There was a moment under the spotlight at Oslo’s Spektrum arena, only fleetingly, when the tiny frame of Sigrid shook her head and flicked her hand momentarily into the air, before launching into another vocal harmony with the band. Blink and you’d have missed it. It probably didn’t even register among most of the near 10,000-capacity crowd of music-loving Norwegians and international travelling fans who greeted the efforts on stage with roars of approval.

But when I asked later if there had been a point during the 20-song set where she’d been able to just pause, look out at the sea of faces and take in the absolute amazingness of what she’d achieved, the 25-year-old says, ‘ouff . . . that was during “Grow”. I really had to keep it together to not cry when I looked over at the band standing right next to me. I just felt so proud of us and them; we’ve been rehearsing harmonies for everyone and it’s so fun.’

And she’s right to feel that swell of pride. ‘Grow’ embodies confidence (the clue is in the title). Stripped back from the dancefloor-bothering ‘Mirror’ and ‘Burning Bridges’, and the anthemic early days of a crowd-pleaser such as ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’, her musical family gathered around the piano is the equivalent of a roaring fire. All very ‘koselig’, musically it’s a nod to Coldplay (an early inspiration), while the sheer work that had gone into preparing this full-band harmonising shouldn’t go unappreciated. 

This was no ordinary gig. On the day that Sigrid’s second album How To Let Go was released in a blaze of publicity, this was extraordinary vindication of holding onto a cherished dream and telling herself: don’t stop believing. ‘I remember writing my first songs on the piano in Ålesund, daydreaming about maybe, maybe, one day playing Oslo Spektrum. Never could I have imagined it to be as fun as it was, only hours after dropping my second album. I literally had the time of my life up there with my best mates, forever grateful to everyone who showed up and sang so loud that I could barely hear myself.’

It was emotional too. Sigrid spoke passionately on stage about how much it meant to her, with a vast crowd gathered there to watch this crowning moment of Norway’s queen of pop. Stage cannons fired ticker tape and confetti high into the air; digital screens wowed with dazzling backdrops right from the star-studded opener of ‘It Gets Dark’; lights high in the ceiling delicately picked out the intimacy and illuminated moments of raw energy.

This full-on production was in view of the record companies, managers, publicity agents, make-up artists and stylists who together have come to respect Sigrid the business leader as much as the feted creative performer. From the alluring, danger-filled fight or flight of ‘Dancer’ to the street-skipping tears of a taxi in the disco-esque ‘A Driver Saved My Night’, it was clear that her new album is a mature step on from the naked optimism of Sucker Punch. Sigrid and her music are now very much stadium-ready.

Those who grew up with parents listening to The Beatles (or even Oasis) may smile at the strains of ‘Mistake Like You’ while ‘Thank Me Later’ could be a Killers-edged tissue to wipe away the tears of a lingering break-up: ‘we’re just scared of being quitters,’ she laments in the latter song, while ‘someone should say the words we’re choking on’ perhaps shouldn’t sound so upbeat. But on an album that is as much a spinning story as it is a track-list, that ‘fuck it’ moment of moving on just makes sense.

While comparisons to other artists might help newbies contextualise her sound, make no mistake, the partnership with her songwriting and production team, including Emily Warren (who also created hits for Dua Lipa and Backstreet Boys), is original and still evolving. No doubt they will face the intellectual snobbery of a music-mag elite or a surge in lazy, daytime-TV questions. But to do so misses the point. 

^{Picture: Ryan Johnston}

‘How To Let Go’ has been a long time coming for her fans. No doubt her too. Gigs have been rescheduled, trips to the US made, signatures have gone from legible to scrawl in the never-ending signing sessions, social media activity has been stepped-up, posters have been plastered, and there are wall-to-wall TV, radio and live appearances for the next . . . well, how long have you got?

As her final track alludes, she wants to get as much in as possible. To leave on a ‘High Note’. No regrets, just lived experiences. Like the dream come true at the Spektrum or her current European tour. All the things that make her one of the hardest working artists in the business. 

One last question: what was the first thing she thought when she woke up after that stand-out gig in Oslo? ‘Fuck, I have to wake up? It’s too early!’ Then, she adds: ‘I’m so happy, the happiest I could be.’ Which is how any one of us should learn how to let go. 

Sigrid plays the Main Stage at TRNSMT on Sunday 10 July; Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Tuesday 8 November.