When you first start listening to Marit Larsen’s CD Under the Surface, you picture a shy young girl, peeking out from around a corner. You know that you’re only seeing a bit of what she has to offer. The more you listen, the more you realize just how intriguing both Larsen and her music really are. And then you just can’t wait to find out exactly what else she has up her sleeve.

Under the Surface is the aptly-titled debut solo CD from this extraordinary young Norwegian. At just 22 years old, Larsen has created an album that is both beautiful and playful – and that also reveals a maturity far beyond her years. Not surprising, considering that she has already held her own in the rough-and-tumble world of the music business for a decade.

Larsen released her first album together with her childhood friend Marion Raven at the age of 12. That release (a children’s album) was nominated for Norway’s equivalent to the Grammy, and by the time she was 13 Larsen was inspired to turn her considerable talents to songwriting. “I got ideas everywhere – every conversation could become a song,” she says. Those songs and her love of all things musical led to her and Raven to form the band M2M. When M2M was signed to Atlantic Records, Larsen found herself a worldwide star at the tender age of 16.

The shy, young girl with the great big talent has blossomed into a very rare flower, indeed.