Selma Eriksen has already begun to make her name in the music industry. At just 18, her songs have over 3.9 million total streams and she has captivated listeners with her uniquely “mystical” sound and Norwegian touch.
Selma has been surrounded by music her whole life. “I feel like I was born singing,” she tells Clique. At 13, she began her songwriting journey, and just a year later, she started participating in studio sessions and collaborating with other artists.
Selma’s artistry is reflective of the environments she’s grown up in: the bustling, fame-driven scene of Los Angeles and the contrasting serenity of Norway. “Having so many different worldly perspectives ties into the fact that I love so many different types of music,” she says.
Selma’s Norwegian roots become especially meaningful when it comes to integrating her personal identity into her songwriting. Selma’s biggest song, “By Now,” gained major traction in places like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
It features the lyric “Jeg elsker deg” which translates to “I love you.” Originally, Selma shares, the lyric was simply going to be “I love you,” but after jokingly recording the entire song in Norwegian, she decided to keep that phrase in the final version.
“How special would that be for my own heart, to have a little piece of my background in a song,” she says. Now, “Jeg elsker deg” has become a staple lyric among her fandom and Selma’s personal favorite phrase she has included in a song.
Live performance has always been something especially impactful to Selma, even serving as an inspiration for her pursuit of music. “Seeing the magic that’s created in the room when people are singing your song back to you, that just always inspired me,” she says.
Selma’s favorite performances include joining her sister, Elise Eriksen, on stage to perform “By Now” and a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Selma also recalls performing at the legendary Whiskey a Go Go at just eight years old. Today it is her goal to perform at every iconic venue along the Sunset Strip.
Selma is eager to share more of her work with listeners. Her upcoming single, “S.O.S.” will be released later this month. She describes the song as “dramatic, sad and almost cinematic,” further visualizing it as “super ethereal, almost siren-y.” She adds that this track allows her to showcase her vocal range more than ever before and is centered around the idea of “If we go down, we go down together.”
| Listen to Selma on Apple Music Listen to Selma on Spotify |
Photos: Katie Daly (@katiedalyphotography)
