M2M HISTORY

Biography
The Norwegian teen pop duo M2M consists of vocalist/guitarist Marit Larsen and vocalist/keyboardist Marion Raven. They made their U.S. debut with the single "Don't Say You Love Me," which appeared on the Pokemon soundtrack and was certified gold in late 1999. Their full-length follow-up, Shades of Purple, was released in the spring of 2000. After a tour with Hanson, The Big Room came out in the U.S. in 2002, but when it failed to do well commercial, the duo officially broke up later that year. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide


Norwegian singer/songwriter Marit Larsen was a record industry success by the age of 13. Larsen released her debut album with longtime friend Marion Raven at 12. The children's music project was nominated for several awards, including Norway's Grammy equivalent. With a healthy success to their credit, Marit and Marion chose to dedicate their efforts to the pop music world. Their band, M2M, was signed to Atlantic Records, and the pair spent the next few years on international performance and promotional tours, rock stars at 16. Strained and frustrated, two years later Marit and Marion dropped the project entirely. After the group's disintegration, Larsen nearly abandoned professional music altogether. After taking a few years away from the spotlight, Larsen returned to writing songs, something she'd done for personal satisfaction for years. As she developed a new catalog of material, the next step toward a solo career became clear. Larsen began recording her first solo record, which would ultimately be released in 2006 under the title Under the Surface. Primarily written on mandolin and piano, the folk-oriented English-language record marked a decidedly different stylistic direction for the onetime would-be pop diva. The album single "Don't Save Me" spent several weeks on national charts and received many accolades, along with such accomplishments as an MTV Europe Award and Spellemannpris Award for Best Female Artist. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide
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Formerly one half of the teen pop duo M2M (the other half being fellow Norwegian and childhood friend Marit Larsen), Marion Raven stayed with her ex-group's label, Atlantic, with plans to record a solo album after she and Larsen split in 2002. Her debut, Here I Am, was released in Scandinavia and Asia in 2005, and despite the success it received there, the following year Raven left Atlantic due to "artistic differences." Striking out on her own, the singer soon hooked up with Meat Loaf for the duet "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" on his 2006 album, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose, and released an EP, Heads Will Roll -- the provocative video for the title song featured a nude Raven singing atop of a pile of ten naked women


The soundtrack to Pokemon: The First Movie features lots of young pop acts like B*Witched, Billie, and Mandah. Billy Crawford performs the "Pokemon Theme," while teen queens Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera sing "Soda Pop" and "We're a Miracle," respectively. Baby Spice turns in a solo track, "Free Up Your Mind (Hey You)," and 98 Degrees contributes "Fly With Me." Songs from Aaron Carter, Vitamin C, and Angela complete the soundtrack to this kiddy blockbuster.