Growing up on a small island outside Stockholm, singer-songwriter Marlene Oak turned to music as her escape. After spending her teenage years busking on the streets of the Swedish capital’s Old Town, she first got discovered by someone who simply happened to pass by. After releasing a couple of songs, she has gone all in as a live artist, and built her following on the pub and festival stages around the country.
“My favourite part about being a music creator is playing live,” she says. “When you play live, there’s something magical happening. Music in itself is magic, and when you stand there and sing your self-written songs, an invisible bond between me and the audience sort of forms. There’s some sort of connection that’s like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. It’s truly amazing.”
With a soothing voice that expresses raw emotions, Marlene Oak manages to move her audiences like few other artists can. She describes her latest track, “In The Evening” with the three words: “love, hope and chaos.”
“‘In The Evening’ just came to me in the moment, one evening when I was sitting by my kitchen table. The song is about a relationship I was in at the time. Sometimes life and mental health gets in the way. But I hope everyone will be able to relate in their own way to the song, so that it can mean whatever the listener want it to mean,” says Oak.
With only captivating vocals and a simple, live recorded guitar, Marlene Oak manages to build an enchanting atmosphere and a bare soundscape. The stripped-back vibe combined with moving lyrics turns “In The Evening” into magic.
