The Scandipop singer talks about how lockdown sparked her thrilling new disco direction – and why she’s sick of questions about her authenticity
In 2020, Sigrid had a crisis of confidence. Forced back to her parent’s house in Norway by the pandemic, she found her old teenage insecurities creeping in. As a kid, she had never considered herself cool, often choosing to play piano at home rather than socialise with friends. Then her life changed: she became a successful pop star, one with hit singles, 1.3bn streams and counting, and fans all over the world. “With the success, I had that feeling that maybe I was cool,” she says. “Then … boom! Isolation. Back home with my parents, in my childhood bedroom, remembering cringe moments of being 14.”
“I got a bit scared of how quickly I adapted to this completely alternative life, where I was waking up in the morning, having breakfast with my parents, going for a hike and skiing,” she admits. “Like, the whole day was about getting to the peak of a mountain, skiing down and then coming home to talk about how the snow was while having dinner. There were no emails. There was no stress. I had this serene, alternative life, but there was this really scary thing going on at the same time. I think that’s how many people felt.”
