Ulrikke’s powerful and distinct vocals have made her a household name over the last few years. Last year in February she won the Melodi Grand Prix, the National Selection for Eurovision Song Contest with her song “Attention”, co-written together with Kjetil Mørland and Christian Ingebrigtsen. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, Eurovision was canceled and she was unable to represent Norway during the contest. A remix of the notable song became a fan-favorite on TikTok with a TikTok dance challenge. Getting into character has never been hard for Ulrikke — as you’ll read later, she has been featured on a number of television shows, theatrical performances, and more! And last year, she won the Norwegian edition of The Masked Singer, dressed as a Troll.
Today Ulrikke released a new uptempo track called “Falling Apart”, a love song dedicated to a person who knows how to put it all together when everything else seems like it is falling apart. The track will be a part of the interval act during the finale of Melodi Grand Prix. Later this Spring the Norwegian audience gets to see a different side of Ulrikke, as she is competing in Kompani Lauritzen. In August, Ulrikke is set to star as the lead in Mamma Mia! as Sophie on the biggest musical stage in Norway.
The Orchard spoke to Ulrikke about her favorite part of songwriting, the themes she often explores in her music, and her experience winning the National Selection for Eurovision.
What’s your favorite part about songwriting? How do you get into the creative mindset?
The whole process of creating something from scratch to a final product is probably my favorite part. Also, the first initial session where one just throws lots of ideas out there, where nothing is too far fetched, is also super fun.
To get into the creative mindset it’s important for me to have good chemistry with the people I work with, I vibe a lot off of other people’s energy.
You won the Melodi Grand Prix, the National Selection for Eurovision Song Contest. What was that like? Can you describe that experience?
It has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, so it’s easy to say it was a total “out of body” experience. It is also fairly addicting, so since Eurovision got canceled in 2020, I have to come back at some point to try out again. One of my biggest dreams is to get to represent Norway on the biggest stage in the world and win Eurovision.
Can you go into more detail about your role as Liesl in “The Sound of Music”? How did that experience come about and what was that like?
This was the first time I’ve had a role in a big musical like this, and they cast me after seeing me sing a song from “Esmeralda” on a Norwegian TV show – so that was pretty cool. It has also been amazing to get to work closely with such talented people and it has been a great opportunity to do something completely different from my own music.
You were recently announced as the actress playing Sophie in the Mamma Mia The Musical, congratulations! What are your thoughts on this?
I. CAN’T. WAIT! Who doesn’t love Mamma Mia!? I work out every day now to prepare for the role, as it’s very physical. There’s tons of dancing and singing, but I love a good challenge. Hopefully, the COVID-19 situation is a little bit different in August, so the premiere can go ahead as scheduled – I’m crossing my fingers.
In 2018 you were on Stjernekamp. How did that show introduce you to a new audience? What did you take away from that experience?
Although I had been on different TV shows prior, such as Idol and The Voice, I really felt like this was the first time the Norwegian audience got to know me. Having to sing different genres every week was both challenging and super fun, and also a great way to show who I am as an artist: I don’t like to be put in a box, and I like to have the chance to do a little bit of “everything”. Although pop is definitely my “sound”, I still branch out sometimes.
Who has been your favorite artist to collaborate with and why?
That’s like picking your favorite child, haha! All of them somewhat represent different chapters in my career, and have all had an individual impact on my next steps in music.
Who were some of your musical inspirations growing up? Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started in music?
Beyoncé. Beyoncé. Beyoncé. Enough said! I started singing in a choir, as well as taking part in a children’s theatre group – I loved performing from an early age.
What are some of the common themes you explore when songwriting?
Like a lot of artists, love is always something I explore. And it’s simply because there are so many layers and aspects of love that we can dive into, and share with the audience.
Can you go into detail about what you have planned musically for the upcoming year?
First of all, I have just released my new song “Falling Apart”! It’s a strong up-tempo pop tune, which I hope will make people dance like there’s no tomorrow at home in their living rooms. I’m also exploring more and more diving into Sweden, so we’ll see what happens there. In addition to several releases throughout the year, I also hope to be back with more Christmas music in November and December.
