With her exceptional songwriting and uncanny knack for just the right amount of self-deprecation, Marlene Larsen is able to perfectly capture the essence of her inner turmoil.
The five songs on the “Galore” EP are simply irresistible because they are bursting at the seams with catchy melodies and meaningful lyrics wrapped in luscious production, where energizing pop and distorted rock seamlessly collide. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
Marlene Larsen: Well, I grew up in rural France, and I do not come from a music enthusiast background at all. When I was a little kid I used to write a lot of stories and was very fond of poetry and fairytales. Then I discovered the theatre, and performed on stage from a very young age. I remember wanting to be an actress. But something happened to me around 13 years old, when Youtube arrived on my family computer. It was a door to the world’s music for me. I spent HOURS on it, digging, trying to find artists and bands I related to. I used to belt Avril Lavigne on YouTube karaoke versions when no one was home, wanted to be Kelsi in High School Musical, made my mother buy an acoustic guitar to learn how to play White Horse by Taylor Swift, and fell asleep at night with full body chills thanks to No Love, No Glory by Damien Rice. Music took over everything in my life very quickly, and soon it was all I could think about.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
MARLENE LARSEN: I’m completely self taught, never studied music. And I really appreciate this naive and intuitive relationship I have with songwriting and producing. It feels like magic.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘MARLENE LARSEN?
MARLENE LARSEN: My first and strongest musical influences are Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams from Paramore. I call them my spiritual mothers, and I still worship them to this day. My name is Marlene Larsen, because, well, Marlene is my real first name. To explain the name Larsen I need to tell you a story. The first band I joined was a hard rock ACDC type of band, I was 17. I loved rock music, I was a huge Paramore fan (see above) and wanted to be a badass rock lead singer like Hayley! But people really made me feel like I didn’t belong to that scene. I was very young, surrounded by males, I was being objectified a lot, I had to create a crude and cold persona to protect myself. My voice was also a problem. The first show I ever did with that band, I was barely 18. We asked for some feedback to the FOH who made our sound that night, and he said ‘Well the songs are good, the musicians are ok… And the voice… Well it’s like a calf being run over by a car, except that, at least, the calf stops at some point.’ You can imagine how gutted I was. My voice was always described as too high pitched, uncomfortable. Like audio feedback, like the Larsen effect… Hence the name. It’s a way of taking back the narrative, I’m cheekily saying FU to all these people, I’m finally owning my voice. And after years of quitting the rock scene because of *trauma*, I’m going back to it. My way.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
MARLENE LARSEN: I think what resonates most with people, from the feedback that I’ve had, are the lyrics. And it makes me really happy because I pay a lot of attention and care for the lyrics. I LOVE a good perceptive shifting bridge. I think my music and my lyrics are tied very closely, also I try to make sure listeners are never bored. My songs are full of surprises, nuanced and hopeful. And my sound is a 90’s tinted soft rock, with dreamy vocal harmonies, saturated guitars and heavy drums.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?
Marlene Larsen: Well, of course, the two artists I’ve emulated the most are Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams. If you were to notice this in my record I would be flattered. But since I started, I went through so many artistic phases! I was 17 singing like Axl Rose, then quit the rock scene and went folk, then started producing my music and tried the electro pop thing. I think that I found my thing, my voice and my style, like 3 years ago when I authorized myself to go back to rock… It’s pretty recent and it took time. And it’s crazy how, when you figure out the real you, when you take the risk for the real you to be seen, to be under the spotlight even… doors then open themselves. It’s like a reward (cue TikTok sound).
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
Marlene Larsen: Something really spiritual happens when I write songs. Sometimes I feel like a vessel, and the songs write themselves. And sometimes, I’m writing a song that is a message to future me. Or something I need to hear now. I write songs for myself first, like no one will ever listen to them, but then I want to give them to others. I need to share them with the world. Like it serves a greater purpose. It’s both super egoistic and altruistic at the same time. Songwriting is a crazy magical thing, for sure. For me, the political side of things happens during the making of the visuals, like music videos. For example, I’m a queer artist, it’s important for me that it is visible somehow. Also I don’t want merch that isn’t eco friendly. Being an artist and a public figure in general is definitely an opportunity for me to have a platform and try to have a positive impact on the world. I care about it deeply.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
Marlene Larsen: I would say that I still lack visibility at the moment for the balance to be even. Give me bigger crowds and venues, and bigger numbers and then I’ll be perfectly good.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
MARLENE LARSEN: I write all the time. Phrases, words, mental pictures, a feeling, a detail, someone’s quote. I never want to forget and write it all down. I have hundreds of lists on my notes app. Then at some point I feel like a new song is banging on the door somewhere inside, ready to come out. I sit down at my desk, open Logic Pro, start with a beat, a guitar riff, a piano sound, anything. I compose a base and then pull out my notes to ask myself « what words match best with the feeling I have just composed? ». I pick words, an idea, and somehow a couple hours later I’ve usually got a finished song. Easy peasy! For some songs on the record ‘Galore’ I worked with my right hand woman Helene, she’s a much better guitar player than I am and she came up with really good guitar and rhythmic ideas! She’s the only person I compose with. Lyrically though, it’s only me.
9. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
MARLENE LARSEN: When I’m touring, I cannot wait to write and record again. When I’m writing and recording, I cannot wait to go on tour. Touring excites me because I get to travel and make new friends every night. I love creative work because it’s a different kind of travelling, it’s inner work. I can never choose one over the other. Right now it’s promo time for me, but I can hear the banging on the door… I hope I’ll have time to write soon.
10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
MARLENE LARSEN: I think people should be free to interpret my songs any way they want. However, my songwriting is pretty precise, you can’t really miss the point. But people are definitely free to imagine their own context, or adapt the feeling to their own situation of course. I love the fact that they might daydream listening to my record…
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