Astrid S

**Astrid Smeplass** (born October 29th 1996), known professionally as ***Astrid S***, is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and model. She officially started her career after she came fifth in the Norwegian version of the reality television show Pop Idol titled, Idol - Jakten på en superstjerne in 2013. She is known for her hit songs such as Someone New, The First One & Such A Boy.

## Early life

Smeplass was born and raised in Berkåk, a small municipality in Norway to parents, Trond Smeplass and Ingrid Koksvik. Due to the place receiving very little sunlight during the winter months, it is prone to be coated with snow which made Astrid fall in love with skiing probably because she had to ski her way to school at times.

As a child, her two main passions were music and sports. Her passion for sports was evident at school by her joining the ballet team and playing football during lunch-breaks. Her passion for music was shown by her playing the piano which she had learned from her mother but despite her enjoying to play the piano, she was not very much in love with the idea of pursuing a career in music. However, this was all to change once she got to her teens when she got acquainted with John Mayer. Inspired with his music and lyrics, she tried to follow his style but soon realized that it was not really her genre and with the experience she gained, she considered pursuing a career in music. Astrid's new love for music only intensified at the age of 15, when she was given a guitar by her parents in which she started writing lyrics and composing them on the newly given guitar she got. The lyrics consists mainly of soft romantic ballads. This is considered the turning point in her life.

## Life and career

In 2013 at the age of 16, Smeplass participated on Idol - Jakten på en superstjerne, the Norwegian version of Pop Idol. She was loved by the audience and had managed to get into the finals attaining the 5th spot. During the show, she collaborated with songwriters, Lars K. Hushoft and Melanie Fontana and released a single titled Shattered simply under the name "Astrid Smeplass." The song was such a hit that it received a gold certification in the Norwegian branch of the international federation of the phonographic industry (IFPI).

In 2014 at the age of 18, Smeplass released a single titled 2AM which was released in the United States in 2015 after landing a deal with *Universal Music*. This move made Smeplass receive critical acclaim and praise from many critics and fans. At the same year, she chose "FourFiveSeconds" which was originally recorded by Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney, to record a cover. She also recorded a single titled Running Out in collaboration with Matoma. Like her move with universal music, both pieces were widely appreciated by her fans, critics and industry professionals with Running Out receiving a double platinum in Norway.

In 2016, Smeplass supported Troye Sivan on his European tour. It was there where she announced the release of her self-titled EP which was released on the 20th May by the record label, *Island*. Although the EP made its place among the top 50 albums on the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish charts, it did not bring out the fame she thought she'll have. However, one of the singles in the album titled Hurts So Good broke the trend and became very successful in Europe receiving a gold certification in Italy and Denmark, a platinum in Denmark and Sweden, and gaining respectable positions on many charts across the continent.

In June 2017, Smeplass released her second EP, Party's Over which followed the same trend that her first EP had. Some of the singles from the album such as Breathe, Bloodstream and Such A Boy received praise from the Scandinavian countries with the former receiving critical acclaim worldwide for its silky electropop feel to it. Later that year in September, Smeplass released Think Before I Talk which topped the Norwegian and Danish charts, and peaking at number fourteen in Sweden. The single received a platinum and gold certification from Sweden and Denmark respectively. In that same year, Smeplass got a deal with *Universal Music* for her EP which they told her to go back to her roots and produce acoustic versions of her hit songs. The acoustic versions are all available on Astrid S' music channel.

In 2018, Smeplass participates on more tours across the globe with 32 shows in the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries on her Party's Over world tour. It was there where she released a single titled Emotion. Smeplass ended the year on a high note, joining the British synth-pop band, Years & Years at the London's O2 Arena.

In 2019, Someone New was released. Like the previous year, Smeplass continues on getting recognition by touring worldwide, hosting shows at New York and Los Angeles. This doesn't end there as she shortly joins with Swedish singer, Zara Larsson in her US-tour in April. She even later tours across the US and Europe on her Stripped Down Tour. Smeplass also released two EPs titled Trust Issues and Down Low on the 30th August and on the 26th September respectively. This had been the busiest year Smeplass experienced to date.

In 2020, I Do was released. Smeplass will release a new album this year called AS1.