Marit Elisabeth Larsen (born 1 July 1983) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. She began playing violin at age of 5 and played it until the age of 8. 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. Career M2M and early solo career Marit Larsen was born in Lørenskog, Norway. She became friends with Marion Raven at age five, and they formed their own band when they were eight, naming it "Hubba Bubba" after their favourite bubblegum. They released a children's album, Synger Kjente Barnesanger, under the band name "Marit & Marion". The album was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award when they were both 12 years old. They later decided to shorten the band name to M2M. Atlantic records signed them to a worldwide contract in 1998. Their debut single, Don't Say You Love Me, was both a critical and commercial success. The song was part of their debut album, Shades of Purple. Despite critical acclaim, their second album, The Big Room, did not perform as well commercially, and the duo broke up the year of its release. After the breakup of M2M, Raven began her solo career, while Larsen took time off to go to school. Fan interest was reignited in 2004 and early 2005 when Larsen made several appearances in Norway, showing off a darker-haired image and new music with increased instrumental and lyrical scope. Larsen performed three original songs, titled "This Time Tomorrow", "Recent Illusion", and "Walls", on NRK radio in October 2004, showcasing her skills at both guitar and piano. She also performed live at the highly anticipated by:Larm concert in February 2005. 2005–2007: Under the Surface Larsen recorded her debut album in fall 2005, Under