Maren Davidsen
Words by Glenn Sargeant
Feature Image Photo Credit: Elena Lastivka
Maren Davidsen is a singer-songwriter from Stavanger, Norway, whose music blends Nordic americana with country influences, rooted in honest storytelling and an organic, song-led sound.
What is your earliest musical memory?
Christmas Eve when I was six. My brother and I would put on a concert for the family after dinner. He was much older and already a brilliant guitar player, while I would sing. I remember loving the feeling of performing and of having prepared something meaningful for my family – especially for my grandad, whom I was incredibly close to. I think that was the first time I understood how music could connect people.
When did you begin songwriting?
In London, after spending a night with a guy in the industry, things weirdly unfolded for me. I was 18 and drunkenly played him a song, pretending it was my own. He loved it so much that he wanted me to bring my guitar the next day and perform it for some important people.
Once he had left and we had agreed to meet again that evening, I realised I had fewer than nine hours to write my first song. There was no way I could pretend the other song was mine in front of all those people! So I sat down with a bottle of red wine and smashed out my very first song.
They loved it, and my fling was too hungover to realise it was a completely different song from the one I had played the night before. I got incredibly lucky. That song is still one of my favourites, because it was the moment I thought, “Hey, you can actually do this.” I have been writing my own music ever since. It was addictive.
You have your new single “Forehead Kiss” out now. What was the inspiration/story behind the song? How did the collaboration arise?
“Forehead Kiss” came from a lot of feelings around being ignored by my partner at the time, and constantly feeling like you are in the way all the time. I think I was in a place where my ex-boyfriend was giving me a lot of love and affection in the start, and when he realised he “had me” where he wanted, he slowly started to pull away. One would think this would lead to my leaving, but instead it just made me more addicted and yearning for that first feeling again. I settled for a forehead kiss, when I really wanted much more. The forehead kiss I am referring to in the song, is not really a positive gesture. It was more a power-play, and quite dark when I look back on it.
The collaboration arose very naturally through working with Martin Vinje. He understands my music and knows how to give it room without losing the rawness of the story. We wanted the production to feel close and personal, as though I were telling the listener something I had only just admitted to myself.
Where did you record the track and who produced it?
We recorded it in Oslo, and it was produced by my one and only Martin Vinje. He has an instinctive understanding of where I want the music to go, while still knowing when to challenge me or bring out something I had not heard in the song yet.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?
Martin and I have amazing sessions. Mostly coffee, sometimes wine. He lets me check in to his studio no matter the state I am in. Sometimes dolled up and ready for diva-recordings, other times with hardly any sleep and exhausted, maybe even a little broken. It is a safe space, and also my therapy room.
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones or recording equipment to help you get a particular sound or tone?
The piano kind of takes the lead in this song, which is unusual for the rest of the album or the music I aim to make in general. But I think the ballad-sound was something Martin and I both wanted to achieve. It is still one of my favourite songs from the new record.
Which of your tracks hears you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
Happiest: “Love Of The Century” It has such a sense of cute, happy-go-lucky energy and freedom, and it is probably the most fun song for me to play live. I feel free when I sing it.
Angriest: “It Takes Two.” There is strength and frustration in it, but also the realisation that a relationship cannot be carried by one person alone.
Most reflective: “Tennessee on My Mind.” That song is about movement, identity and leaving older versions of yourself behind.
Was “Forehead Kiss” a difficult song to write?
No. When you are really in the middle of a situation, the song can arrive almost faster than you are able to process what is happening. “Forehead Kiss” felt like that. The emotion was already there; I simply had to be honest enough to write it down.
The difficult part was not writing it. The difficult part was admitting what it meant and then singing it without protecting myself from the feeling.
Do you have any further music releases planned for 2026/2027?
Yes – the album, This Is Where I Leave You, is the big one. It feels like the clearest and most honest representation of me so far, and I am incredibly excited for people to hear the entire story rather than isolated chapters.
We also have a Christmas song called “When She Travels to Her World.” Christmas holds so many musical and personal memories for me, so releasing a Christmas song feels like a lovely full-circle moment. It is based on H.C Anderson “The little match girl”, and it covers topics of homelessness, loneliness and being left out. Last year the song raised over 7000,- NOK in charity for Kirkens Bymisjon. We aim to raise even more this year!
Where is your hometown, and could you describe it in five words?
Stavanger, Norway.
Wild coast. Old town. Money. Routine. Farm.
Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026/2027?
I do indeed. The tour starts on the day my album is released, Wednesday 14 October, in my hometown of Stavanger (Musikkstuen Påfyll). We then drive a little North to Bergen for a concert on October 16th at Kolonialen.
In the UK, we have two shows. The first is at my favourite venue of all time, The Troubadour in West Brompton, on Wednesday 28th of October. From there, we go to Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds on October 30th.
In Oslo on 3rd of November, with a full-band show at the beautiful and renowned Jakob Church. It feels right to begin at home and finish in Norway after taking these songs back to the UK, where such an important part of my musical journey began.
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
Thrill and connection. I want people to feel that they have experienced something alive, but I also want them to feel that we connected on a personal level. The best concerts are the ones where the distance between the stage and the audience disappears for a while.
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals or microphones?
My guitar will always be the essential one. It is where most of my songs begin, and it has become central to the sound that feels most genuinely like me.
At the moment, though, I am completely obsessed with the banjo. There is something earthy, playful and slightly unruly about it that I love.
You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?
Yesteryear, which I read this year. It created such a strong visual and emotional world in my head, and I could immediately hear how music might live inside it.
I would love the challenge of writing something that does not merely accompany the story, but reveals what the characters cannot say aloud. That is what I try to do in my own songs too.
How do you look after your voice?
Tons of water and less alcohol. No vaping! I also try to sleep enough and not talk too much immediately before or after a show, although I am not always very disciplined about that part.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
My influences come from several places: the country and Americana tradition of honest storytelling, the music I absorbed through my older brother, and the years I spent finding my own voice between Stavanger, London and Oslo.
At the moment, I am living for Joshua Slone, especially “Your Place at my Place” and “I Am Yours, You Are Mine.” I also recommend listening to Claudia Scott. She has been an important guide in helping me understand the kind of artist and songwriter I want to be. More broadly, I am always drawn to artists who sound as though they mean every word, rather than artists who are simply trying to sound perfect. Tina Dico (danish singer-songwriter) has been my biggest influence growing up. When I listen to music in my car lately, it is also a lot of Morgan Wallen, Laci Kaye Booth and Anna Graves.
What makes Maren Davidsen happy, and what makes you unhappy?
What makes me happy is being close to nature, writing a song that tells the truth, playing guitar, discovering a new instrument, and feeling genuinely connected to people – whether that is one person in a room or an entire audience. My family, my hometown and the people who allow me to be completely myself are very important to me.
What makes me unhappy is pressure to turn myself into an image rather than a person. I also don’t like the guilt that comes with not making deadlines, and the responsibility I have for my team I take very seriously. So I hate when I do not feel I have the capacity to tend to them as much as I would like. I also used to spend a long time worrying about whether I looked polished, beautiful or marketable enough. These days, I am much more interested in truth. Anything that pulls me away from that makes me unhappy; anything that brings me closer to it makes me feel at home.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Elena Lastivka
Maren Davidsen’s latest single ‘Forehead Kiss’ is out now.
In addition, Maren Davidsen will perform the following UK shows:
Wednesday 28th October 2026 – The Troubadour, London
Friday 30th October 2026 – Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
