Don't Kill My Vibe (EP)

At the age of 16, Sigrid wrote her first song, "Sun" after her brother, who is also a musician, told her to stop performing cover versions of Adele songs at performances and challenged her to write a song that she could perform at one of his gigs.[2][3] In 2013, she released "Sun" as her debut single.[4] The song received airplay on Norwegian radio stations.[2] She signed to Petroleum Records the following year, and performed at festivals such as Øyafestivalen.[5] Sigrid went to a meeting with her future manager Geir Luedy at a show of Norwegian artist dePresno.[6] Initial production sessions followed in Bergen and Berlin, however, Luedy realized that the new production "wasn't what we were looking for."[6]

Sigrid was paired with Norwegian producer Martin Sjølie, and together they finished the demo of the song "Don't Kill My Vibe" that was sent to Luedy.[6] In September 2016, after executives heard that demo, Sigrid signed with Island Records and continued working with the rest of the EP.[2][7][8] The title track, which was originally a piano ballad, was reworked when Sigrid and Sjølie thought the song needed "[more] production" after listening to the chorus.[9] "Dynamite" (Acoustic) was written with her friend, Askjell Solstrand, which became their first writing session together.[9] For the EP, she collaborated with musicians Sjølie, George Flint, Henry Flint and Solstrand; all of them are credit as both songwriters and producers of the record.[10]

Don't Kill My Vibe has been described as a pop EP[9] with elements of electropop,[11] trip hop, synth-pop[12] and acoustic pop.[13] Sigrid explained that for the record she composed vocal melodies before writing the lyrics; for the title track she used one day finding out the melodies, while the next day was exclusively made for songwriting.[14] The EP is characterised by having an aggressive sound and raspy vocals.[9] The lyrics were described as "intensely relatable and wonderfully frank," which are inspired by her experience as a young woman in the music industry and situations people her age might encounter.[1][9] Abigail Hyland of The Line of Best Fit wrote that the EP "[vocalises] a problem that's been festering at the core of the music industry since its beginnings; for too long female artists have been subject to manipulation and oppression from men in positions of power".[15]

Don't Kill My Vibe opens with its title track, a melodic electropop anthem inspired by a difficult session where Sigrid felt her voice and opinion was being diminished.[16] It includes big, booming vocals, neon-tinged production and a euphoric chorus.[13] The following track, "Plot Twist", is a trip hop and synth-pop song about "finally getting over someone."[12][17] When asked in an interview if the track could be described as "angry", she considered it more as "sassy" but agreed that "it's good to get [your feelings] out."[9]

"Fake Friends" is another uptempo number that lyrically, talks about the dismissal of sycophants.[1] It begins with a "heavenly perfect guitar part" and melody-driven verses, transitioning into a chorus accompanied by drums and synthesizers.[18] Sigrid revealed that the song is not based on a personal experience, adding that the title "sounded really good, so I wanted to use it."[19] The EP closes with "Dynamite" (Acoustic), a sweeping, lush and vulnerable acoustic pop ballad whose instrumentation and vocals were compared to Adele's song "Hometown Glory".[13][20] She has described it as a powerful and personal song for her, it describes the struggles of balancing work and love.[21][1]

Don't Kill My Vibe was initially scheduled for release on 3 April 2017, however, it was later pushed back to a month later.[22] It was released digitally on 5 May 2017.[23] The 12-inch vinyl edition of the record was released in Scandinavia the same day.[24] A limited vinyl edition was released on 24 April 2018 at the Rough Trade shops in celebration of the Record Store Day.[25] The cover artwork is similar to the one used for the title track. Sigrid appears wearing a white t-shirt with the record's title and red jeans, while gazing to the viewer with a "have a go if you think you're hard enough" stare.[26]

To promote the EP, Sigrid did several live performances. She performed at the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Concert,[27] and festivals like SXSW, The Great Escape Festival, Roskilde Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival, Iceland Airwaves, and Øyafestivalen.[20] She also appeared at several television shows, including the Later... with Jools Holland, The Graham Norton Show and The Late Late Show with James Corden.[20]