Marie Ulven Ringheim, more commonly known as “girl in red,” is a Norwegian singer-songwriter that rose to stardom writing her own pop songs about romance, sexuality, and mental health. Ever since publishing her debut single “i wanna be your girlfriend” in 2016, she has been nominated for Best New Artist at the 2020 Norweigan Grammy Awards and was cited as a queer icon by the New York City magazine “Paper.” Now, she is on the world tour of her newest album, “if i could make it go quiet,” which came out in April 2021. 

In 2012, Ringheim’s grandfather gifted her her first guitar for Christmas, but she did not use it until 2013, after deciding to pick up a new interest. Only then did Ringheim begin to write songs with her guitar. By then, she was fourteen and would soon coin herself the stage name “the girl in red” after trying to identify herself in a crowd via text. She published her debut single “i wanna be your girlfriend” to SoundCloud in 2016, which received about five thousand streams in five months. 

Marie frequently sings about falling in love, specifically with girls. Songs such as “we fell in love in october” and “girls” have significantly impacted the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, she appeared on the front page of “Gay Times.” TikTok has made her into a queer symbol by adapting the phrase “Do you listen to girl in red?” as a way of asking if somebody is lesbian. Ringheim’s openness with her sexuality has changed people everywhere, reminding them again with her music that being attracted to the same sex is beautiful.

Girl in red also has a way of making you feel less alone with her music, as she talks about mental health. Songs like “Serotonin” and “summer depression” talk about anxiety and depression, something many teenagers, the majority of Marie’s audience, struggle with. “Serotonin” is part of her newest album, “if i could make it go quiet,” and as she stated once, it is “an attempt to learn what it is like to be human.” With both songs’ fun-sounding melody and relatable lyrics, it’s hard not to sing along with the girl in red. 

One of my personal favorites from the girl in red is “we fell in love in october.” I remember discovering this song when I was going through a difficult moment, and once I did, it was able to calm me down so much I instantly fell in love with it. Its soft-sounding beat and sweet lyrics,