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Eva Weel Skram
Thomas Stenersen

After the success of their last album, “Let’s Keep This Up Forever” – which newspaper Aftenposten awarded six out of six stars – there was no doubt about it: Eva & The Heartmaker had become a rock solid “pop ship” that also gained great interest from foreign radio stations and record companies. But how do you renew yourself when you have so much success on your CV?

– After having released a record that did well, this is like putting a chapter behind you. There’s no point in making the same record twice. We’ve always been very fascinated by pop music, but perhaps we haven’t dared doing it in full yet. The new album has a more synthetic style. And it’s even more poppy, Eva says.

A foretaste of the new album was the summer single “Mr. Tokyo”, which reached the Top 10 in Norway and Top 20 in Denmark and for months this summer was playlisted by the radio stations NRK P1 and NRK P3. The song was written in self-imposed exile in London, where Eva and Thomas through eight months got much of the inspiration for their new album. In a kitchen in East London, they scribbled down ideas on their laptop. Back home in Norway, their sketches have been turned into real productions, partly on the island of Giske outside of Ålesund, and partly in Thomas’ own studio i Oslo. Now the world is the next in line.

It’s five years since Eva Weel Skram moved to Oslo and met Thomas. Originally from Sogndal, with a folk-singing father and an unusually big collection of McMusic CD compilations, Eva already had a bag full of songs that were waiting for a musical partner. Thomas Stenersen from Bardufoss, with a past from a country duo and working as a guitarist for hire, was the man Eva needed. Together they agreed to start a band. And right after that they married.

Their debut album, “Behind Golden Frames” from 2006, gave them some attention, mainly because of Eva’s participation in the TV show “Idol” – where she thumbed her nose at the others by singing homemade songs, among them “Stupid Heart” – which was on Danish radio station P4′s playlist. The popular Norwegian movie “Mars & Venus” also featured two songs by Eva & The Heartmaker. But their big breakthrough was long in coming.

The song “Superhero” made everyone in Norway aware of Eva & The Heartmaker. Through a coincidence, a producer at NRK’s local Sogn og Fjordane radio station heard the song. A few days later, it was playlisted on NRK P3 and proved once and for all that Eva and Thomas had their pop flair intact:

– We’ve never made any secret of writing pure pop. I grew up with Robyn, Spice Girls and Oasis, so the day “Superhero” was put on a compilation album, I rejoiced for hours, Eva laughs.

The album that followed, “Let’s Keep This Up Forever”, got fantastic reviews and brought the duo out on the road with their faithful band, consisting of Alf Magne Hillestad (drums), Ingar Blix (bass), Lars Kvistum (Wurlitzer, organ), Anne Marte Nesdal (backing vocals, percussion) and newcomer Ingebjørg Eik (backing vocals, percussion). Together they’ve played home and abroad, even big festivals, and they’ve become a rock solid and seasoned live band which will tour after the album’s release.

New single “Signals” is the fifth Eva & The Heartmaker single since 2009 that’s been playlisted by Norwegian radio stations. It again shows their unique ability to make good songs:

– “Signals” is the most up-tempo song we’ve made so far and you may call it “retro synth pop”. We’ve heard others say that it contains references to everything from Van Halen, Blondie and Wings to ELO, Thomas says.

So things are promising well for the charismatic duo. New singles, a new album and great interest from abroad. Never having been afraid of being pop with a capital P, or of being someone else than they really are, Eva & The Heartmaker is a beautiful, small flower in the Norwegian music fauna. On its way to coming into full bloom.