Think about your favorite artists that have “made it big,” alright? Which ones stunned us on their debut and which ones took maybe 3-4 albums to finally get there? As much as I love Fall Out Boy, I don’t think they amassed a massive pop record until Infinity On High, their third album. Even pop vet P!nk’s first huge album came several years into her career. And look at Ariana Grande: she’s just now showing a big amount of maturity and poise in her music. Enter the debut studio album from 22-year-old Norwegian pop act Sigrid. It’s very rare that an artist sounds this big in the first release of their career.

Sucker Punch feels more like a greatest hits album. Opening with the title track, Sucker Punch is a big winner fueled by all sorts of magnetic hooks, infectious melodies, and a lot to dive into. Sigrid speaks up about a lot of important topics such as mental health, music industry behind-the-scene executive “stuff,” and it feels very genuine. Unlike a lot of other performers, Sigrid’s upbringing feels very old-school. She isn’t backed by big features by flashy artists or an outrageous amount of makeup wear. She’s authentically and appropriately herself and it’s felt everywhere throughout the album.

“Don’t Kill My Vibe” tells male industry gatekeepers to f*ck off and is infinitely powerful; a booming piano line boasts positivity in the hardest of times on “Don’t Feel Like Crying”; “In Vain” sparks an emotional, folk-like anthem displaying one of Sigrid’s biggest and most emotional pop songs; “Never Mine” displays paramount relationship confidence. Her most impressive, though, is “Business Dinners” where the singer tackles the executive bullshit that artists and musicians of all kinds put up with: “You just want me to be ages, numbers, figures, deeper, smarter. I’m just trying to be me,” she exclaims.

Wrapping up in acoustic fashion on the ballad “Dynamite” with, “you’re as safe as a mountain, but know that I am dynamite,” Sigrid concludes up one of the most soothing pop debuts in modern history. Albums like these can compete with big shots like Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, and others on a very real and regular basis. With nothing flashy, just pure and immaculate talent, Sigrid should be on your radar right now.