“Holding On” is my second single — a personal track about feeling stuck in a dark place but still trying to push through.

The idea started during a studio session with Norwegian producer Carl Victor, known for his work with Emma Steinbakken. I was actually a bit sick that day, so my voice ended up sounding rougher and raspier than usual, which kind of worked for the feeling of the song. Carl was playing around on the piano, and when he landed on something I liked, I told him to stick with it. From there, we built the structure and I came up with the topline and all of the lyrics right there in the studio and then at home.

Carl didn’t want to do another session after that, so I recorded the rest of the song — main vocals, harmonies, and adlibs — by myself at home. It wasn’t quick or easy, but that made it more personal too.

While we sat on the track for a bit, my manager Sam Bush pitched it to P1, one of Norway’s biggest radio stations, and got it picked up. We also worked with the design studio Uppercase to create the artwork. The song was officially released on September 29th, 2022.

A bit later, I went on a music trip to the UK, writing with FutureCut, Callum, and then again with Will Vaughan and Anders Hojer — the same team I worked with on my first single, Stuck in Time. Since Carl’s price for mastering was a bit over the top, we got Will and Anders to finish the mixing and mastering.

We also shot the music video during that UK trip. Half of it was filmed in a bedroom inside a communal house in London — for the part where I “wake up” from the dream, we used a spray bottle and a glass of water to drench me and get the shot. The other half was shot at a natural swimming pool in the countryside, about two hours from London. The water was freezing, and by the last takes I was shivering so much it was hard to keep my lip-syncing on point. But we pushed through and made it work.

From the vocals, to the cold water, to the story behind the lyrics, this song is exactly what it sounds like — trying to hold on when you’re close to letting go.