Queer singer Girl in Red on why ‘lesbian’ is her least favourite word, how pop culture lacks LGBT representation, and the reason Covid-19 has left her emotionally exhausted

Marie Ulven become a cult figure among lesbians and bisexual women – but she says she wishes her sexual orientation was not an issue among her listeners

Ulven says the Covid-19 pandemic has affected her mental health and that it, along with the making of her album, has led her to cut down on social media

Reading Time:2 minutes

Norwegian indie pop singer-songwriter Marie Ulven become a cult figure among lesbians and bisexual women, especially on social media app TikTok. Photo: Chris Almeida

Published: 6:45pm, 11 Oct 2020Updated: 6:45pm, 11 Oct 2020

Young LGBT people are deprived of role models because there are not enough gay artists in pop, said Norwegian indie pop singer-songwriter Marie Ulven – known as pop star Girl in Red, who at 21 has become a cult figure among young lesbians and bisexual women worldwide.

Asking “Do you listen to Girl in Red?” has become a way for young LGBT women to connect, particularly on social media app TikTok, where the artist has more than a million followers.

“Pop culture lacks queer representation … When I grew up I missed seeing other queer artists,” Ulven told said from her home in Oslo.

She said she had not expected her emotional, guitar-driven songs to become anthems among young LGBT people.

One of her biggest hits, I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend, which was recorded in Ulven’s bedroom, has had more than 120 million streams on Spotify since 2018.