As backwards as it might sound, for a singer/songwriter to be able to touch people with their music, the actual process of writing is one centered on solitude. "You have to be able to spend a lot of time with yourself and inside your own head," confirms Sweden’s Anna Ternheim. The critical acclaimed singer will release her new album Leaving on a Mayday in the USA on August 11 (Verve Forecast). This is the same album for which she recently won two Swedish Grammy Awards, for “Best Album of The Year” and “Best Female Artist of The Year”. Read More...
As backwards as it might sound, for a singer/songwriter to be able to touch people with their music, the actual process of writing is one centered on solitude. “You have to be able to spend a lot of time with yourself and inside your own head,” confirms Sweden’s Anna Ternheim. The critical acclaimed singer will release her new album Leaving on a Mayday in the USA on August 11 (Verve Forecast). This is the same album for which she recently won two Swedish Grammy Awards, for “Best Album of The Year” and “Best Female Artist of The Year”.
This new album is produced by Bjorn Yttling from group Peter, Bjorn & John, who during past years has also successfully produced Lykke Li, Shout Out Louds, Primal Scream etc. This signals a change in direction: let the music build upon the vocals and the lyrics. Björn understood what Anna was looking for, and told her, ”Listen to Nina Simone, Bob Marley and Sweden’s Cornelis Vreeswijk. Be inspired, and call me in six months!”
Anna probably sums it up best when she explains: “The last album was like a black, shiny, heavy stone. Leaving on a Mayday is a bit like a dirty white feather, but yet austere.”
If the elegant, thoughtful collection maneuvers between folk and pop, conjuring the excitement and vitality of Beth Orton’s early records, there remains a melancholic thread tying the songs together. It’s a good melancholy, though, at times shot through with moments of lyrical and sonic levity.
While turning her into a star within her own country, Ternheim’s releases have also earned her success around Europe in countries like France and Germany. Anna did a three week sold out European tour during April this year and she has previously toured the US as support to acts like Lykke Li, El Perro del Mar and Joseph Arthur.
