Norway’s endearing singer/songwriter girl in red—whose real name is Marie Ulven—is back with a new single, “rue,” inspired by the Euphoria character of the same name. It finds the typically minimalist musician exploring with new sounds—ones that are more menacing during the verses and more party-like in the chorus.
“She is a drug addict, which I’m not. But a lot of the stuff she’s felt and is trying to escape from is shit I’m dealing with all the time,” Ulven said of her connection to Rue. Instead of drug addiction, she struggles with mental illness. “That’s some heavy ass work. It’s not physical work but it feels like it because it’s so hard.”
Her mental health issues come up often in her work, such as in the beloved ballad “summer depression.” One of the reasons girl in red has resonated with millions of people is because of Ulven’s unflinching honesty—from her confession of love in “i wanna be your girlfriend” to her vocalized need for solitude in “i need to be alone.”
Watch the video for “rue” below.
