Smerz is a Norwegian electronic music duo consisting of Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt. The duo splits their time between Oslo, Norway, and Copenhagen, Denmark. Their music has been described as "deadpan, vividly detailed electro-pop pulsating with personality, sensuality and dry humor." Their name comes from the German word herzschmerz, meaning "heartache".
Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt met at high school in Oslo and moved to Copenhagen in 2011. In Copenhagen, Motzfeldt studied composition at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, where she was classmates with several artists who would form part of a broader Danish alternative pop scene, including Erika de Casier, ML Buch, Astrid Sonne, and Fine Glindvad.
Catharina Stoltenberg is the daughter of Norwegian politician Jens Stoltenberg, who served as Prime Minister of Norway twice between 2000 and 2013.
Smerz released their debut single, "Because", on SoundCloud in 2016. Later that year, they followed it with the EP Okey, released on Escho in Denmark and HardUp in the UK. In 2017, the duo signed with XL Recordings and re-released Okey under the new label. Their next EP, Have fun, arrived in 2018, also through XL. In 2021, Smerz released their debut studio album, Believer, on XL Recordings. That same year, they released the mixtape Før og etter on their own label, Shopping.
Smerz have been hosting a monthly radio show on NTS Radio since 2017.
Smerz have played concerts at Tate Modern in London, MoMA PS1 in New York, Mutek in Mexico City and Montreal, Berghain in Berlin, Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, and Volksbühne in Berlin. On their 2025 fall tour of the United States, singer Sky Ferreira joined the duo for a surprise duet in Los Angeles.