Maria Mena and Grieghallen

Born on 19 February 1986 in Oslo, Norway and was inspired to write and record her own songs because of her musician father. As a way to deal with the separation of her parents, she wrote and sang, eventually recording a demo. Her father sent out her demo to various labels, and eventually she signed a contract with Sony Music. Mena released her debut single, “Fragile (Free)” in 2002. The following single she released entitled “My Lullaby,” which went on to reach platinum status. The success of “My Lullaby” led the way for her debut album, “Another Phase” in April 2002, which reached number 6 on the Norwegian charts.

In 2004 Mena released her first international album entitled “White Turns Blue” and debuted at the top position on the Billboard Top Heat Seekers chart. The single “You’re The Only One” which made number 25 on the United States Top 40 mainstream Billboard chart. In the same year, Mena also released her second studio album for release in Norway entitled “Mellow.” Her third studio album, “Apparently Unaffected,” which was released in Norway in 2005, which reached platinum in both the Netherlands and Norway, and gold status in Germany. Two albums later, Mena released her sixth studio album entitled “Weapon In Mind” on 13 September 2013.