I have to hand it to Maylen Rusti, she’s pretty energetic. In the video she sings and dances her way around a remote docklands area with some panache and enough vigour that I don’t know how she and the female dancers here manage to keep their pants from falling down.
But then I failed all my Physics exams at school…
Maylen specialises in memorable, hook-filled sing-a-long pop bangers and this is yet another one on the road to her second album, created with multi-instrumentalist Henrik Hilmersen. It will be released in April next year, 10 years after her first one.
Quite a large chunk of the intervening time was taken up being treated for and recovering from surgery on her vocal chords. She was actually signed to the same label as fellow Bergenser Aurora and at the same time and not surprisingly seeing the success Aurora has had Maylen is keen to get her music out there again and back on stage a.s.a.p.
She says that she has always liked the concept that life is a musical, and that was the idea behind the one-take music video they made.
‘Forglemmegei’ (Forget me not) is an optimistic song, “about a relationship you hope will last forever.”
What is especially interesting is that she adds that it is a song to her “ride-or-die” attitude and to her own courage. She enjoys taking chances, “because we often have more to gain than to lose”.
It is interesting because that is much the same philosophy, and indeed very similar phraseology, to that adopted by her friend Marte Eberson, in one of her recent single releases along the path to her debut album.
The difference is that while Maylen is happy to take a chance but really really wants it to work out; Marte can take it or leave it.
Perhaps they should write something together that they can duet, slugging it out over the best way forward in these matters.
Musically, ‘Forglemmegei’ starts off with a drum and bass passage that could have been lifted from ‘Another one bites the dust’ and it sets the scene for a racy, catchy, tuneful (including some of Maylen’s trademark vocal party pieces) and dance-y track that will leave you wanting more.
And if that’s the case I’d refer you to the first song of hers that we featured in NMC, ‘Romeo & Julie’, which has a very similar vibe.
Her style might be different to those of the Norwegian big hitters like Aurora, Sigrid, Girl in Red, Susanne Sundfør and the rest but there’s a huge market for Maylen’s variety of positive outlook, happy pop with eloquent lyricism and if the album is to the same high standard she’ll soon be closing the gap on Aurora like an athlete with rocket-powered running shoes.
Find her on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rusti.maylen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maylenrusti/
