Fading red into blue was Girl In Red's most direct way of teasing her new song this time around. She started by gradually changing the red sweater on the cover of her 2018 track "We Fell In October" to blue—a song that sees a seasonal streaming spike every year, timed with perfect precision. Next, she turned the shirt on the Mozart portrait used as her Instagram profile picture from red to blue, even changing her account name to "@GirlInBlue." A few days later, the answer was revealed: a new single called "Blue."
"Blue" was released October 9 via Columbia Records, marking Marie Ulven's (aka Girl In Red) first new material in over a year, following last summer's single "Hemingway." The track continues her trademark vulnerable, unfiltered songwriting style, this time tackling the lingering uncertainty that follows a breakup and the sense of loss that comes with it.
The music video was directed by her longtime creative collaborator Isak Jenssen, shot in Ulven's hometown of Oslo, attempting to capture how heartbreak has shaped her into who she is today.
Last year's "Hemingway" dealt with heavier subject matter. Ulven revealed in an Instagram post at the time that the song was about her past struggles with addiction, eating disorders, and depression, describing herself as having been "in a really bad place" and saying the song "tells part of that story."
During Glastonbury 2025, she spoke to NME about the response to "Hemingway": "I was deeply moved by the reactions, because it's a vulnerable song about addiction, heartbreak, and relationship issues, and how they're all tangled up together." She admitted she was scared before its release: "I didn't want people to look at me and think, 'Oh, she's just someone in recovery' or whatever. I cared too much about how people would see me. At first I felt ashamed, but then I realized—being sick isn't something you should be ashamed of. Addiction is an illness, and it's something we need to talk about more."
She's also set to break into acting, making her film debut in "Low Expectations," slated for early 2027 release in the UK and Ireland. According to Screen Daily, the story follows a musician named Maja who falls apart at the peak of her career, sinking into depression and financial hardship, before moving back in with her mother and taking a part-time job at a local high school as she slowly finds her way back.
Speaking to NME about the filming experience, Ulven described it as an entirely different kind of intensity compared to touring: "Ten to twelve-hour shooting days back to back for almost a month—I was like, 'God, this is more tiring than touring.' But the whole process was cool, and I really hope the movie turns out great, because you just have to trust the process."
