAS INTERVIEWS: Sigrid on how to relax, other voices and her love of playing Ireland

Sigrid sits in her label’s office signing vinyls on the day her Irish promo campaign launches. “It’s not tiring, I love the Irish,” she beams. If I was ever in doubt, the Norwegian pop star’s memories of her time in Dingle dispel any uncertainty.

The singer’s latest song “It’s Getting Dark.” Other voices episode aired last month, with the 25-year-old once again captivating church audiences.

“Other voices is the best time, honestly,” she enthuses. “That night was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. It was great. The first time we went to Kerry, I remember the band and I just looking at each other like, “What if this is the last time we see Dingle?” and we were so sad! I always feel the need to go back. It happened again this year when I thought, “This can’t be the last time I’m here.”

“Other voices, if you see this, I’m just going to show up and make it an annual occasion. That could be our thing (laughs). The show had such a good vibe. I didn’t get to make the trek I wanted to on the other side of the fjord, but we did manage to do a little, very hungover, walk. We tried going from pub to pub but they were closed. We were in one that looked like a hardware store, but is it a bar? (Sounds like quite a few Irish pubs we know.)

“We ended up in the hotel lobby and I was playing the piano,” beams Sigrid. “We didn’t play any of my songs, it was just The Beatles and The Killers. I got a lot of great footage from all over town, there were probably 70 people by the end. Everyone showed up!”

Did she listen to any Irish acts on the trip?

“Dermot Kennedy, I love his music,” she replies. “He’s so lovely too, I actually hung out with his family in Dingle! They were the best. Someone also told me about this Irish band when I was there [hometown heroes Walking On Cars]. I must have found them because of Dingle. Their music was super catchy, very indie-pop-rock.”

With an effortlessly charismatic personality for someone who declares herself an introvert, Sigrid is quietly confident and always authentic. She’s made a name for herself over the past five years with defiant, take-no-prisoners pop anthems.

After first emerging with a breakout EP Don’t kill my mood in 2017, 2018 Raw 2019 EP and debut album Sucker Punch cemented her star status. Not to mention the huge success of “Strangers”, produced with Martin Scholey, which turned her into a real hitmaker.

For the past three years, Sigrid has not performed, often staying with her parents in her hometown of Ålesund and writing her second album, How to let go. Griff collaboration ‘Head on Fire’ – plus teaser singles ‘Mirror’, ‘Burning Bridges’ and ‘It Gets Dark’ – assured fans that electro-pop anthems and defiant sincerity remain on the menu for the 25-year-old.

“We, like the rest of the world, listened to Taylor Swift folklore and forever albums at the time of writing I can’t let it go” Sigrid recalls. “They were everywhere at the time. There was also a lot of Arctic Monkeys, Elton John, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, Tame Impala, Maggie Rogers and Kacey Musgraves, but Coldplay are my eternal inspiration. I’m a big fan.”

The artwork shows the Scandinavian songstress standing confidently atop a flashy red car in a billowing red dress, surrounded by stunning Welsh scenery.

“We filmed this in Snowdonia. I always manage to arrange a work trip to the mountains!” laughs Sigrid, who is a keen skier and hiker regularly.

“With the label, we went to a little village and it looked like something out of the blue Harry Potter. I was just happy to be surrounded by nature. The car is a kind of continuation of the clip “Mirror”. I also feel like traveling and traveling and growing up is a big feature of the album, so it was natural to have a car on there. Honestly, I just think I look great in the picture.”

It’s nothing to brag about if it’s true! I can’t let it go it’s not all floor-filling and powerful pop, though. Equally adept at piano ballads and pop, the often quieter tunes highlight Sigrid’s immense talent. The likes of ‘Thank Me Later’, ‘Last To Know’ and ‘Mistake Like You’ are emotional breakup numbers with strong melodies.

“I try to be as respectful as possible to the people I write about,” says Sigrid. “I’m the one who chose to be public, not the people in my life. It’s a choice you make. No one asks me in interviews, which I also really appreciate because I won’t tell anyone names. It’s important to me not to say who my songs are about. I never give out timelines. I’m not much of a mystery person, what you see is what you get, so it’s important to keep some semblance of mystery to the songs.

“It’s vital that as artists we can feel free in our writing, because the moment we no longer feel like a safe place, you put up a wall. You have to be comfortable talking about that in your music. I will never say who the song is about because it is more important to realize what the song is about. There are many related things I can’t let it go. Songs are about my life, but being an artist is part of everything I do. I don’t distinguish it – my two worlds just drift into each other. It’s also a record for being in your mid-twenties.”

Meanwhile, “A Driver Saved My Night” has the feel of an unreleased ABBA song from the 70s.

“This song is very much inspired by travel,” says Sigrid. “I’m always in a car somewhere, traveling from A to B. I spend a lot of time alone, in some form of transport. The song is like being on a freeway in London or LA and having an “ugh” day. Maybe you’re tired, homesick, or lonely. Then a song you really like comes on the radio and you ask the driver to turn it up a little. You both sit there and get stuck. Moments like these make me really happy, they can make my day.”

It’s hard to believe that small moments of kindness or joy are what Sigrid longs for when we list the sheer number of “pinch me” moments in her life. From winning the Sound of BBC 2018 poll to presenting at the Nobel Prize ceremony peace prize, there are many peaks to compete with the more ordinary things.

“I never thought this would happen,” she reflected. “I didn’t know what the music industry was like growing up, I was so far away from it. I knew I loved making music and playing the piano, that was my safe place – just playing around with melodies and chords. I never, ever thought I had what it took to be an artist. I was also very shy growing up. I didn’t feel comfortable on stage at all. Quite often I get pinches like, ‘Oh my God, you’re doing that and you’re not crazy!’ I’m not just saying that because it’s an Irish interview, but I’m really thinking a lot about the 3Arena show.”

Sigrid returns to the same venue on November 24th this year for the rescheduled show, which will surely be sadder if she’s leaving in 2019. The singer’s Irish fanbase is huge, as her full Electric performance first showed Picnic in 2018

“If I imagine my dream venue, I think of Glastonbury or the 3Arena in Dublin,” says Sigrid. “It was the first arena show I’d ever done and it wasn’t even in my home country. Now I only do this in Norway! The amount of love I have received in Ireland and the UK is incredible. When I think about my happy place, it’s me on stage screaming and making the crowd scream back. Most of them are related to live moments.

“My booking agent gave me a framed picture from the 3Arena show as a present. It’s in my living room – I haven’t told anyone. I watch it whenever I’m at home. This is a really nice shot. Mostly you see the crowd. I just remember feeling like everyone there was having a great time. At least that was my impression. I hope they were.”

I can confirm that they were as I was there that night along with thousands of die-hard fans.

“It was a room filled with a lot of love. I can’t wait to go back.”

I’m listening How to let go Below:

WATCH: Sigrid’s Rapid Fire Q&A