In honor of Women’s History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.

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Today, Norwegian folk duo Oakland Rain share their essay, ‘Community, Sisterhood, and Lessons Learned from Judy Collins,’ for Atwood Magazine’s Women’s History Month series!

Says the pair, “Touring with the legendary Judy Collins has been a life-changing experience, not only because of her unparalleled voice and musical legacy, but also due to her warmth, humor, and unwavering support for fellow artists. Her ability to create a sense of community through music – making people feel seen, included, and less alone – has deeply inspired us, and we are forever grateful to be part of her journey.”

Oakland Rain is composed of mirror twins Maren and Charlotte Wallevik, whose contrasting traits shape both their identities and their music. Their ambitious double full-length debut, ‘Twin Flames,’ explores the paradoxes of selfhood through two conceptually distinct albums: ‘Twin Flame Part 1: The Evergreen’ (August 2024) embraces earthy Americana, while ‘Twin Flame Part 2: Heavenly Blue’ (spring 2025) delves into ethereal Nordic pop. Renowned for their cinematic songwriting and mesmerizing harmonies, the sisters have amassed millions of streams, performed internationally, and even played for Norwegian royalty. With ‘Twin Flames,’ they craft a deeply personal exploration of fear, freedom, and the intricate balance between what we know and what remains unseen.

Listen to ‘Twin Flames’ wherever you stream music, and read Oakland Rain’s Women’s History Month essay below!

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LESSONS LEARNED FROM JUDY COLLINS

Touring With Folk Legend Judy Collins Has Proven What We Highly Suspected: Her Musical Lantern Is the Epitome of Community & Sisterhood

by Oakland Rain

We got the call in the spring of last year.

An invitation to tour with the legend – the “song hunter,” and one of the most important folk singers of her time, Judy Collins.

Now, spring of 2025, we are on our third, and longest, US tour with the incredible artist. We recently got to be a part of celebrating her 85th birthday at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and a celebration at The Town Hall in New York. In this context, we thought it would be wonderful to follow up last year’s essay for Women’s History Month.

This year, we wanted to reflect upon how Judy inspires us, and so many others, in her way of living life and singing its songs.

For decades, her uniquely angelic voice has filled homes and stages with music that can transfix, heal, and erase the invisible barrier standing in the way of vulnerability and emotion.

Her recordings of songs by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen (who started writing songs because of Judy), became world famous. She was a vital figure in the 60s folk scene and the artistry blooming in Greenwich Village, and fought for the Civil Rights Movement. To this day, she has been touring and recording albums, she has been an activist through her music, and she has participated through different causes like UNICEF and book releases of topics dear to her heart. She has been open about hardships, mental health, tragedy and hope. We find it so inspiring how she shares her experiences as a human, and how she is a vessel for hope and light.

It is well known how rare of a talent Judy Collins is, but most people may not know how rare she is as a human. How genuine, intelligent, and warmhearted. And funny… so incredibly funny.

There are a million ways to say how Judy inspires us. One of the main reasons she is our guiding light, is how inclusive she is. Her music makes people feel less alone, and that is personally what we find to be our purpose and biggest goal as artists ourselves. She also shares her talent with so many artists, through her own versions of other songs, and through sharing her stage and platform with new artists. Her entire career she has shed light on female artists, and created a sense of sisterhood. The way she has taken us under her wing has changed so much for us the past year and we are forever grateful. We get to be  introduced to her wonderful audience, and get to see an icon in her natural habitat on stage every night (including glitter and high heels).

We guess this essay is not so much about what needs fixing, but rather about what already are answers among us.

To feel a sense of community. A sense of humanness and hope. To feel less alone through music. And to help each other build that community, a sense of safety. In the spirit of Collins; no one should be left behind. – Oakland Rain

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:: connect with Oakland Rain here ::

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Stream: “Sister Hymn” – Oakland Rain

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