By 2018, Gjest Ingeson Kvåle and Sara Rose Zadig had been making music on their own for years before meeting on a popular Pop Up talent show in their home base of Norway, where both ended up as finalists. It was in June when they met and instantly connected. As partners, both continued on their individual musical paths— Kvåle and bands, and Zadig singing and playing piano—before exploring making music together.
“We had actually been dating for two years before we started playing with each other, and it did take a couple of tries before our musical worlds clicked,” shares Kvåle, “but when it did, it really exploded.”
They even found their band’s namesake in the month they met: We Met in June. After releasing their debut, Loving Living, in 2024, the duo continued working on a follow-up, Going Home, released in September 2025.
Dubbing their sound “Nordicana,” We Met in June blends the natural elements along the West Coast of Norway—the surrounding fjords and mountains—with the Americana, folk-rock, and pop they grew up on.
Born to an American father, Zadig was introduced to the folk and rock flooding out of Los Angeles during the 1960s and ‘70s, everyone from Fleetwood Mac, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Neil Young.
“Those sounds really shaped the way I wrote and sang,” she says.
Growing up with a father who was a musician, Kvåle had a more diverse musical background, spanning Nickel Creek and Alison Krauss, to the ‘80s rock of Dire Straits and Europe. “Over time, those influences—maybe not the 80s hair metal—blended into what became our sound,” Kvåle says of We Met in June, “dreamy, organic pop rooted in ‘70s LA folk-rock and Americana.”
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Produced by Marc Daniel Nelson (Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell), Going Home is Zadig and Kvåle’s Nordicana at its finest, opening on the wanderlust of “Up Against the World” through a misty and brief interlude, “31 Seconds of June” that gives away its timestamp in the title. On the title track, the duo becomes three, joined by Norwegian singer-songwriter Malin Pettersen and a polyphonic duet with Zadig.
As much as Going Home is about the here and now, there’s also a nostalgia. The duo relishes the simple pleasures of love and making more memories—while embracing older ones—with family and friends, against a cinematic, California-dreamy backdrop.
Before hitting the road to support the new album, Zadig and Kvåle reflected on how far they’ve come since that competition early a decade ago, and where they’re heading next.
When you started working on Going Home, were there some songs that you were working on longer than others since releasing Loving Living?
Sara Rose Zadig: Some of the songs on Going Home are already a couple of years old. Both of us are perfectionists and try really hard not to be; we kind of need to force ourselves out of one album-bubble and into the other. So during the process of releasing our debut album, we already had some of the catalogue for Going Home already written.
Why did you land on the title Going Home?
Gjest Ingeson Kvåle: For us, home is our families, each other, and our hometowns. We’re both very family-oriented, and being near the people we love has always been important. After living in Oslo for four years, we felt the pull back to the west coast, to the fjords, the mountains, and to our families.
SRZ: Also, over time, we’ve learned that as people pass away and places change, it’s really the people and memories that make a place feel like home. That awareness shaped the songs on Going Home. It’s about longing, belonging, and reflecting on the moments and people that define home.
Marc Daniel Nelson really brought another layer of production to the tracks. How did he help you complete the songs as you imagined them?
GIK: Working with Marc was amazing. He’s so good at what he does, and such a great person, too. Marc had a deep understanding of the sound we were going for. We wanted the album to sound modern, but sort of ‘70s-inspired, especially by Fleetwood Mac, a sound he knows well—he’s actually mixed for Fleetwood Mac. Marc’s all about getting the little details right, making the mix sound super-clear, warm, and timeless.
Sonically, was there something you wanted to explore more on Going Home that you didn’t on Loving Living?
SRZ: Absolutely. With this album, we really wanted to stretch ourselves and explore a wider sonic landscape. After releasing our debut, we got a lot of positive feedback, but one comment stayed with us—someone wished for more variation across the record. We actually agreed. We were 19 and 21 years old when we started producing that record, so for Going Home, we set out to push each song further than our first instinct. We tried to stay curious, experiment more, and allow the music to surprise us.
GIK: We also wanted to open the door to a broader listener base by letting the sound evolve naturally. We don’t want We Met In June to sit comfortably in one genre or formula. As we grow, listen to new music, and gain more experience, our taste shifts, and we think that should be reflected in what we create.
What seems to glue these songs together for you both—thematically, sonically, or otherwise?
SRZ: We were at the very beginning of our 20s when we started making this album, and everything felt overwhelming: life decisions, expectations, figuring out who we were becoming. It still feels overwhelming at times, but now we understand those feelings better, and that perspective shaped the songs. The album became a place where we could process all of that.
We’ve also noticed a deeper emotional honesty running through the whole record. Even though each track exists in its own sonic world, they’re all connected by a shared sense of vulnerability.
How do songs typically come together, or are written, between the two of you? Has this “process” changed at all since Loving Living?
GIK: Very often, our ideas start with Sara having a lyrical idea and melody in her head, and we begin by jamming on it together with our guitars.
SRK: I naturally gravitate toward melodies, while Gjest always has had a deep interest in writing lyrics. So usually I shape the melodic landscape, and Gjest takes the initial lyrical idea and develops it further. It’s a method that has worked really well for us.
GIK: Every now and then, one of us will come in with a more complete idea — both melody and lyrics — and then we bring it to the other person, who adds their own colors, textures, and perspective.
Were there any tracks that transformed the most while you were in the studio?
SRZ: Definitely. I think a big part of that is simply the fact that this was our second album — the famous “second album” where everything suddenly feels a bit harder, and the pressure is so much higher. We had much bigger expectations of ourselves as producers and writers this time, and because of that, several of the songs took completely new directions once we got into the studio.
“Dear June,” “I Don’t Need Space,” and “Sweet Addiction” especially went through long phases of experimenting. We tried out so many different musical ideas before finally landing on the versions you hear today. As we’ve said earlier, we’re both perfectionists, so choosing one direction was honestly one of the hardest parts.
GIK: And since some of these songs were written a few years ago, bringing them back into the studio made us realize that certain lyrics didn’t reflect us anymore. We’ve grown since then, so the songs had to grow too. We ended up updating quite a few lines to match where we are now, emotionally, artistically, and as people.
Since you both come from such different musical backgrounds, how do you feel about the “Nordicana” label, since your sound is still evolving?
GIK: I actually think Nordicana is a fitting way to describe what we do. We’re Norwegians making music that’s deeply inspired by American sounds—everything from ’70s icons like Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, and Crosby, Stills & Nash to modern country-pop like Kacey Musgraves and the whole Nashville scene. We also pull a lot from acoustic folk and bluegrass—Alison Krauss & Union Station, Gillian Welch, Nickel Creek.
SRK: Our sound is definitely still evolving—and I hope it always will as long as we make music together. We’re constantly learning, discovering new artists, and allowing ourselves to be inspired by whatever life brings our way. I feel like every project shifts us a little, in a really exciting way.
Are there any plans to tour more internationally? Will you make your way to the U.S.?
GIK: We would absolutely love to tour in the U.S. We really believe our music would resonate with listeners in the Americana, folk, and singer-songwriter scene. Norway is such a small market compared to the U.S., and the idea of bringing our music into a community where those genres have such a strong foundation feels very natural to us. It’s where we feel we belong.
SRK: Fortunately, I have dual citizenship, so we’ve actually been exploring the idea of spending a few months in the States, meeting people, writing, playing shows, and simply sharing our music with an American audience. Because half my family is there, we tend to visit every couple of years. Last year, we spent time in Nashville and even got a slot at the Bluebird Café the day before we were flying home. We showed up all dressed up with our two guitars, only to find out it was closed that day due to plumbing issues. It was heartbreaking in the moment, but honestly, also kind of funny. Maybe it’s a sign that we just have to go back, and we definitely will.
GIK: We’re really excited about exploring new ideas, new sounds, and seeing how far we can push ourselves when we fully commit to this way of life. Recently, we invested in a camper van and toured Denmark and Germany earlier this spring. Playing outside of Norway was a huge eye-opener. It showed us that there’s a real place for our music beyond our home country. We already have new dates confirmed in those countries, so the plan is to continue touring and connecting with listeners internationally.
Photos: David Zadig
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