MARI drops candid and empowering debut EP: between the lines

Danielle Holian
Oct 24
2 min read

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On October 17, Norwegian pop artist MARI will release her debut EP between the lines — her most personal and fearless work to date. The project takes listeners on an emotional journey from intense teenage heartbreak and loss of self to strength, self-respect, and artistic rebirth.

“I didn’t feel respected or heard. I had to break free and find my way back to myself.” That’s how MARI describes the heart of between the lines. The debut EP was born from years of processing a turbulent relationship that shaped her late teens. As she explains, “When you’re a teenager, a relationship feels like your whole life. The emotions are so strong — much stronger than people often realize. For a long time, I thought I had to be perfect to be loved, perfect for a boy to like me.”

What began as a painful and isolating experience eventually became healing. The writing process forced MARI to revisit wounds she once tried to suppress: “It felt like almost three years of my life were a fever dream. I needed distance before I could write about it.” Throughout the making of the record, she faced countless mini-breakdowns in the studio — but each one helped her reclaim her own story. “It was tough to relive it all, but at the same time healing. I grew while writing and singing about what I went through.”

The EP unfolds like a diary told in sequence — opening in confusion and heartbreak, then breaking apart before slowly rising again into empowerment and self-worth. Its closing track, goddess, is both a personal victory and an anthem for others: “It’s not about me being a goddess — it’s about every woman deserving to feel like one.”

For the first time, MARI has taken a stronger role in shaping both lyrics and melody, and together with her talented collaborators, the result is a project that feels more intimate, vulnerable, and fearless than her previous singles.: “Before, I often told my story to other songwriters. This time I wrote it myself — and you can hear that.” While rooted in contemporary pop, between the lines dares to move beyond trends, blending emotional honesty with a cohesive, modern soundscape.

between the lines was mainly produced by MARI’s brother, who at first found it challenging to hear his younger sister sing so openly about love and heartbreak. But he encouraged her to be fearless and honest. Alongside songwriter Kristine Willassen, who co-wrote every track, the team created a safe space that allowed MARI to be vulnerable, brave, and artistically free.

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