[m2m]

hailing from oslo, norway, marit and marion of m2m have already made a big splash in their homeland and stand poised to acheive similar success around the world. having met at age five, the girls' play quickly began to center around dance and song. not long after they became friends, the two began acting in local productions, such as annie, the sound of music, the wizard of oz and bugsy malone. having run the gamut in musical theater, the two banded together to release a collection of children's songs in their native norway, in 1994. the success of the album—it was nominated for the norwegian equivalent of the grammy for best children's recording—resulted in national recognition, as they appeared on a variety of television programs.

to capitalize on their initial success, marit and marion—who were born in 1983 and 1984, respectively—headed back to the studio to record another album of children's songs. the two quickly realized, however, that their hearts weren't in it, this time around, and decided to make a different type of album all together. to that end, marit focused her attention on learning the guitar, while marion honed her skills on the piano: the two also began to write songs in english, in hopes that their music would be heard and appreciated by an even larger audience.

now, not even out of their teens, it looks as if they may get their chance to conquer the world, with the help of atlantic records, who signed the duo to an international recording contract in 1998. their first single, "don't say you love me", was the first to be released from the hugely successful pokeman: the the first movie soundtrack and their first album boasts the talents of producers who have worked with the likes of celine dion, the spice girls, lisa lisa and britney spears. recalling wilson phillips and hanson, "don't say you love me" is an acoustic pop romp that demonstrates musical talent that belies their respective ages while drawing the listener in with infectious hooks.

at a time when the music industry is awash in kiddie pop, what could possibly serve to distinguish marit and marion from any of a bevy of such acts? they're every bit as cute as christina aguilera and jessica simpson. they've firmly established themselves with their target audience, just like natali. they've got a scandanavian pop sensebility, such as that on britney spears' debut release. for m2m, it's the ability to write their own song and play their own instruments that puts them ahead of the pack, when it comes to getting noticed. and while marit and marion would probably be the first to admit that they are just setting out on the long and winding road to full-fledged divadom, one can't help but think that they may just be taking the notion behind "girl power" one step further.