PLENTY
Photo credit: Lars Halvorsen
Norwegian artist PLENTY has released her debut single “I Don’t Wanna Know”.
Co-written with Cate Downey and produced by Vetle Sigmundstad, Eivind Wøien and Joel Runar, the debut single is about pretending you don’t want to know what someone you cared for is doing, when it’s actually what you really want.
Recently graduated from Lillehammer Institute of Music Production and Industries (LIMPI), PLENTY is introducing her musical signature by combining elements from modern pop, dark pop and the early 2000’s into this very promising and memorable debut single.
“I Don’t Wanna Know” is now available worldwide.
Photo credit: Lars Halvorsen
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I was born and raised in northern Norway, on a tiny island called Herøy. This is where I first got introduced to singing and performing, and I’ve been addicted ever since. Me and my mom moved to the south when I turned nine, and I kept singing by myself and writing love songs about the rain and ice cream. Growing up I showed my cute little songs on different stages all over our town, and loved it more and more - the more I got to do it.
In high school I studied music and got to perform a lot there as well. Two months before I graduated senior high; I got accepted to LIMPI - a music production school in Lillehammer. I graduated from there June of 2020. Today I’m in Oslo, in sessions weekly, and just now started to focus on my artist carrier as PLENTY.
How would you define PLENTY, the artist?
PLENTY is an artist with influences like Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls and Billie Eilish. Her sound is inspired by the late 90’s- and the early 2000’s pop genre.
She’s got an attitude of not taking anyone’s bullshit. She has a dramatic, dark sound, filled with electric harmonies and a fierce drive. Her lyrics are relatable and straight forward, and often makes you wanna sing along.
She loves the feeling music can give you of being the main character of your own life, and she wants to share this through her own music.
“I Don't Wanna Know" is your debut single - how's it feel like to release your first single ever?
I wanted to release it for a very long time, but like every other artist you want every single thing to be p e r f e c t before you release (which is pretty impossible).. but I got the song to the place where I was ready to represent it as PLENTY, found my inspirations for the cover art- and then I just decided on a date. The feelings I’m carrying around these weeks before the release are everything. I’m anxious, excited, happy, scared and really just all over the place all the time. But at the end of the day, and the emotion rush, I know this is the start of it all and it makes me super excited to see where this will take me further!
When did you start working on this song? What's the story/inspiration behind it?
I was sitting by the piano one day at the end of Limpi, super frustrated over not getting any melodies to mind when I was playing, so I just randomly played a chord and screamed the first thing that came to mind; which was the chorus of “I Don’t Wanna Know”. So you can practically say that the song happened by accident. Later I showed what I had to my best friend and co-writer Cate Downey- and she helped me write it. We were just playing around when Cate randomly sung something about “I don’t wanna know” and I stopped her for a minute cause I got the whole idea of the song. We wrote it super fast, probably in like 40 minutes, like we always do together. This woman is a firework of a writer!
Could you describe the songwriting/production process? Who helped you create it?
After we wrote it we showed it to two of the producers on the song, Vetle Sigmundstad and Eivind Wøien, with references that I had in mind. They helped me record vocals and get a great demo done for Joel Runar to finish!
What do you like the most about this single?
What I like the most about “IDWK” is that it’s representing me as an artist to the fullest. The dark pop sound, the dramatic drum pattern and the spicy harmonies is everything to me. I also love the concept of pretending you don’t wanna know what someone you used to care for is doing, when it’s really everything you want.
What made you want to release "I Don't Wanna Know" as your first single?
I fell in love with this song the second I heard the producers copying the ideas in my mind and pasting them on the project. You know the feeling when you have something you wanna say, but you don’t know how to- but suddenly you figure it out? That’s exactly what it felt like when I had the demo. Whenever I was feeling uninspired, happy or bored I listen to it, and that’s when I knew this was it. This was my debut single.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
Lars Halvorsen, a photographer in Oslo, took my photos and I had my friend Siri Elton help me with the text on the artwork. The whole “bubble gummy” look is intentional since I wanted contrasts between my dark sound and my artwork! We got it wrapped up kinda last minute, but I love the outcome!
What is your goal for this first single?
My goal for this single is to show people what I want PLENTY to represent. If anyones wondering who I am as an artist, or what my sound is, they can just listen to my song and they will know. That’s what I want.
What did your time at Lillehammer Institute of Music Production and Industries teach you as an artist?
My time at LIMPI practically taught me everything I know today about being in a session and writing a song. They put you in sessions with different people every week- which makes you learn how you work best and and with who, and they bring in mentors from all over the world that have all different kinds of inspiring stories to tell.
Kiesza was one of our mentors one week and she blew our minds with her ability to teach us to be our best selfs on stage. She dragged us all on stage one by one, made us preform like we’ve never performed before, which was terrifying, but also made me wanna do it a thousand more times.
What do you want to accomplish, personally and professionally?
I want the artist side of me to do great things. I can’t wait to be on a big stage, jumping around and hearing my lyrics screamed back at me from the crowd. I am going to do everything in my power to get there, knowing there will be both success AND failing on the way, and that the personal me is fine with both.
This is such a turbulent profession and if I’m gonna do this for the rest of my life, I have to be prepared for the down sides as well as the up sides. It is okay to fail. It doesn’t mean that you failed.
What major life lesson have you learned so far?
My whole life I’ve been a stressed out bitch with way too many thoughts and feelings going on inside my tiny head all at once. I’ve had to teach my self how to cope with this, and I remember my mom telling me once that I can’t just go back and change the beginning, or yesterday, but you can look forward and change the ending. Which is today my go-to quote, and I live by that! We all just really need to relax, haha
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
If people would stop with comments that takes more than they give, I believe the world would be a safer, and so much more fun place to be. If the stuff you say doesn’t do any good; why say it in the first place? Why talk at all really.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
The strongest factor for success is self-esteem. Believing you can do it, believing you deserve it, and believing you will get it.
Through this process of success it won’t get easier, but you will learn, and you will get stronger, which will help you succeed. !!!
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