M2M - The Band

The Norwegian teen pop duo M2M of vocalist/guitarist Marit Larsen and vocalist/keyboardist Marion Raven. They made their U.S. debut with the single "Don't Say You Love Me," which appeared on the Pokémon soundtrack and was certified gold in late 1999. Their full-length follow-up, Shades of Purple, was released in the spring of 2000. After a tour with Hanson, The Big Room came out in the U.S. in 2002, but when it failed to do well commercially, the duo officially broke up later that year.

I was introduced to M2M's music on that Hanson tour in 2000. Both of the girls have since gone on to have successful solo careers.

Marion Elise Raven is a Norwegian singer and musician. She was born on May 25, 1984 in Lørenskog, a suburb outside Oslo. She was formerly part of the duo M2M, along with Marit Larsen. After M2M broke up in September of 2002, Marion was offered a million dollar recording contract with Atlantic Records.

Raven's first solo album Here I Am was 2005. Raven is said to have written all of the albums tracks herself, except one. She also plays guitar and the piano.

The solo effort displayed a more mature rock songbird that veered away from the bubblegum pop image cultivated by Atlantic Records for M2M. 'Here I Am' sees Marion collaborating with veteran producers Max Martin and Rami, Jimmy Harry, and collaborations with Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe for the song "Heads Will Roll" and rock band Everclear on the song "At The End of the Day". The album mostly chronicles Marion's heartbreak and finding her true identity in an ever changing pop landscape.

In 2006, Raven was signed to indie record label, Eleven Seven, and released the Heads Will Roll EP. Most recently, she has released her European/U.S. debut album, Set Me Free, and has been extensively promoting it in Germany, Netherlands and the UK.

Marion's Official Website

After the breakup of M2M, Raven set off on her own solo career, while Larsen took time off to reflect on her career. Fan interest was reignited in 2004 and early 2005, as Larsen made several appearances in Norway, showing off a darker-haired image and new music with increased instrumental and lyrical scope. In October 2004, Larsen performed three original songs, entitled "This Time Tomorrow", "Recent Illusion", and "Walls", on NRK radio, showcasing her skills at both guitar and piano.

"Under the Surface", which was released in Norway on March 6, 2006, contains 11 songs, most of which were written individually by Larsen. Touted as "what many people consider to be the most eagerly awaited album of 2006", the record debuted at #3 on the sales chart in her native Norway. On March 31, 2006, it became official that, after just three weeks of sales, "Under the Surface" became a certified gold record in Norway, selling over 20,000 copies. In late 2006 and early 2007, "Under the Surface" won Larsen other accolades, including the award for Best Norwegian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and the Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) awards for Best Female Artist and Best Video ("Don't Save Me"). It was later announced in May 2007 that the album had reached double platinum status. In addition, Larsen was the most played artist on NRK P3 Radio in 2006, with her three singles ("Don't Save Me", "Under the Surface", and "Only a Fool") being played collectively more than 880 times.

She began a Norwegian club tour in late April 2006, headlining concerts for the first time in her career. She then played in music festivals across Norway during the summer, and held a second Norwegian club tour starting in October 2006.

Marit's Official Website