Hanne Kolstø is a hyper-active Norwegian songwriter and artist, with six al… Read Full Bio ↴Hanne Kolstø is a hyper-active Norwegian songwriter and artist, with six album releases in the last four years. With a unique voice and intuitive sense of melodies she lures you into her world of dark personal lyrics and flourishing creativity. She loves to experiment and mix genres – one moment she whispers softly in your ear, the next she howls with despair.

Hanne Kolstø has always been an artist who makes her own choices, and with «Fest Blikket» she once again makes an unexpected one. But this isn’t a daring thing to do for an artist like Hanne Kolstø. She’s always had blind faith in her own musical expression, and she’s landing firmly on her own feet this time as well. Of course she does.
This will be her second full length album this year, but while she took apart her old songs and gave them an acoustic wrapping on her last album, «Live at Tøyenkirken», she’s made a return to electronic music on «Fest Blikket». This time, though, the lyrics are in Norwegian.
Originally, «Fest Blikket» was recorded as an instrumental album, and initially she planned to release it like that. But, as she says:
«I’ve always written small poems in Norwegian, but never really considered them for mye songs. But, by creating my musical landscape first, it was as if my lyrics was set free. Instead of putting lyrics to melodies, I found melodies to the lyrics. That way, you might say everything’s been turned upside down on this album».
So you might say this is an unexpected choice by Kolstø, but it really isn’t a new thing. She’s always written Norwegian texts besides her music, so it was just a question of time before she took the final step.
On «Fest Blikket», the pursuit of an identity is a recurring theme, which incidentally always has been a theme in Hanne’s music.
You could say this album’s expression is much closer to me than the previous albums».
The Norwegian lyrics brings a new dimension to Hanne Kolstø’s music, and you might say that she’s finally come «home». Including this album, she’s released seven albums in six years, and even though that’s impressive, the music will always be the one thing you remember when you think of Hanne Kolstø.

The City
HANNE KOLSTØ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

understatement
makes life so absent
love, lust, undone
gonna burst
oh i just want some fun

i am a city without the lights
i am a city that sleeps at night

i know my life on foregone
and i don´t wanna know what´s going on

black, blue, darkness
hello to madness
white chalk is all i need to confess
day and night
there´s so much i can´t express

find yourself
in and out itself
we´re looking for something
waiting for someone
bottom shelf
still i know myself
you think you can see me
think you can see me
but you don´t know
who i am

life is delicate
so much space to accelarate
shine a light so i can find the way to go
tell me where the wind is gonna blow

i want a city with all the lights
that never ever sleeps at night

where noone goes home
and we never sleep alone

Overall Meaning

In Hanne Kolstø's song "The City" she speaks about her experience in a big city. She talks about how understatement makes life absent and love and lust leave one feeling unfulfilled. She expresses the desire to burst and just have some fun. Hanne Kolstø views herself as a city without the lights, a city that sleeps at night. This could mean that she feels like she is not a vibrant and exciting person or that she is not living life to the fullest. She knows that her life is on a foregone path that she doesn't want to acknowledge.

She uses the color black and blue to describe the darkness that she feels inside. She addresses madness as if it's something she has to say hello to all the time. She only needs white chalk to confess what she's feeling inside. Hanne Kolstø finds it difficult to express many things because the city has so much noise and activity. She expects people to think that they know her, but they don't because they only see what is on the surface.

Hanne Kolstø states that life is delicate, and there is so much space to grow but notes that it's crucial to shine a light to guide the way. She expresses her desire to be in a city where everything is lively and exciting, and nobody ever sleeps. But, she knows that the reality is that she lives in a city that sleeps, and she must accept that and find a way to live with it.

Line by Line Meaning

understatement
Downplaying things makes life feel unfulfilling.

makes life so absent
Not expressing oneself fully causes life to feel empty.

love, lust, undone
Feelings of love and desire are unresolved.

gonna burst
Emotions are becoming overwhelming.

oh i just want some fun
Wants to let loose and have a good time.

i am a city without the lights
Feels like a lonely place with no excitement.

i am a city that sleeps at night
Feels inactive and uninteresting.

i know my life on foregone
Feels like life's outcome is predetermined.

and i don´t wanna know what´s going on
Avoiding the unpleasant reality of the present.

black, blue, darkness
Feels depressed and hopeless.

hello to madness
Acknowledging the descent into mental instability.

white chalk is all i need to confess
Wants to confess and confront inner demons.

day and night
The passage of time holds much unknown.

there´s so much i can´t express
Has difficulty expressing oneself.

find yourself
Discover your true identity.

in and out itself
Turn inward to understand who you are.

we´re looking for something
Searching for a purpose or meaning.

waiting for someone
Hoping for someone to come and make a change.

bottom shelf
Feeling unimportant or overlooked.

still i know myself
Despite everything, still recognizes their own identity.

you think you can see me
Others may believe they know you.

think you can see me
Others may believe they know you.

but you don´t know
But they don't really understand who you are.

who i am
Identity is complex and not easily defined.

life is delicate
Life is fragile, requiring care and attention.

so much space to accelerate
There is much potential for growth and change.

shine a light so i can find the way to go
Asks for guidance and illumination.

tell me where the wind is gonna blow
Asks for reassurance about the future.

i want a city with all the lights
Desires excitement, energy, and action.

that never ever sleeps at night
Wants to keep the party going all night long.

where no one goes home
Wants to keep the fun and excitement going indefinitely.

and we never sleep alone
Wants to share this experience with others.

Contributed by Dylan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Ulf R Bakken

12y↑1

Hanne, du er blitt enda bedre enn jeg torde drømme om når jeg så deg på Jazzincobator på Lillehamer for mange år siden. Fantastisk vakker pop! Og sørlendingen får tårer i øynene når han ser videoen. Brilliant!