It’s hard not to feel confident when Taylor Swift is in your corner. After opening for the pop star for a chunk of the Eras Tour last year, Girl in Red says she feels more sure of her abilities than ever, and that’s largely thanks to the “Anti-Hero” singer’s support.
One of Elle‘s three rising music stars of 2024 alongside Tate McRae and Tyla, the Norwegian musician born Marie Ulven opened up about her growth as an artist and performer in a video posted Wednesday (May 1). “The biggest obstacle has been, historically, my anxiety,” she told the publication. “Because of that, I was like, ‘I can never be on a stage again.’”
Flash forward to summer 2023, and suddenly, the “We Fell in Love in October” singer was playing stadiums on a nightly basis, getting crowds across the United States warmed up for the three-hour-plus main event. “After touring with Taylor, she would introduce the openers and then she’d be like, ‘Give it up for Girl in Red, who crushed it!’” Ulven recalled. “So I was like, ‘You know what? I think I know what I’m doing.’”
Ulven is fresh off the release of her sophomore album I’m Doing It Again Baby!, which debuted at No. 183 on the Billboard 200. It features the single “You Need Me Now?” featuring fellow Eras Tour opener Sabrina Carpenter.
In a March interview with Billboard, Ulven revealed that Swift’s dedication to songwriting and touring heavily inspired her while making Doing It Again. “My new thing is I’ll ask myself, ‘What would Taylor do?,’ because I’m so inspired by her work ethic,” she said. “‘We’re not complaining, we’re just getting sh-t done.’”
Watch Girl in Red, Tate McRae and Tyla speak as Elle‘s rising music stars below.
