Ida Maria Issue #39

Naked Ambition

By Selena Fragassi
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 9:57am

Ida Maria has finally made it to Los Angeles. After a severe bout of bad weather stranded Maria at her parents’ house in the sleepy town of Nesna, Norway — without power, clothes, a phone, or mode of transportation — the 24-year-old pop-punk singer has finally landed in the States.

Even before she began touring in support of April’s highly-anticipated Fortress Round My Heart, Rolling Stone and The New York Times were trumpeting her as the next big thing, a sentiment echoed by a recent BBC poll that Maria was “most likely to break big” in 2009.

Judging by the aggressive downpour of songs like “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” and the thundering intensity of “Oh My God,” each new round proves that this Norwegian front is not settling down any time soon.

VZ: It’s been said that you can be quite critical of other bands and their live performances — what do you bring to your own shows to entertain the crowd?
IM: For me, everything is about communication, and I know straight away if the crowd and I are on the same planet, and mostly we are. So, from there, it’s about trying to have as much fun as you can. You know, I feed from music very much. Drums and rhythm particularly get me going like nothing else. It makes me go crazy. I’m not a very crazy person, but when it comes to music, I go crazy and I think the audience can feel that.

VZ: What kind of live performances influence you?
IM: I’m a big fan of lots of classic rocknroll bands and people that sweat and bleed and play every show like it’s their last — that’s the most important thing. I think I’m the same way — I think about playing every show as if it’s my last one.

VZ: What was behind your decision to sing in English rather than your native Norwegian?
IM: Most of the music I’ve listened to has been in English — music from America, the United Kingdom — and I’m very inspired by it. If I had chosen to sing in Norwegian, I wouldn’t be able to play in L.A. or in London. It’s important for me to be able to communicate with people everywhere, and doing so helps my curiosity to see the world.

VZ: Was there a particular age you knew that music was going to be your craft?
IM: I was about 19 when I started writing the songs on this record, and it was at that time that I decided I wanted to do this every day.

VZ: You’ve accomplished more than most people in their 20s. What has helped you reach this level of success?
IM: I guess since I’m a girl and all, I can get very aggressive, because I’ve been fighting quite hard to get some space of my own in this music world. In this industry, either you have to follow everybody else’s rules or you have to make up your own rules — and when you make up your own rules like I have, you must keep fighting so everybody understands this is the only way you play.