Sigrid Solbakk Raabe (born 5 September 1996), known mononymously as Sigrid, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. She has released one album, Sucker Punch, which reached number one on Norwegian charts and number four on the UK Albums Chart. She has also released two EPs. Her second album, How To Let Go, is scheduled to be released on 6 May 2022.
Early life
Sigrid Solbakk Raabe was born in Ålesund to Håkon Raabe and Anette Sølberg Solbakk on 5 September 1996. She has older siblings, a brother, Tellef, who is also a musician, and two sisters, Johanne and Emma. At her first performance, in kindergarten, she had to be pulled off the stage after crying. She began playing the piano at age 7 and began singing at age 13. When she was 13, she performed a version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". In her early youth, she planned to become a teacher or lawyer or journalist, thinking a career in music would be too uncertain. In her first year of high school, she realized that music was more than just a hobby. When she was 17, she and her sister Johanne started a band called Sala Says Mhyp, which was named after their late cat, Sala. After finishing high school in Ålesund, Sigrid moved to Bergen for its indie music scene, living in a shared flat with her brother and friends. She was a college drop out.
Career
At the age of 16, she wrote her first song, "Sun" after her brother, who is also a musician, told her to stop performing cover versions of Adele songs at performances and challenged her to write a song that she could perform at one of his gigs. In 2013, she released "Sun" as her debut single. The song received airplay on Norwegian radio stations. She signed to Petroleum Records the following year, and performed at festivals such as Øyafestivalen.
In 2016, after executives heard her song "Don't Kill My Vibe", Sigrid signed with Island Records, and on 5 May 2017, her debut EP, named after the song, was released. The EP charted in Norway, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In the spring and summer of 2017, Sigrid performed at The Great Escape Festival, Roskilde Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival, and the Reading and Leeds Festivals. She was also a part of The Sims 4: Parenthood soundtrack with the Simlish version of her song, "Don't Kill My Vibe". She is also featured on the 2017 Justice League soundtrack, performing a cover of Leonard Cohen's 1988 classic "Everybody Knows".
In January 2018, Sigrid was announced as the winner of BBC Music Sound of 2018. On 10 February 2018, she was a guest presenter for an episode of The Playlist for CBBC. The same month, Sigrid won the Newcomer of the Year award at Spellemannprisen. On 11 July 2018, her second EP, titled Raw and featuring 5 tracks, was released.
On 8 March 2019, Sigrid's debut album, Sucker Punch, was released. The album consists of 12 tracks, including five songs released prior to the album. In 2019, Sigrid toured with Maroon 5 for the Red Pill Blues Tour in Europe, was the support act for George Ezra's tour across the United Kingdom, and headlined a tour in North America and Europe. Sigrid contributed a song, "Home to You" for The Aeronauts soundtrack.
In 2020, Sigrid was one of many artists that took part in a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge cover of the Foo Fighters song "Times Like These" that was organised to raise funds for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sigrid's second album, the 12-track How to Let Go, is scheduled to be released on 6 May 2022. The album includes the songs "Mirror", which was released on 26 May 2021 and "Burning Bridges", released and premiered on BBC Radio 1's "Hottest Record" on 25 August 2021. In November 2021, Sigrid performed live in Dingle as part of the twentieth series of the live music series Other Voices.
Artistry
Sigrid's songs are underpinned by anger, melancholia, or disappointment, since she finds it easier to write about frustration than about having a nice time. For her love songs, Sigrid cites Bonnie Raitt, Coldplay, Adele, Lykke Li, and Robyn as influences.
Personal life
Since May 2020, Sigrid has been dating Nicolai Schirmer, a professional skier from Tromsø who is 5 years older than her. She enjoys reading, hiking, biking, and nature. She is also a brand ambassador for Gore-Tex.
