Oakland Rain To Steal Hearts With New Song "If You Were A Song"

By Sophie Grube

Norwegian Indie folk-pop / Americana duo Oakland Rain prepares to steal the hearts of fans across the globe with their very first time trying American country music in "If You Were A Song." Part of their double full-length debut album "Twin Flames," the pastoral country ballad is a heartfelt tribute to the band's connection to its American heritage and their maternal grandfather's love for American country and folk music. Dabbling in folk and some aspects of country for a while, the girls decided to try their hand at “clear and literal country music”- and they nailed it! Painting a vivid picture of nostalgia, they reminisce as they sing, “If you were a song, I would play it from a 67 Mustang / With the wind in our hair, Driving by the ocean through America”.

This extraordinary duo consists of twin sisters, Maren and Charlotte Wallevik, who started singing and exploring their musical talents at a very young age. It was not until around 11 or 12 years old that the sisters started putting their talents together to form an idea of the band they are today. They recollect as one day Charlotte came to one of Maren’s piano lessons when the piano teacher discovered they both sang as well, and putting them together lead to beautiful and harmonious vocals from the duo. The first song they ever sang together was “Imagine,” by John Lennon and the power of the two voices together gave them the idea to start this band. Although the band itself did not set in until their teenage years, music has always been a part of these girls’ lives. They remember driving to their cabin in the mountains of Norway with their family blasting music in the car and singing as a family - “We had this Taylor Swift CD that we played so much it eventually ran out of energy and stopped working!” Music was and still is a big part of this family, especially stemming from their grandfather's love and passion for American country and folk music, making him the object and inspiration for this new single, "If You Were A Song”.

Written back in 2022, “this song is a tribute to our late grandfather who we lost later that year. He inspired us to pursue music in the first place and continues to inspire us to this day.” His song succeeds in explaining how the sisters see their grandfather and their love for him through the music that he shared with them. If you pay attention to the lyrics and imagery, there are many 1960s references from America in this song, the years their grandfather actually lived in America so those were the memories and songs he had brought back and shared with his family. One of the most beautiful parts of this story is that the two women even got to sing this song for him before he passed, “and he smiled through the whole song.” The imagery includes scenes like a Mustang muscle car- that was actually their grandfather’s that he used in the 60s in America and shipped back to Norway when he returned home- and the tranquility of being by the ocean with the wind in your hair. The influence of Simon & Garfunkel is palpable in the harmonious vocals of the twin sisters, Maren and Charlotte Wallevik.

Oakland Rain sisters are planning their very own voyage to the states this summer! June shows in Virginia are already in the works and they hope to travel around the US, both performing and exploring while they are here. “After the pandemic when everything was closed down, we are so excited to be able to travel and perform again!” Keep an eye out for show dates in the US and also for the release of their full album, “Twin Flames” in early autumn. This powerful female duo is breaking barriers and taking strides in their music career. Although it is tricky as a woman to get both feet solidly in the music industry, they empower others all around them, saying, “it is a strength, a superpower to be a woman”.