Ida Maria finally back: – I experience a freedom that only people who have been in prison can recognize.
/ 01/07/2021 / Kristian DugstadIt's been just over a decade since Ida Maria released her previous self-composed full-length album "Katla". Since then, she has released American spirituals, participated in MGP, Hver gang vi møtes and Stjernekamp, and hosted the NRK program The next ones.
Now she's back with new music, and on the EP Dirty money She finally stands completely on her own two feet.
– I experience a freedom that only people who have been in prison can recognize.
Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen's career started with a bang when she won the music competition Zoom Urørt in 2006. It didn't take long before she was picked up by major international record labels, and a new star in the rock sky was born.
However, life as a rock star was far from a bed of roses. In retrospect, she has spoken out several times about drug abuse and unhealthy culture in the record industry. It is during this time that she now celebrates music.
– The ambition was to write about a time when I lived out the rock myth. I wanted to document an era in my life that was very real, but which is behind me, says Børli Sivertsen on the phone from Nesna.
The songwriter and artist says that the release is highly anticipated.
– I find that I express myself best through music, but I haven't had the opportunity to release my own songs for many years, due to a contract. It's really good to be able to communicate this through music, which is my main language after all.
Dirty money, which consists of five newly recorded tracks, was released on Friday, June 25. For the first time, Børli Sivertsen has had full and complete control, from composition to final product.
– This is the first time I haven't had any Major Label involved in a release. It's a new experience for me, and a very exciting one.
An indie release from the Helgeland coast stands in stark contrast to the American music industry in Los Angeles, where Ida Maria has long had her musical career. However, she has no doubt that she is now in the right place.
– I have concluded that I do not want to become the biggest and make the most money. Anything that gets in the way of me being able to make and play music, I am suspicious of. I am not interested in an industry where appearance, clothes and the brands you represent are the most important thing.
On June 4, the music video for the title track was Dirty money released. The film is directed by Per Heimly himself, who is also behind all the press photos, and shows Ida Maria wearing overalls from Felleskjøpet.
It is no coincidence that she has endorsed this particular sponsorship. While it is a nod of recognition to sustainable workwear, it is also a political statement.
– I support the peasant uprising, the district uprising, the teachers' uprising, the nurses' uprising, and so on. I also recognize that I have a voice as an artist.
Just as she has taken steps to gain control over her own music and career, she believes that society needs help to get back on track.
– Our economic system is geared towards constant growth, at all costs, whether it’s windmills, makeup, or antidepressants. Too often, people are encouraged to buy a product to make us happy, when the solution may lie within our hearts. Rather than engaging in systematic destruction, we need to find a way to systematize repair.
Here she believes music can be a tool.
– Music can have a healing effect, but music can also be used to manipulate. There is great power in music, and that is precisely why it is extremely important to me that I do not abuse that power, or let anyone else manipulate me into doing so.
