💜 M2M Fans Newsletter #5

The unofficial M2M newsletter!

Hello, everyone!

Today’s edition is a special one: it’s dedicated to Marit.

She just started touring solo and I attended the first few concerts. These concerts are smaller in scope than the M2M experience, both because they’re only happening in Norway and because they’re all in concert halls.

For a while I didn’t know if I was going to write about the concerts. For me, M2M’s songs are a part of my early teenage years. They’re heavily tied to coming back from school and listening to Shades of Purple on the family’s CD player. Marit’s songs, however, are a part of me. Not of me growing up, but of me as a person. So writing about these concerts is so close to my heart that it wasn’t a given I would write something publicly available.

However, I think people deserve to know what a beautiful, intimate experience it is to listen to Marit sing live. I am a kid holding a small treasure but as selfish as I may be, I need to show it to others. My need to write about this experience is overwhelming.

In today’s newsletter I’ll walk you through one of Marit’s concerts. Instead of describing the concert itself in painstaking detail, I’ll be focusing on three songs of her playlist. Hopefully I can trick you into thinking you were there.

Top: La Maraka, México City.

Bottom: The Rock Star and the Pop Star

📸 @fernando.writes.things

As always, please remember to check the official sources. As much as I enjoy writing this newsletter and adding more commentary to certain items, there is no substitute for following M2M on their official accounts here:

🇳🇴 Marit Larsen’s 2026 Norway tour

Welcome to Marit’s 2026 tour! The concert is happening at this city’s kulturhus—a beautiful, dedicated theater that holds 400+ people. As soon as you enter the room your body understands you’re now in a place of solemn reflection; a safe space where art can grow and expand as much as it needs. The kulturhus could hold an opera one day and a comedian the next.

Tonight it holds Marit Larsen and her band.

Bølgen kulturhus @ Larvik, Norway

📸 @fernando.writes.things

The concert starts at 20.00 so you arrive at 19.30. There are quite a few people around. The building is alive with chatter, clanking of wine glasses and footsteps from people arriving and leaving. At some point, the doors to the concert hall open up and you approach the staff at the door for them to check your ticket. They greet you with a high pitched “Hei hei!” and then wave you through.

By this point, the instruments and the stage are set up. There’s light music playing. I’m fairly certain Marit has a pre-concert playlist of soft poppy songs to prep everyone. I enjoyed them and, after a few concerts, came to feel them as an auditive welcome mat letting you know you’ve come to the right place.

Bølgen kulturhus @ Larvik, Norway

📸 @fernando.writes.things

Isn’t that painting beautiful? During her 2024 she had a Hun er Min backdrop. This one is reminiscent of it, but is, in my opinion bolder, more in tune with the era of metamorphosis that I believe Marit is going through.

Anyway, let’s stop chatting. The lights are dimming and the music stopped. Instead, a soft humming sound takes over.

Gro Harlem Brundtland

After a few songs, Marit walks to the center of the stage and her hands reach to a keyboard waiting for her. On the left side of the stage, Andreas Ulvo, pianist extraordinaire, preps the synthesizer.

The stage is pitch black except for a single  spotlight on her. Her velvet black dress would be lost in the darkness except for the shining crystal stars all over. They blink and jump and dance as she moves.

And then her voice fills the air. It’s Marit but it’s also not quite her. Her voice is sweet and in tune but slightly distorted. Her pop sound is not with her in the spotlight; it took a step back to be a part of the painted background.  Her voice continues with the Norwegian rap from Musti, a talented Norwegian artist who shared the stage with Marit in Hver Gang vi Møtes.

This song is so much more than a new Marit song. It’s a completely different destination. While Marit is singing she keeps her eyes closed and smiles from time to time. Instead of pure pop or folksy music, we get to see a new part of her. A trailblazer for Norwegian pop, singing about a trailblazer in Norwegian politics.

It’s just her in her element.

The song ends and she smiles and lets out a small laugh. She turns around to the crowd and whispers “tusen takk” before moving back to the piano.

Bølgen kulturhus @ Larvik, Norway

📸 @fernando.writes.things

Fuel

It’s been a whirlwind of songs by this point and now Marit and Christer Slaaen, move to the center of the stage. They sit in front of a cardioid microphone and Marit begins talking to the crowd.

She speaks Norwegian, her voice steady but surprisingly fast. Her guitar lies on her lap, one hand holding the neck while the other waves around at the audience. She’s oozing confidence, regaling us with a story about the next song. The audience laughs. You laugh even though you don’t understand any Norwegian. She smiles. You smile.

Then the song begins. Two guitars begin whispering: one of them whispers the melody, the other the accompaniment. A soothing melody for a soothing voice. You sigh and close your eyes. Fuel stands in stark contrast to Gro Harlem Brundtlandz. Instead of rap and a synth, pop and pure Marit. This is as close to a capella as it gets.

As the song starts to fade though, something interesting happens. Christer begins an acoustic guitar solo. His eyes are closed as he goes through each note with Marit holding back laughter and amazement. The solo keeps going and going in a way that feels longer than the song. It becomes riveting. How fast can he do it? How long can he go?

The people begin clapping in a rhythm that matches the song. Christer plays and plays until the notes get sparse and stop. They both stop and there is a moment of silence; an unsure audience holding their collective breath. Christer opens his eyes and laughs and everyone erupts in applause.

Live performances demand authenticity and the duo just delivered.

Bølgen kulturhus @ Larvik, Norway

📸 @fernando.writes.things

When the morning comes

Finally, after an incredible 17 songs (!), we’ve reached the end. The last song is here with us. By this point, you’ve heard and felt the band play their hearts on stage. It’s time for Marit to close the concert and she’s fittingly picked the last song to be written for her fourth album: When The Morning Comes.

Once again we find Andreas on the synth and Marit at the front. This time she’s facing the audience and it’s an emotional moment.

The soft piano plays its part as the backing track to Marit’s ode. The song is so peaceful and solid that it asks you to think of what you’ve seen.

As the song finishes, Marit and Andreas bow and they leave the stage. The group gets a standing ovation as the lights come back to the concert hall. Some people begin walking to the exit but not you. You stay in your seat. The stage is empty once more but you’re full. You’re full of emotions. Full of memories old or new.

After a few moments, you go out and find a small table of merch. Marit brought Hun er Min vinyls, coffee, CDs, even some scarfs.  There, you see Marit kindly interacting with her audience. She’s laughing, hugging them, listening intently. Before the concert, you suspected she wore her heart on her sleeve. Now you know it to be true.

Lørenskog kulturhus @ Lørenskog, Norway

📸 @fernando.writes.things

I hope you liked my short story. On a personal note, I consider myself lucky to attend these concerts. I even met some of you! For that, I am eternally grateful.

That’s it for today’s newsletter. Thank you so much for reading!

Like I said, this is an unofficial, fan-made newsletter but if you liked it, feel free to share the newsletter with your friends, reply to this email, or reach me @fernando.writes.things.

See you soon 💜

– Fernando