About Betsann
I write because I need to…
Songwriting has always been my way of making sense of life — the things that happen to us, the people we meet, the choices we make, and all those thoughts and feelings that don't always have an obvious place to go.
Some of my songs are serious, some are hopeful, some have a bit of humor in them. But they all come from something real.
Where it all began
I started playing guitar when I was 13, and wrote my first song when I was around 18. I don't think I had any big plan back then. I just discovered that writing songs gave me somewhere to put the things I was thinking and feeling.
Music has always been a big part of my life. I grew up listening to everything from Elvis and Madonna to Metallica and Guns N' Roses, and later found artists like Jewel, Alanis Morissette and Eva Cassidy. I've never been very good at staying inside one musical box — and I suppose that still shows in the music I make today.
In 2009, I released my first album, Dreams Are Wonderful. Then life took me in a different direction for a while. I became a mother, and family and work naturally became my main priorities.
Music never completely disappeared, though. I still sang from time to time at weddings and funerals, and for around eleven years I took part in an annual concert at our local church with Onsøyjentene — a group of friends who loved singing together. I also kept singing and making music with friends in the local community.
Songwriting became quieter during those years, but the need to write never really disappeared.
Finding my way back
For many years, music was simply a smaller and more local part of my life. I still wrote from time to time, but family, work and everyday life came first.
During the pandemic, I started singing on Smule. What began as a way to sing and connect with others became much more important to me than I had expected. I met so many talented singers and wonderful people from different parts of the world, and singing with them reminded me how much music meant to me.
Somewhere along the way, the inspiration to make and share my own music started growing again.
In 2023, I released Tid, my first new music in many years, working together with Kenneth Kaland Fjellstad on the recording and production. It became an important step towards making and releasing my own music again — and felt a little like opening a door I had kept closed for a long time.
That door turned out to be difficult to close again.
In 2024, I released the Norwegian EP En bit av livet, and later that year I started releasing music as Betsann. Since then, songwriting and recording have become a much bigger part of my life again.
And this time, I think I understand better why I do it.
I don't write because I have all the answers. Quite the opposite. I write to sort through things — joy, grief, relationships, uncertainty, courage, the strange things we humans do, and all the questions that don't necessarily have neat answers.
Sometimes a song helps me understand something a little better. And if someone listening recognizes a piece of their own life in it, that's probably the most meaningful thing I could hope for.
Where I am now
Today, my music lives somewhere around folk and Americana, sometimes wandering into country, blues or indie rock. I’ve never been particularly interested in fitting neatly into one genre. What matters more to me is that the song feels honest, and that the music leaves room for the story.
I like real instruments. Guitars, bass, drums, little imperfections and all the things that make music feel human. I want my recordings to sound like people actually played them — because they did.
In April 2026, I released One Way Ticket, an album of twelve original songs. It felt like an important milestone for me, not only because of the album itself, but because of everything that had happened on the way there. One week later, I got to celebrate it with a full band and a full house at the release concert in Fredrikstad.
Playing live has become an increasingly important part of what I do. Sometimes it’s just me and my guitar, sometimes I play as a duo, and sometimes I have a full band behind me. I love the intimacy of a small room, but I’m also slowly getting used to bigger stages — even though they still make my stomach behave a little strangely.
And I’m still writing.
In August 2026, I released YOLO in both English and Norwegian. It became the first song from a new chapter — and the beginning of what ever comes next.
I don’t know exactly where all of this will take me. And maybe that’s part of the fun.
For now, I just want to keep writing, recording, playing live and seeing what happens.
One song at a time.
Thank you for listening - and for being part of the journey.
