Sophie Zelmani

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sophie Zelmani

Background information
Birth name Sophie Edkvist
Born February 12, 1972 (1972-02-12) (age 36)
Origin Sweden
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Years active 1995–present
Website www.sophie-zelmani.com

Sophie Zelmani (born 12 February 1972 as Sophie Edkvist) is a Swedish singer-songwriter who released her first single in 1995, called "Always You". Her music is unique for a Swedish artist because it is based on the American singer-songwriter tradition.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born in the suburbs of Stockholm in 1972, Zelmani's father bought the family a guitar when Zelmani was 14.[1] Despite no professional music training,[1] Zelmani became a songwriter and recorded some songs at a local studio. After she mailed the demos to three record companies, Zelmani was offered a record deal by Sony Music Sweden.

[edit] Career

Zelmani had never performed in front of an audience,[1] but recorded her debut self-titled album with Sony in 1995. The album was produced and arranged by Lars Halapi[2] (co-produced by Patrik Sventelius), who also played guitar. She described the process of making the album: "In the beginning Lars and I spent a few months in the studio. We had fun and then picked the musicians. We recorded in two weeks but the whole thing took half a year."[3] By 1997, Zelmani's debut album had sold 200,000 copies in Europe and Asia Pacific, before moving to the US market, distributed by Columbia Records.[4] Zelmani said, "I had no ambitions to go abroad. I knew I wanted to make a record. That's all I wanted."[3] Columbia's marketing campaign included CD sampler giveaways, consumer press, and rotation on SAS Airlines flights between Scandinavia and the US.[5]

Zelmani has continued to record albums while making only a small number of public appearances due to shyness.[1] She won a best newcomer award in Sweden's Grammy awards in 1996.[6]

[edit] Discography

  • Memory Loves You (2007)
  • A Decade of Dreams (2005)
  • Love Affair (2003)
  • Sing and Dance (2002)
  • Time to Kill (1999)
  • Precious Burden (1996)
  • Sophie Zelmani (1995)

Zelmani has also contributed music to the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawson's Creek. Her cover of Bob Dylan's "Most Of The Time" appears on the soundtrack to Masked and Anonymous.[7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Scott, Matthew. "Sophie Zelmani - Memory Loves You", South China Morning Post (retrieved from Factiva), 11 February 2007. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. 
  2. ^ Sinclair, David. "Gentle on my mind", The Times (retrieved from Factiva), 7 June 1996. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. 
  3. ^ a b Jansen, Ara. "Curtain up for Swede in search of a hobby", The West Australian (retrieved from Factiva), 22 August 1996. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. 
  4. ^ "Global success begins at home", Music Business International (retrieved from Factiva), 1 February 1997. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. 
  5. ^ Reece, Doug. "New wave of Nordic bands looks to U.S. (Swedish bands)", Billboard (retrieved from Factiva), 14 December 1996. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. 
  6. ^ Bream, Jon. "Music: Sophie Zelmani", Star-Tribune Newspaper of the Twin Cities Mpls.-St. Paul, 15 November 1996. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. 
  7. ^ Neff, Andrew. "Oddball Dylan collection has curious flair", Bangor Daily News (retrieved from Factiva), 7 February 2004. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. 

[edit] External links

 This article about a Swedish singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.