We Now Know What M2M Has Been Up To Since The Day They Went Away
Many will argue that girl groups had their heyday in the early 60s, but as someone who grew up a few decades later, I believe that the 90s were the decade for female musical groups. From Spice Girls to TLC, all-girl bands were all the rage, and to this day, we still blast their songs and sing along at the top of our lungs.
But while many delivered cheesy, bubblegum tunes that we all loved, there were some that stepped outside of the box, and brought something different to the table. Norwegian girl duo M2M were a perfect example.
Compromised of Marion Raven and Marit Larsen, these women shied away from dance breaks, and instead they played their own instruments in songs like their debut single "Don't Say You Love Me" and "Mirror Mirror."
Their lyrics and music videos were very PG-rated, which actually helped them in their success as their first single was featured in Pokemon: The Movie in 1999. M2M's popularity skyrocketed after the film's release, and they released their first album, Shades of Purple, in 2000.
The critically acclaimed album sold 1.5 million units worldwide, and that same year, the pair were invited to tour with Hanson. M2M also appeared on a ton of television shows, including Top of the Pops, All That, and MTV's Hot Zone. They also performed a show at Walt Disney World's Epcot park, and the concert later aired on Disney Channel.
This newfound fame pushed Marion and Marit to record and release a follow-up album in 2002, but unfortunately, their novelty had started to wear off by then, and the album did not perform as well as their debut. The Big Room featured a more mature sound, and some of the singles even got played on Dawson's Creek, but that wasn't enough.
M2M were on tour with Jewel when their record label dropped them. They returned to Norway, and broke up shortly after. Marion was offered a solo recording deal by Atlantic, but it was later revoked.
In a 2007 interview, Larsen explained that M2M's breakup was peaceful, but "when [they] decided it had to end, it really had to end", adding "we started to pull each other in different directions, because I wanted to make really good pop music and Marion wanted to go rock."
While M2M was no more, Marion and Marit were not ready to give up on music. They released a greatest hits album, The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M, in 2003 (I know, they weren't around long enough to justify a greatest hits album, but it is what it is), before pursuing their individual solo careers.
Marion and Marit haven't been in the headlines for years, but many among us often wonder what became of them since the early 2000s.
Both Marit and Marion have released solo albums in the years that followed, but the latter seems to have found better international success than her childhood friend and former band mate.
The 33-year-old has released seven albums since M2M disbanded, and also wrote songs for other artists like Pixie Lott and Lindsay Lohan. She has also provided her vocals as Rapunzel in the Norwegian version of the animated Disney film Tangled.
Marion was married to professional snowboarder Andreas Wiig for two years, before calling it quits.
As for Marit, she didn't start on a solo career right after she parted ways with Marion. She went to high school first, and then released her debut solo album, Under the Surface, in 2006.
She won the award for Best Norwegian artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards that year, and she has since been dominating the charts in Norway.
Marit created her own independent label, Handbryggrecords, and has been releasing her work through the label since 2016. Details about her personal life are scarce, so it's unclear what else she's up to outside of the entertainment industry.
As a fan of M2M back in the day, it's really nice to see that Marion and Marit didn't fade into obscurity. They may no longer be popular in the U.S., but they're still quite successful in Norway and Europe.