On the striking cover of her sixth studio album, Ane Brun’s melancholic gaze drifts into the middle distance in an indefinable expression blending hope, nervousness and solitude. Is she leaving? Has she just arrived? The album title is also open to interpretation: is she already free? Is this freedom desired, waiting to be won? That is the whole ambiguity of When I'm Free, undoubtedly the most ambitious album by the Norwegian singer based in Sweden. A bold record in every respect, a snapshot of a life in constant change, which Brun admits is “probably more fiery and extroverted than all my previous works,” setting aside her usual humility. When I'm Free can be seen as a follow-up to It All Starts With One, her sumptuous 2012 album, a platinum record in her native Norway. It marks a fundamental step in the progression of her songwriting since her acoustic beginnings. More spontaneous and flamboyant than ever, Ane Brun expresses her growing confidence with a full, angelic voice. The maturity of her compositions will surprise those who still imagine her as a delicate troubadour. When I'm Free brilliantly references some of the sounds that shaped Brun’s youth: DJ Shadow, Charles Mingus and Lauryn Hill, while also pointing to the eclecticism she has shown since childhood. Largely written in her home studio in Stockholm, the record saw Brun use new techniques to incorporate more rhythms and bass lines into the intimate, warm sound she is known for. During the recording, Brun once again called on Tobias Froberg - already producer of It All Starts With One - this time as co-producer, to allow the songs to take shape and to define their final aesthetic over a period of almost eight months, between the legendary Atlantis studio in Stockholm, the GIG studio where her previous album was recorded, and her own home studio. It was, she admits, “arduous but smooth.” The result speaks for itself: elegant and particularly sophisticated, the record explores different directions, from the fragile All we want is love to the striking Directions, from the arabesques of Shape of a heart to the confessions of Black Notebook. The musicians involved are those who toured the world with Brun for most of 2013: bassist Dan Berglund (former member of Esbjorn Svensson Trio), pianist Martin Hederos (Soundtrack Of Our Lives), drummer Andreas Werliin (Wildbirds & Peacedrums) and guitarist Johan Lindstrom, all of whom are also members of the instrumental group Tonbruket. Also contributing to the album were Lars Skoglund (Lykke Li) and Ola Hultgren on drums; Tobias Gabrielsson on electric bass; Linnea Olsson and Nina Kand Sabina Ddumba (backing vocals), and John Eriksson (of Peter, Bjorn & John), who plays timpani on Directions and various percussion on Black Notebook. When I'm Free arrives at a busy time for Brun. Constantly on tour - solo or in groups of varying sizes - she found time in 2013 to release a best-of, Songs 2003-2013, and a Rarities record. She also co-wrote a hit in early 2015 (Top 5 in the UK and No. 1 on the dance chart) with Dr. Kucho! & Gregor Salto based on her song Can't Stop Playing. “Sometimes,” she concludes, “when I go to my studio to compose, I get stage fright as if I were about to meet someone I’m very much in love with. I think my music and I are lovers!” A relationship one can only envy, and one for which we can in any case be grateful to her for sharing the benefits. It is the sound of freedom.