Breaking: Ida Maria

Who: Ida Maria, a 24-year-old Norwegian punky pop hellion Rosetta Stone V3 whose debut album Fortress Round My Heart, stocked with caffeinated rock songs about drinking and one-night stands, is finally coming to erica after garnering rave reviews throughout Europe.Sounds Like: Performing tight garage-pop tunes at a breakneck speed, Ida Maria sounds like a cross bween Nico and the Prenders Chrissie Hynde. Her Fortress already spawned five singles in Europe, including the bubblegum blitzkrieg of "I Like You So Much Bter When Youre Naked" and the boozy start-stop of "Oh My God."Vital Stats: Ida (pronounced eee-da) Maria, who grew up in the way-northern burg of Nesna, Norway (population: 1,800), has found her success a bit dizzying. "Its all been a blur," Maria tells Rosta Stone. "It was like taking out a really fast car." Even though she moved back to her homown, Maria, who Rosetta Stone Hindi has a U.S. tour and album release on the horizon, isnt rreating from the spotlight. "I feel like my job is more important than ever," she says, "But Im not trying to figure out the world. Ill leave that to Bob Dylan." Growing up in Nesna was a sheltered experience that didnt allow her much exposure to outside music. "You have to go by car over a mountain to find a record store," Maria says, "and there you might find some local country bands. Its just really hard to find music up there." Luckily, Maria took a job baby-sitting for the town doctor who happened to have a 3,000-plus record collection, introducing her to the likes of Dylan and Kate Bush. At her recent show at New Yorks Mercury Lounge, Maria berated the crowd for being too qui and then emptied a bottle of water over her head. Offstage, though, shes more like a polite exchange student than her crazed onstage alter ego. "When you work in a bar, watching people drink all night, all you want to do is have a beer," Maria sheepishly explains.Hear It Now: Fortress Round My Heart finally hits erican record stores in April. In the meantime, check out our Breaking video featuring Rosetta Stone Korean Ida Marias video for her single "I Like You So Much Bter When Youre Naked."