The album saw a shift from the piano-driven pop of previous releases towards a more ambitious and electronic direction; its title track reached number two on the Norwegian singles charts, the highest of Sundfør's career.

In 2011, she released a live instrumental album composed solely of synthesizers, A Night at Salle Pleyel, serving as a commission piece.

Her international breakthrough came in 2015 with her fourth studio album, Ten Love Songs, which saw Sundfør experimenting with an electronic dance pop sound.

Her fifth studio album Music for People in Trouble (2017) represented a departure from the electronic-driven sound of previous records in favor of a return to her roots as a folk singer-songwriter.

[2] Sundfør rose to fame in her homeland in 2005, when she toured Norway opening for English singer Tom McRae.

[6] That same month, Sundfør appeared on Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway's album Sorgen og Gleden (English: The Sorrow and the Joy), with the Norwegian folk-tune psalm "Ingen Vinner Frem til Den Evige Ro" (English: "No One Reaches the Eternal Calm") by Lars Linderot and Gustav Jensen.

"[12] Dagbladet wrote that Sundfør was so good that other young Norwegian artists would start crying when hearing her—both because she is several leagues above them, but also because her music is so moving and beautiful.

She said in a 2013 interview, "I think I only decided that this is something that I wanted to spend my entire life doing after I released The Brothel, because that was the first time I really felt like I had 'found' a sound.

[3] Sundfør composed it solely of synthesizers with a team of four keyboardists chosen by her: Ådne Meisfjord, Morten Qvenild, Øystein Moen and Christian Wallumrød.

The soundtrack was released on 9 April 2013 and features the title song "Oblivion" with Sundfør contributing the main vocals.

[25] Later that month, Sundfør's back catalog was released for the first time in the United Kingdom to positive critical response.

[27] The song was recorded by the three in 2012 for the Oya Container during the Øyafestivalen in Oslo, and was released worldwide on 24 May 2013 on streaming services and for digital download.

[34] On 6 June 2017, Sundfør announced her fifth studio album Music for People in Trouble would be released on 25 August 2017 through Bella Union, although it was later delayed to 8 September due to "unforeseen circumstances".

[20] The album represents a departure from the electronic-driven sound of previous records in favor of a return to her roots as a folk singer-songwriter.

[43] In 2020, Sundfør composed the score to the biographical film Self Portrait, about the late Norwegian artist Lene Marie Fossen.

[60] Other influences she has cited include Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Carole King,[34] Cat Stevens,[61] Radiohead, Burial,[60] Skream,[50] Aphex Twin,[49] Depeche Mode,[62] Scott Walker,[63] Philip Glass,[64] Sylvia Plath,[3] and Elton John,[34] as well as traveling, books, films, music, and "life in general.

"[50] Sundfør has stated that she is an atheist but that she "doesn't think science can explain everything that surrounds us," continuing: "Sometimes it's fun to imagine that there is a 'bigger' meaning, a connection, something we have not yet thought about and is expecting to reach a higher level of understanding.

Prior to the 2017 Norwegian General Election, Sundfør showed her support for the Socialist Left Party on Twitter, writing: "Vote for solidarity and protecting our planet.

"[71] The drone outro in "The Sound of War" from 2017's Music for People in Trouble was inspired by a BBC report on Gaza.