Here I Am | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 6, 2005 June 8, 2005 10 August 2005 | |||
Recorded | 2004–05 | |||
Genre | Pop rock Modern rock Post-grunge Hard rock Alternative rock | |||
Length | 56:56 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Max Martin Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald Rami | |||
Marion Ravn chronology | ||||
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Here I Am is the debut solo album by M2M member, Marion Ravn, released on June 6, 2005. Ravn co-wrote all but one of the songs with several well-known musicians. She played both acoustic and electric guitars as well as the piano and provided background vocals on a number of songs. The album showed her transition from her past M2M pop sound to a dark hard-rock sound. Her musical transition was well received by critics internationally.
The album debuted at No. 6 in her native Norway and at No. 13 in Japan [1] and was highly successful in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Raven went on a tour of Southeast Asian countries to promote the album in late 2005. However, lack of promotion on Atlantic Records part and delays in releasing the album in the U.S. prompted Ravn to leave the music company.
The album was released in the United States in 2007, with a different track listing and title, Set Me Free , incorporating new and old songs, including an acoustic version of "Let Me Introduce Myself" and the re-recorded version of "Heads Will Roll," which preceded the album in October 2006, as part of the Heads Will Roll EP.
Raven talked about "13 Days" and other songs on Here I Am in an interview in 2005,
13 Days is about a Danish boy I met. He came and visited me in Norway, at my parents' house; before I got to know him well. He was there for thirteen days. It didn't go well. We had nothing to talk about. He was really boring and I felt as if I was trapped in my own house. And on the day he was going home he wrecked my car. My dad had to come and pick us up. Then he almost missed his flight and since then I haven't heard a word from him. No calls, no emails. I've written three songs about those thirteen days. Three songs about the same guy. I get really pissed when I sing them. I hope he buys my record.
Ravn rose to prominence as half of the musical duo M2M, alongside Marit Larsen. In 2002, M2M disbanded after the release of two albums and some international success. Following the break-up, M2M's American record label, Atlantic Records, approached Ravn with an offer for a solo record contract. [2] In later interviews, she explained that she would otherwise not have been able to work with others until at least 2005, as she had a pre-existing contract with the label. [3] Her debut album was reported to have a budget of NOK 7.3 million, or approximately one million US dollars at the time. [4]
In the autumn of 2002, Ravn began recording songs for her solo project with Norwegian producer Ole Evenrud at his studio in Halden; these songs were ultimately never released. [4] Ravn was introduced to Max Martin by her then-manager Thomas Erdtman. Martin believed that he had songs that could be suitable for Ravn, but soon they started collaborating on the album's music and lyrics. Songwriting and recording started in January 2003 at Metronome in Stockholm and the album was reported to be finished by early January 2004. [2] [5] In an interview to BON, Ravn stated that they "had no fixed date by which we had to be finished. We could hold on as long as we felt necessary." [2]
Several other songwriters joined the project, including Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe (whom Ravn met in June 2004 when his band Brides of Destruction performed in Norway), Art Alexakis from Everclear (who sings on "At The End Of The Day"), Jimmy Harry, as well as Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida from the band Our Lady Peace. [6]
Japan and Scandinavia release track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Get Me Out of Here" | Marion Raven, Greg Kurstin, Richie Andruska, John Deley, Jamie Siegel | 3:30 |
2. | "Break You" | Max Martin, Dr. Luke | 3:11 |
3. | "Crawl" | Marion Raven, Danielle Brisebois, Jimmy Harry | 3:48 |
4. | "Here I Am" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub | 3:49 |
5. | "Little by Little" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Peter Svensson | 4:00 |
6. | "End of Me" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub | 4:29 |
7. | "13 Days" | Marion Raven, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida | 3:08 |
8. | "For You I'll Die" | Marion Raven | 4:50 |
9. | "Let Me Introduce Myself" | Marion Raven | 3:42 |
10. | "Heads Will Roll (EP)" | Marion Raven, Nikki Sixx, James Michael | 3:16 |
11. | "At the End of the Day" (featuring Art Alexakis of Everclear) | Marion Raven, Art Alexakis | 4:00 |
12. | "Six Feet Under" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub | 3:26 |
13. | "Gotta Be Kidding" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Camela Leivert | 3:47 |
14. | "In Spite of Me" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Alexandra Talomaa | 4:16 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
15. | "Surfing the Sun" | Marion Raven, Nikki Sixx, James Michael, | 3:51 |
16. | "There I Said It" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub | 3:46 |
The Japanese release also has a bonus DVD with 'Break You' and 'Here I Am' music videos.
Southeast Asia and Taiwan releases track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "End of Me" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami | 4:29 |
2. | "Here I Am" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub | 3:49 |
3. | "Break You" | Max Martin, Dr. Luke | 3:11 |
4. | "Crawl" | Marion Raven, Danielle Brisebois, Jimmy Harry | 3:48 |
5. | "Little by Little" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Peter Svensson | 4:00 |
6. | "Get Me Out of Here" | Marion Raven, Greg Kurstin, Richie Andruska, John Deley, Jamie Siegel | 3:30 |
7. | "13 Days" | Marion Raven, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida | 3:08 |
8. | "For You I'll Die" | Marion Raven | 4:50 |
9. | "Let Me Introduce Myself" | Marion Raven | 3:42 |
10. | "Heads Will Roll (EP)" | Marion Raven, Nikki Sixx, James Michael | 3:16 |
11. | "At the End of the Day" (featuring Art Alexakis of Everclear) | Marion Raven, Art Alexakis | 4:00 |
12. | "Six Feet Under" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub | 3:26 |
13. | "Gotta Be Kidding" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Camela Leivert | 3:47 |
14. | "In Spite of Me" | Marion Raven, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Alexandra Talomaa | 4:16 |
Bonus tracks and B-Sides:
Tracks that did not make it into the final cut of the album were,"Forgot His Name", "Brand New Me", "Disconnected", "Have Mercy", "Bittersweet" and "Gutter". Little is known about these songs, but a track called 'Get Over Me' leaked to the web in 2006. [7]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
ABCNYHETER.no | [8] |
The New Paper online | [9] |
Melodic.Net | [10] |
Play.com | [11] |
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
---|---|
Japanese Oricon Album Chart | 13 [1] |
Singapore Album Chart | 3 |
Malaysia Album Chart | 4 |
Norway Top 40 Albums | 6 |
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, being the only member to remain throughout their entire history. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister bandmate Lizzie Grey. In 2000, he formed side project group 58 with Dave Darling, Steve Gibb and Bucket Baker, issuing one album, Diet for a New America. Also in 2002, he formed the hard rock supergroup Brides of Destruction with L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns. Formed in 2006, initially to record an audio accompaniment to Sixx's autobiography The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, his side band Sixx:A.M. featured songwriter, producer, and vocalist James Michael and guitarist DJ Ashba.
Marion Elise Ravn, better known as Marion Raven, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. Raven formed the pop duo M2M with Marit Larsen, though they ceased performing together in 2002. Raven was later signed as a solo artist by Atlantic Records with the release of her solo debut album, Here I Am in 2005. In 2006, Raven was signed to the indie record label, Eleven Seven, and in 2007 re-released the songs on her debut album along with a few new songs on an album titled Set Me Free. In 2012, Raven began production of her second album, Songs from a Blackbird, which was released in Norway on 8 April 2013.
Marit Elisabeth Larsen is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. She began playing violin aged five and played it until the age of eight. She gained international fame during her teenage years as a member of the pop duo M2M with childhood friend Marion Raven. She then pursued her own music career, releasing her debut solo album Under the Surface in 2006. Her second album, The Chase, was released in Norway in October 2008. Her third album, titled Spark was released in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland on 18 November 2011, and in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on 16 December 2011. Her fourth studio album When the Morning Comes was released on 20 October 2014. Larsen toured in its support within Norway with her own concerts, played songs from the album in Germany and Switzerland at public festivals and was the opening act at two of Johannes Oerding's concerts in November 2015.
M2M are a Norwegian pop duo comprising Marit Larsen and Marion Raven. Larsen and Raven had been friends since the age of five, and formed a music duo when they were eight. They released a children's album in 1996 when Larsen was 12 and Raven was 11, under the name "Marit & Marion". The album was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award and the band changed their name to M2M after signing a record deal with Atlantic Records in 1998. M2M were frequently praised for writing most of their songs and performing their own instruments, something which was considered to set them aside from the majority of teen pop music artists.
John William Lowery, who is known by the stage name John 5, is an American guitarist. Lowery first took the stage name in 1998 when he left David Lee Roth's solo band and joined Marilyn Manson. Lowery later became the guitarist for Rob Zombie, and in 2022, became the touring guitarist for Mötley Crüe, being promoted to a full member the following year.
The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M is a greatest hits compilation album by Norwegian teen-pop duo M2M. It was released in 2003, a year after the group's disbandment.
Shades of Purple is the debut studio album by Norwegian pop duo M2M. It was released in the US on 7 March 2000 by Atlantic Records. It reached No. 7 in Norway, No. 89 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the US Top Heatseekers chart. The single "Don't Say You Love Me", which had already been released as the lead single of the Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack in October 1999, appears on the album. A further two singles, "Mirror Mirror" and "Everything You Do" were released throughout 2000.
The Big Room is the second studio album by Norwegian pop music duo M2M. It was released in Asia in November 2001 and in the rest of the world in early 2002. It reached No. 16 in Norway and No. 61 in Australia. Two singles were released worldwide from the album, "Everything", which peaked at No. 6 in Norway and No. 27 in Australia, and "What You Do About Me", which reached No. 46 in Australia.
"Don't Say You Love Me" is the debut single of M2M, a Norwegian pop duo consisting of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. The song first appeared on Radio Disney before its official US radio and single release in October 1999. It was released on the soundtrack to the film Pokémon: The First Movie in November 1999 and appears in the film's closing credits. The song was featured on M2M's debut album, Shades of Purple (2000) as its opening track, and also appeared on their compilation album The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M (2003).
Set Me Free is Marion Raven's North American and European debut album released under indie label Eleven Seven Music. The album incorporates a mixture of fresh tracks and previously released tracks, with some revised versions, from her Asian and Scandinavian debut album, Here I Am. She also played the piano, acoustic and electric guitars on the record. Set Me Free headlines Raven's inclination to harder rocking songs and a darker lyrical scope. The album has been released in Germany and the U.K. with a digital release on the Dutch and US versions of iTunes. Interscope released the album in Canada, where Raven performed in ten Canadian cities as the opening act on Meat Loaf's March 2007 Arena tour.
Heads Will Roll EP is Marion Raven's first EP that was released on October 31, 2006. All of the songs were written by Raven in collaboration with numerous artists including Nikki Sixx, Scott Stevens and Freddy Herrera, Keith Nelson and Xavier Muriel (Buckcherry), and Raine Maida. The EP was made available for downloading from iTunes while the hard copy was exclusively released in the US. In Raven's own words, the tracks on the EP are fun rock songs that are meant for jumping around to.
"End Of Me" is a pop rock song written by Marion Raven, Max Martin and Rami for Raven's internationally released album Here I Am (2005). It was released as the album's lead single in Southeast Asia in 2005 and was very successful in the region, reaching the top ten in many countries that include Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore.
"Break You" is a pop rock song recorded by Marion Raven and written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz Gottwald, a.k.a. "Dr. Luke", for Raven's international debut studio album Here I Am (2005). The track was released as the lead single in Japan and Norway and was the second single from the album that was released in Southeast Asia in 2005. The single was highly successful and was well received by critics. The single was released after Raven left Atlantic Records, due to "artistic differences" and joined Eleven Seven Music.
Sixx:A.M. was an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2007 by Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba, and James Michael, and was a side project of Sixx, who was also at the time bass guitarist for Mötley Crüe. The group is best known for their songs "Life Is Beautiful" and "Lies of the Beautiful People". The name Sixx:A.M. is a combination of all of the members' last names.
Daren Jay Ashba is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He was the lead guitarist of Sixx:A.M. He is also known for his work with hard rock bands BulletBoys, Beautiful Creatures and Guns N' Roses. He has worked with various artists including Mötley Crüe, Drowning Pool, Marion Raven, Aimee Allen and Neil Diamond. He is the CEO of Ashba Media.
James Andrew Michael is an American record producer, sound engineer, mixer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was the lead singer of the rock band Sixx:A.M.
"Everything You Do" is a single by Norwegian pop duo M2M, composed of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. It was the third and final single from their debut album Shades of Purple. It peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales.
"Mirror Mirror" is a song recorded by Norwegian pop duo M2M, composed of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. It was the second single from their debut album, Shades of Purple. The song reached No. 13 in Canada, No. 30 in Australia, and No. 62 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold in the US, selling over 600,000 units.
Songs from a Blackbird is the second studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter Marion Raven, first released in Norway on April 5, 2013. This album marks her first release in six years since 2007's Set Me Free and her first studio album in eight years composed entirely of brand new songs since 2005's Here I Am. Songs from a Blackbird also showcased Marion's musical transition from her past hard rock style into a softer folk-rock music.
"Everything" is a single by Norwegian pop duo M2M, composed of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. It was the first single and the opening track from the duo's second album, The Big Room. The single was released worldwide between October 2001 and March 2002. It was well received critically, and reached No. 6 in Norway in addition to being a minor hit in Australia, Italy and New Zealand. A music video directed by Chris Applebaum was released for the single. M2M performed the song on the 100th episode of Dawson's Creek and live at the 2002 Spellemannprisen awards. The song earned M2M a nomination for "Best International Artist" at the 2001 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
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