Selma French Bolstad: – Music Is a Place of Refuge

Hi, and congratulations on your upcoming performances at Riksscenen! It’s still some time away, but have you had a chance to plan how the concerts will unfold - and who you’ll be bringing along?

– Thank you so much! I’m really looking forward to it. I have lots of visions and plans. With a mixture of excitement and terror. Some things are already decided, such as a Hardanger fiddle concert with my dad, Tore Bolstad. There will also be a world premiere of new music. And I’ve been given the opportunity to curate an entire evening - that’s going to be pretty wild.

As an artist, you’ve already done a great many different things, both as a solo artist and as a member of groups. Can you tell us a little about the projects you’ve been involved in?

– I’ve been part of Masåva since 2017. The group consists of Martin Morland, Solveig Wang, Øystein Aarnes Vik and me. We’ve released three albums: Masåva (2018), Er vi store nok nå (2021), and Dagen vi så på skatere (2024). Masåva really is a band where I learned how to be a musician. It was with Masåva that I first went into a studio and worked on our first album release. It was nominated for a Spellemann Award, and from there things can only go downhill. Since then, we’ve all gone in different directions. It’s really cool to come together with new musical references after having known each other for so long. We’re playing at Dråpefestivalen in Trondheim in August.

Another important band and project is Morgonrode, which started the year before Masåva. Selma French Bolstad plays in the group with Helga Myhr, Rasmus Kjorstad, Fredrik Luhr Dietrichson and Andreas Winther.

– Morgonrode has also released three albums - and I got a boyfriend, woohoo! We’ve been playing together for ten years now. Morgonrode has been an arena for improvisation, an outlet, and a source of inspiration within the folk-music world.

Selma French Bolstad mentions several other bands and projects in quick succession. One is the Karl Bjorå Ensemble, which she first joined in 2019.

– That was my first encounter with jazz musicians and jazz music. I found it difficult and scary at first, but once I became familiar with a certain form and musical language, it became incredibly fun to play. We’re performing at Moldejazz later this summer.

Another jazz-related project is Populærmusikk for Likesinnede, featuring compositions by Anna Ueland from Valdres. Selma was one of eight musicians involved in its world premiere at Oslo Jazz Festival last year. And then there’s the dance performance Livmødre, which premiered in 2022. She created the music together with Solveig Wang on synthesizer.

– In 2019, I played in the band We Come in Peace. It was a commissioned work created especially for the Ultima Festival, with music by Anja Lauvdal and Heida Mobeck. I was a terrified newly graduated musician in a tight-fitting alien costume. But it was incredibly inspiring to meet all the experienced dancers and musicians.

The active musician also has a duo with Ibou Cissokho, simply called Ibou & Selma. And many people will especially have taken note of her two critically acclaimed solo albums: Changes Like the Weather in the Mountain from 2022, and No Sign of Rotten Leaves from 2025.

Selma French Bolstad was born and raised in Ås, and has played the fiddle since she was five years old. As a young person, she was also involved in Tensing, and she grew up surrounded by traditional music. She went on to study folk music at the Norwegian Academy of Music until 2019, when she decided to try her wings as a freelancer.

Her debut album received reviews describing it as “brilliant and beautiful,” while No Sign of Rotten Leaves was called “a beautiful album” by Dagens Næringsliv. It also received a six out of six from Aftenposten, whose reviewer described it as “some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard.”

You’ve received some wonderful responses to your two solo albums. Does composing come easily to you? And how important are the lyrics to you?

– No, I wouldn’t say that. It’s easy when there’s something I want to say. It’s easy to be creative in the initial stages, and difficult to see things through. I’ve never managed to be much of a bookworm, unfortunately, but I’ve always picked up on lyrics in music. I think they’re naturally an important part of the whole. It’s exciting to hear what people have on their minds. It can be exciting, at least — it depends on what they have on their minds.

In addition to your own albums, you’ve also released a lot of great music with Masåva and Morgonrode. How do you manage to make the creative pieces fit together — and is it important to you to work with different kinds of music?

– The creative side is what I’m passionate about. The rest of the structure probably gets built around that, rather than the other way around. It doesn’t always work out perfectly, but I learn something from that too. Besides, I suppose that’s the price you pay for being involved in several projects.
I love making music and creating something that feels meaningful. I can probably disappear into a zone where my surroundings cease to exist for me. I’ve always worked with different things, and I think it’s wonderful to have an outlet for different sides of myself.
Variation is probably important to me, because otherwise I don’t get tired of it. Making music has always been a place of refuge for me.

You’ve also played more straight-up pop music with, among others, Frøkedal & Familien, Sondre Lerche and The Switch. What do you like most about being a musician for other people?

– First of all, it’s fun to be part of other people’s music when I think it’s good. And I can take on the role of a supporting musician or accompanist. That’s a role I really like, and a position I feel comfortable in — more than being the centre of attention. On top of that, it’s incredibly luxurious, logistically speaking, to simply be part of something. With everything you have to deal with as a freelance musician, it’s great to just be able to show up and play music together. Those times when you don’t have to do all the thinking, planning and logistics that go into a concert — that is BLISS.
Playing music I like with musicians I like — that’s the dream. For example, I think Anne Lise Frøkedal is an incredibly good songwriter and bandleader. I could play in Frøkedal & Familien every day, all year round. I’ve opened for Sondre Lerche, and was part of his band on the Avatars of Love tour in 2023. He has inspiring visions, keeps up with new music, and checks out and experiments with new things. With The Switch, I’ve been able to go completely wild with both fiddle and vocals, over their incredibly beautiful music.
In 2019, I also played in Kristian Kristensen’s band. That was my first touring experience as a musician and my first encounter with the pop world, with in-ears, quick changeovers, the music industry and summer festivals. And it was a wonderful group of people to play with.

You seem to be an artist who moves effortlessly through many different musical landscapes. Is folk music nevertheless part of your bedrock and foundation?

– Hmm. It’s… you could say it’s a language I learned and spoke from a young age. It’s a big part of me, and it has shaped the way I approach music - all music, really. And especially the references I draw on when I create something new.
At the same time, I’m very aware of how much material I don’t know. I see it more as a lifelong project of learning about and participating in a tradition. So there’s definitely a foundation there that has shaped me, while at the same time there’s an enormous amount more to learn and delve into. Little by little, for me.

You started playing the fiddle at an early age, and also studied classical music at Barratt Due. Was there a small element of rebellion involved when you also devoted yourself to pop and rock music?

– Haha. If so, it was probably a very gentle rebellion. I had some very powerful musical experiences as a child playing in an orchestra at Barratt Due. It gave me an early impression of what a professional musician’s life could look like in terms of workload, discipline and dedication. And it almost broke me, too.
At that point, the folk-music community — and the fact that I was writing my own songs on piano and guitar — became a lifebuoy that kept me connected to music. So in that sense, it wasn’t really rebellion, because there was never any resistance from home. Perhaps it was more a rebellion against my own expectations of myself. I have a family that values music — and because of that, I’ve had a good environment in which simply to get on with making music.

Can you tell us a little about the musical role models you’ve had, both Norwegian and international? And what kind of musical ideals do you have yourself today?

– On my iPod I had, among others, Travis, Coldplay, Fairport Convention, Sudan Dudan and Marit Larsen. Later came Susanne Sundfør, Valkyrien Allstars, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan and Vashti Bunyan. It was mostly older music that resonated with me. I’ve never really felt at home on P3. I always had the fiddle as my main instrument, but it was always songwriters who were my musical role models, really.
I remember hearing a Swedish band at Riksscenen. Anna-Tove Möller from Kolonien was singing and playing the fiddle very quickly at the same time. It was a bit like: “Aha! You can be a fiddle player in a band like this!” 
Sudan Dudan and Valkyrien’s music have always meant a great deal to me. And I have to mention Anna Ueland, whom I’ve played with all my life. She has been, and still is, a huge inspiration. We used to pick up rubbish at the Folk Museum in Fagernes every evening so that we could hear and watch the play Sol av Isfolket, with music by Marit Karlberg.

Selma also mentions “my good, patient fiddle teacher Elisabet Olhans at the municipal music school,” and goes on to mention the music programme at Ski Upper Secondary School, Bærum Spelemannslag, Strunkeveko and Danseru.

– These are important arenas! Don’t even think about shutting down music programmes or municipal music schools!

What do you yourself think is the best thing about making music? And what kinds of musicians inspire you to work with them?

– Great question! Music has given me the opportunity to travel around the world and meet wonderful people. And it’s not an exaggeration to say that music gives my life meaning. I really admire musicians who have the ability to make other musicians sound good. And musicians who surrender themselves to the music - listening, taking risks, and managing to channel something directly from the core. That’s… the shit. Healing for both the listener and the performer.

And then there are the concerts this autumn. How do you feel about getting the opportunity to present yourself at Riksscenen in this way? And what will be important for you to convey during these concerts?

– It’s a little scary, if I’m being honest. I want to challenge myself — and that’s scary. It’s a great opportunity, and I want to bring out something that means something. And I’m also a little shameless when it comes to who I’ve asked, and who I’m thinking of asking, to join me. It will be people I’m a fan of.

On November 7, you’ll perform with your father, Tore Bolstad. What can we expect from this concert?

– Ye!! Dad!! We’re going to play Hardanger fiddle tunes from Valdres. Probably separately — and maybe a little together. Playing solo Hardanger fiddle has for a very long time been perhaps the scariest thing I could imagine, but suddenly I’m actually looking forward to it a little. It’s nice to do it together. It’s not really anything new in that sense, we play together at home, but in recent years it’s rarely been anyone other than close family who have heard us.
We’ll see if it goes down well with other generations.