[1] Ingrid Olava Brænd Eriksen grew up in Lillehammer, where she began to play on a piano in the neighbor's basement, eventually teaching herself the song "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music.
[1] Her first gig was at Utøya, at a youth camp, but the first breakthrough was at a concert at the John Dee Live Club & Pub, in November 2004, where she warmed up for Vidar Vang.
[5] In the summer of 2008, she played on the Hove Festival, Træna, and Øyafestivalen[6] where she surprised with her interpretation of Leonard Cohen's classic "Take This Waltz".
[8] After the record company EMI Music Norway heard her at a concert, they invited her to a studio with a giant grand piano, and told her to play.
"[1] The session resulted in a record contract and the debut album Juliet's Wishes, produced among others by Frode Jacobsen of Madrugada.
[9] Brænd Eriksen received two Spellemannprisen-nominations for the album, Newcomer of the Year and Best Pop Composition, for the song "Back to Love".
[11] Brænd Eriksen subsequently made an agreement with Christopher Nielsen that all proceeds from the sales of the song would go to the Rainforest Foundation Fund.
[11] Ingrid Olava Brænd Eriksen's second album, The Guest, produced by Frode Jacobsen and Alexander Kloster-Jensen, was released in February 2010.