Anna Lotterud, the singer-songwriter behind Anna of the North, makes “soft, soul-bearing electro-pop.” Her nickname was given to her after her move across the world from Norway to Melbourne, during which she underwent a creative breakthrough and decided to focus on her music career. Since then, she’s been featured on the “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” soundtrack, won a Spellemannprisen — often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy — and has been handpicked by artists like Tyler, the Creator to collaborate on songs. 

Most recently, she’s embarked on her second North American tour, and announced the deluxe edition of her album “Crazy Life.” Lotterud is no stranger to heartbreak and emotional nakedness, something her albums don’t hesitate to delve into. “Crazy Life” is a chronicle of finding comfort in vulnerability while discovering beauty in the mundane. 

This article has been edited for length and clarity.

WSN: You’ve said you like to deviate from the typical song structure of strict verses and choruses. Is there a thought process behind this or is it just something that comes naturally to you as an artist? 

Lotterud: For me it’s all about trying to be free and trying to not think too much about structure or what the rules in music are. I’ve always been really like, “If it comes out that way, then it’s meant to be. But if a song comes out in a different structure, then it’s meant to be like that.” I do what feels right for me.

WSN: Do you think that writing songs in English helped you learn the language better, or do you write them in Norwegian first? 

Lotterud: Music and melodies and words, they come to me at the same time. That’s how I write songs. In the process, something will just come out and it just needs to sound like that because that is what’s meant to be. I definitely have become way better at English now, but it is my second language, so writing in English has been hard. Sometimes I feel like it would be so much easier in Norwegian, but maybe that’s what makes my songs special as well. 

WSN: Would you credit your feature on Tyler, the Creator’s song “Boredom” or on “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” as the impetus for skyrocketing your career? 

Lotterud: I think the years 2017, 2018 is where a lot of good stuff happened for me and built the foundation for where I am today. “To All The Boys” definitely was. It was fun and the features and stuff were so good.

WSN: How do you explore new music? 

Lotterud: I was really good at it before. I wanted to find music that no one was listening to and be like, “Oh have you heard this?”After getting into writing, it’s been less and less, but I’m trying to get more into music and using YouTube and all the music platforms. Some nights, I’m diving deep down into the internet. I need to get better at that. I was better before and I think it’s a quality we’re all starting to lack.

WSN: What do you miss the most about Norway when you’re on tour or away from home? 

Lotterud: My dog. Honestly, even just sitting here now, it’s our second U.S. tour. We just try to think how amazing it is for us traveling here and having people buy tickets to see us. We’re really appreciative of that and it’s quite special. You tend to take things for granted, life just goes on. So right now I’m trying to not look back, and just enjoy America. 

WSN: Do you think going to school in Melbourne and separating from your Scandinavian roots helped you gain confidence in yourself and your music? Would you still be in music if you had stayed home?

Lotterud: No, never. I think Melbourne was just what I needed. Without Melbourne, I wouldn’t have been here at all. In Melbourne, I met different cultures and people being really creative. In Norway, we have a saying where you’re not supposed to be something you’re not. You’re not a musician if you don’t have millions of plays on Spotify. In Melbourne, people were like, “I’m a writer” even if they hadn’t released any books or anything. That’s where I started saying things quietly, but the more I said it, the louder I said it. That convinced my brain that that’s what I wanted. Then I went home and I released my first song.

WSN: Can you talk more about your vintage merch collection and your effort to stay sustainable on tour? 

Lotterud: It’s actually quite funny because we were walking around New York yesterday and took a photo — I am wearing the exact same clothes as in 2017. I just have my clothes and those are my clothes. It looks like it’s on the same trip but it’s three years later. We did a collaboration with a Norwegian secondhand store called Tise — it’s online, and we made vintage merch where you could create your own piece and get my logo embroidered on it. It’s fun, but I can’t bring it to the United States, as it’s quite hard. I’m trying as best as I can to be aware of the situation in the world and make the right choices. 

WSN: How do you feel Norway differs from America in the terms of its music industry? 

Lotterud: I’d never been to the United States until 2017. The industry in Norway is smaller and you kind of know everyone, but here it’s such a big thing. Everything in the U.S. is big, so it’s definitely been challenging feeling this big-ness as an outsider. But also, we were just talking about my crowd in the United States, and they’re so warm and welcoming. I don’t feel like an outsider but when I’m here playing and meeting the people, I feel like I’m at home. Almost like America is my music homeland. It’s where Anna of the North’s home is.

Contact Julia Diorio at [email protected].