Photo: Agnete Brun
This is how the song came about:
With its minimalist sound and playful lyrics, Bertine Zetlitz' Fake Your Beauty took the Norwegian music scene by storm in 2004. 20 years later, the song is just as relevant.
/ 23/10/2024 / Kristian Dugstad
When the first single from Bertine Zetlit's fifth album, "Fake Your Beauty," was released in 2004, it was an instant hit. The song, which turns 20 this year, was as popular in kindergartens as it was in the club.
"I remember walking past elementary schools, and the kids were screaming to the song. It was quite surreal," she says.
Along with the rest of the album Roller skating, "Fake Your Beauty" represented an important creative and musical development for Zetlitz
Where her previous release, Sweet Injections, was produced with a number of renowned producers in London, this time she took a more focused approach by working closely with a single producer, namely Fred Ball – who currently works with international stars such as Rihanna and Gwen Stefani.
– Fred became like a musical brother I never knew I needed. "We vibed so incredibly well together, not only musically, but also personally," she says of the collaboration.
Their shared fascination with Prince would prove to be an important ingredient in the production of Roller skating, and, according to Zetlitz, left a clear mark on both the song and the album.
“Every morning we started with a liter of Starbucks coffee and Prince. That was our routine,” says Bertine.
– Fred had a lot of obscure Prince records from before he grew up, which I had never heard. And so we just said: 'We have to write a song like that'.
The enthusiasm and playfulness undoubtedly shine through on "Fake Your Beauty."
The minimalist soundscape is probably part of what makes "Fake Your Beauty" so instantly recognizable. The distinct synth riff says a lot by saying so little.
– There was something about that simplicity – giving the song room to breathe, letting the silence take its place – that gave it extra power.
This minimalism has also led to the song being compared to songs like Kraftwerk's "We Are The Robots".
– It wasn't something we consciously tried, but it's a comparison I like, says Bertine.
She adds that the production of "Fake Your Beauty" also gave the song a greater timelessness than the music she had made previously.
– When I listen to Sweet Injections today, I hear it's from the early 2000s. But the production of Roller skating og Fake Your Beauty has stood out in a different way. It could just as easily have been released today.
The story continues below the picture.
Bertine is known for her playful use of words, often with underlying depth. “Fake Your Beauty” is no exception. The lyrics are both a tribute and a commentary on a certain type of girl – one who is strong, yet vulnerable.
– It's a tribute to someone who gives a little bit of a fuck, but who is still a little tragic, she explains.
– That's what I wanted to convey in the text. And I think people can identify with it – that balance between strength and vulnerability.
The text also bears the mark of creative play with words and phrases. She collected words she found interesting or that had a special sound, and often the sound was as important as the meaning.
– I was interested in the phonetics – how the words sounded. Like 'baby, baby, bubblegum' and Sister, sister, solitude. I wanted catchy phrases, and it's no coincidence that I use bostavrim.
The song title has also stood the test of time, and feels strong and universal even today.
"Now, when I'm out, 20-year-olds come up to me and say they listen to the song all the time. It's kind of gained a new generation of fans," she says.
20 years after the release of "Fake Your Beauty," Bertine is far from finished with the song. More recently, she has performed an acoustic version with none other than Bugge Wesseltoft.
"It's been incredibly fun to have one of the best jazz pianists of our time arrange the song. It's been very personal and rewarding to do it that way."
The contrast between the original and the new interpretation is great, but stripped down for production it also becomes extra clear how strong the core – the composition and the lyrics – are.
– When you put the song in a completely different context, it becomes very visible what the song actually is at its core, says Bertine.
– It has been an incredibly rewarding process, precisely because I see that it wasn't just a joke. The song has something more, something genuine.
And although the acoustic version has been a success, Bertine does not rule out that she will soon bring out the original, electronic version again.
– I really want to start playing it again electronically. I think it's time to revitalize it and make it in 2025 style, she says
For Bertine, "Fake Your Beauty" was a song that not only gave her a hit, but also extended her career at a critical time.
After the success of Sweet Injections She felt under a lot of pressure and was unsure how long her artistic career would last.
"I remember thinking, 'How long can I keep doing this? How long will it take before people get tired of me?'" she says.
But the success of Roller skating and especially "Fake Your Beauty" gave her a new spring.
"That song elevated my career. We had an incredible tour after the release, and it gave my whole career a new lease of life," she says.
– You need the songs that really hit the spot, and 'Fake Your Beauty' was one of them.
And 20 years after it was first released, the song not only holds a strong place in Bertine's Zetlitz repertoire, it has also become part of modern Norwegian music history.