As the first Norwegian debutante ever, 18 year old Lene Marlin’s single
“Unforgivable Sinner” went straight into number one when it was
released in 1998. In just a few months it had sold in 40000 copies.
The second single, “Sitting Down Here”, sold 10000 copies in just 24
hours. Never before had a Norwegian artist sold that many singles in
such a short period of time and only one have beaten the record
since: “Idol”-Kurt.
In the spring of 1999 came her debut album, “Playing My Game”, and in
just three days it had sold in 50000 copies. She achieved enormous
success across Europe, in Japan and Australia, she won four “Hitawards”,
an MTV-award and four (+one) Spellemanns-awards. Everyone said the
future looked bright for the Tromsø-girl.
-It’s almost unreal. I enjoy every day and I don’t know whether to
laugh or cry. So many good things are happening at the moment and I’ve
often expressed this joy by jumping around in the room!, said Lene Marlin
to VG in 1999.
But one year, 1,5 million sold albums and 2 million sold singles, it
became silent around Lene. Lene M. Pedersen from Tromsø, who had over
night become known as the singer and songwriter Lene Marlin, didn’t want
to talk to the press or show herself in public anymore.
The recordcompany Virgin refused to talk about what had happened to
Lene.
-I am sorry – I feel bad for everything and everyone, but I still don’t
feel like I’m strong enough to come ‘out there’ again and explain.
It will take time and I just need some peace and quiet, said Lene in a
rare interview to VG one and a half year ago.
-The job was simple too much for me, she confessed.
Already the summer of 2000 Virgin said that Lene was working on the
songs for the new album. Since then that has been the only answer
anyone has got when asked how Lene is doing;
“She’s working on the new album”.
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