Norwegian singer-songwriter Astrid S (born Astrid Smeplass) has been joining talent competition shows since she was 9, but it wasn’t until she turned 16 when she became a household name in her native Norway when she placed 5th in the Norwegian version of the “Pop Idol” TV franchise.
Since then, Astrid has enjoyed success as a recording artist and live performer. In 2015 Astrid won the MTV EMA for Best Norwegian Act, the same honor she also won at the MTV European Music Awards. In 2016, she was hailed as Breakthrough Artist of The Year for her self-titled EP.
Last year, her single, the EDM-flavored ballad “Hurts So Good” became her first global hit and topped 120 million streams on Spotify alone. To date, the song’s official music video has also garnered nearly 9 million views on YouTube.
The success of the single has also opened bigger doors for Astrid. Last year, she supported Troye Sivan on his European tour and this year, she sang background on Katy Perry’s “Hey Hey Hey” song from her recently released album, “Witness.”
Her latest single, “Breathe,” is a bouncy mid-tempo dance number that she herself co-wrote. The song was produced by Oscar Holter who has worked with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Hailee Steinfeld, DNCE, Christina Aguilera and Adam Lambert.
The single has surpassed 3 million streams within its first few days of release. As of posting time, the song’s official music video has earned over a million views on YouTube.
In a recent interview with InterAksyon, Astrid, now 20, said that she was not influenced by any one artist in particular.
“I just listen to a lot of different songs from different artist. It could be everything from electronic pop to jazz or soul, or R&B. I’m influenced by a lot of different things,” Astrid quipped.
When Astrid is writing songs, she says she gets her inspiration from “people and movies.”
“Actually anything that triggers a feeling, I write about whether it’s about heartbreak, love or anything that pops into my mind,” she pointed out.
Given that movies is a big influence on her creative process, it’s not surprising that the video for “Breathe” pays homage to James Bond, Quentin Tarantino and other popular action films.
“I love movies! When I’m on tour I usually watch a movie every night with my band,” she enthused.
In the “Breathe” video directed by the Swedish tandem of Johanna Nyberg and Nathalie Hallman of Cherry Cobra Films, Astrid plays one half of a vigilante couple who commit a heist in an action-packed short film format.
“This is the biggest music video I’ve done yet! There was a big crew, a lot of equipment and effects, not to mention all the costumes and clothes! I think the video manages to capture the edge and sassiness of the song, with a good mix of serious and funny.”
Having worked or being in the same stage with some high-profile artists, Astrid said she is very much open to collaborating with more artists, singling out Frank Ocean as one she’d like to do a recording with.
But when asked which famous person she’d like to meet if she only had to choose one, Astrid’s reply was totally unexpected.
“I would love to meet Barack Obama! I don’t think I would just ask him about anything, just listen to what he has to say,” she confessed.
Watch the music video of “Breathe” here: