Marianne Engebretsen uses the seasonal transition in “A New Beginning” to anchor the abrupt finality of personal loss. The opening lines construct a quiet domestic space where birds outside a house clash with a memory of broken glass. This shift positions the arrival of spring not as comfort, but as a frame for a fracture. Engebretsen presents the passing of time as a physical boundary rather than a release.
The central movement relies on blunt, repeating interrogations that challenge recovery. When asking “Do you believe in love?” she collides with: “it hurts to hurt.” Engebretsen´s vocal delivery echoes, splitting the lines into overlapping phrases that mimic a mind arguing with itself. A ribbon blurring the sky acts as the lone visual marker in a landscape defined by exhaustion.
Engebretsen draws on her producer background to isolate these vocal patterns against a spare framework. The arrangement allows the phrase “to run out of faith” to hang without the support of a conventional pop resolution. As the track strips away its rhythm, the repetition of the word “run” leaves the performance suspended before the momentum is allowed to.
For those who might not know you yet, how would you introduce yourself?
I’m a Norwegian singer-songwriter based on Norway’s west coast. After spending more than 15 years in Oslo, I recently moved back to my hometown with my family. Life by the ocean means plenty of rain, wind, and ever-changing skies, and I think that somehow finds its way into my music. My songs are full of emotion, and I love creating songs that feel both big and atmospheric, while still being warm and intimate.
If you had to bottle up your sound into just three words, which ones would you choose?
Emotional, atmospheric, organic
Which artists (not only music-related) or moments have left the biggest mark on your music?
Oh, that’s a big question; many things and people have influenced my music for sure. If I have to sort out one thing only, I would say that there was a moment in the studio with two of my best friends several years ago. We’d been playing in a cover-trio band, making our own versions of well-known songs, but this day we were to record one of my songs. That was the first time we worked together in this way, and we really found something special together. We recorded my song “Ignite”, and that was kind of the start of what we’ve been doing for 3 albums now.
When you hit play on your songs, what kind of feeling takes over?
Haha, that depends on the song, I guess. But it often hits me in the heart before my head.
If you could team up with anyone in the world—no limits—who would be that dream collaborator?
If I could only be a fly on the wall, watching people like Justin Vernon or Aaron Dessner work, it would be a dream come true. I’m so fascinated by their creativity and musicality. Or to sing with Maro, or Marie Dresselhuis. There are so many I admire.
And finally, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future?
I mentioned 3 albums; the third album is coming this fall. I’m so excited!
Anything exciting you can tell us about?
I’ve released 3 songs from my upcoming album, and there will be a couple of singles before the album is out. I really hope the music reaches some new hearts out there; I’m really proud of this album that we’ve made.
Can you walk us through the story or emotion behind “A New Beginning ”?
When I first started writing this song, I had this feeling of a person who had given up or lost direction and hope. I had the chorus ready, but couldn’t figure out the verses. After my father passed away last year, it kind of felt like I was singing to myself. So the song turned out to be about him — about moving on, looking back, grief, and new beginnings.
