Sometimes you’re not sure of the best way to process something you’re going through, and in that situation, it’s best to afford yourself grace and the permission to express your feelings however you need to. For many people, one of the best ways to do that is through music, and Malin Pettersen does just that with her beautiful new single. “Cry If I Want To,” featuring teenage artist Bergljot Bjella, is a cathartic release and a vulnerable, yet empowering, statement on allowing your emotions to take up space and exist both within and outside of you. It feels like a warm hug from someone you care about on a rough day before slowly stepping into the sunlight and choosing to move forward, no matter what that may look like for you at the moment.
“This song is my way of telling the younger me it was ok to be that emotional teen,” Malin tells TREMG. “That I wasn’t ‘too emotional.’ And thus, also reassuring myself it’s ok to be an emotional adult. It’s a song about acknowledging your vulnerability, try to accept it, and a call for openness and a society where we call each other or reach out if we need a someone to talk to. It doesn’t even have to be that you need to talk about what you’re sad about, sometimes you just need proof that there is laughter out there, and good talks.”
We all move at different paces, across different paths, and “Cry If I Want To” celebrates the terrible and triumphant feelings that come along with that in such a stunning manner. As Malin puts it, “there are many different ways to Rome,” and we’re sure we’ll find the perfect soundtrack for our journey on her upcoming record, Trouble Finding Words. She’s the kind of artist that you can listen to and feel like you’re finally being seen after feeling misunderstood for so long – and even if she does have that trouble, she finds both the words and her power to connect with her audience with every song she releases, drawing from her own experiences and transmuting them into something moving and empowering for each listener.
“I find it easy to write these things into my songs,” Malin explains. “I do, however, find it difficult sometimes to find the words, or the right way of doing it. And it has taken me some time to accept the fact that what I mean with my words can be interpreted differently by the listener. I have grown to love that fact about my lyrics now and I love to hear what a song has meant to someone or what meaning it holds for them. I do find that as an emotional person with a thousand thoughts and philosophical ideas, I like songs and poems because I get to structure and refine my thoughts before I deliver them to the outside world.”
You can find “Cry If I Want To” on your favorite streaming services now, and get more musical deliveries from Malin on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and her official website! Keep reading for more from our Q&A with this awe-inspiring artist.
Hi Malin, congrats on your new single, “Cry If I Want To!” What does the song mean to you?
This song is my way of telling the younger me it was ok to be that emotional teen. That I wasn’t “too emotional.” And thus, also reassuring myself it’s ok to be an emotional adult. It’s a song about acknowledging your vulnerability, try to accept it, and a call for openness and a society where we call each other or reach out if we need a someone to talk to. It doesn’t even have to be that you need to talk about what you’re sad about, sometimes you just need proof that there is laughter out there, and good talks.
“Cry If I Want To” has so many beautiful lyrics, with one of our favorites being “how can you hold on when it won’t let you go?” Is there a certain lyric on the song that you’re especially proud of?
Thank you! That means a lot to me. I do think the pre-choruses have a key role transitioning the song from the “this is how I feel and it’s difficult” to the “I am actually going to own this and decide what I need in this situation.” It’s the in-between phase which can be very hard to
arrive at in real life. Those parts of the song symbolize the frustration and sometimes abstract place of in-between where you maybe unknowingly follow norms and don’t even think about reaching out to someone until you realize maybe that’s actually a possibility. It’s about daring to say, “maybe the problem here is not just the fact that I feel this, but also the fact that I think I can’t show it.” And how can you let go of something that has a hold on you? That’s a desperate feeling.
Your last single, “Who I Am,” explored identity and how we never fully know exactly who we are because we’re always changing and being affected by those around us. Is it hard for you to be this vulnerable in your music, or does your music feel like an outlet for you to let out those harder feelings?
I find it easy to write these things into my songs. I do, however, find it difficult sometimes to find the words, or the right way of doing it. And it has taken me some time to accept the fact that what I mean with my words can be interpreted differently by the listener. I have grown to love that fact about my lyrics now and I love to hear what a song has meant to someone or what meaning it holds for them. I do find that as an emotional person with a thousand thoughts and philosophical ideas, I like songs and poems because I get to structure and refine my thoughts before I deliver them to the outside world.
How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since releasing your last album, Wildhorse, in 2020?
With this project, one of my goals have been to give up even more control when it comes to the process and how we do things. I often have these concepts for my albums – a new thing I want to learn or a challenge for myself. I found myself a little lost with the long haul of the
pandemic and figured I needed some help to really spark my creativity. And I am so thankful to all of the people who have helped me create this new music. I think I have grown as an artist in the way that I am trusting the process even more and daring to see that there are many different ways to Rome. The proses of making Wildhorse really helped with that – and now I’m rehearsing trusting in it.
Is there anything else you’d like to mention or say to your fans that the questions didn’t touch on?
I just want to say that I am so thankful for any minute anyone would lend this music – the songs, the album to come – there are so many fantastic people who have contributed to making it. Music is a wonder in this world, and I feel truly grateful to be both a listening and creative part of it. Thank you for writing about it as well – it means a lot.
By Madison Murray
Featured Image: Lotte Thor
