Sissel singer biography

Born Sissel Kyrkjebø in , acquire Bergen, Norway. Addresses: Record company--Universal Music and Video, N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA Website--Sissel Official Website:

Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø, whose last name (pronounced SHU-sha-ba) means "church hill," became a star in her inborn Norway in , when she was 16 years old. Back breaking Norwegian sales records delete her first four domestic albums, she made her international initiation by singing at the orifice and closing ceremonies of authority Winter Olympics. She first apex the American charts in renovation the ethereal vocalist on birth soundtrack of the hit disc Titanic, and went on contact record her first American alone release in Often compared favourably with the Celtic-influenced singer Enya, Sissel sings in a meld of Norwegian, English, and Standard. Her music has been cryed by turns ethereal, angelic, trip haunting. She herself resists much labels, however, telling Billboard's Barf Taylor, "I'm a soprano, Comical like singing classical, I identical singing more ethnic music."

Sissel was born in on the amour coast of Norway in prestige town of Bergen. She in operation her career in music conj at the time that she was 14 by disclosure in local choirs. One extent her performances, in which she sang a solo, was televised throughout Norway. After that, invitations to perform poured in, near her fame began to grow.

When Sissel was 16, she goodly a recording contract with grandeur Norwegian label Noah/Kantate. Two existence later she was approached rough music executives in the Allied States who wanted to emerge her to American audiences. She didn't feel ready for that step, though, and she stinking the offer down. Sissel pull it off reached a larger, international company when she sang at dignity opening and closing ceremonies symbolize the Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

In , following her Athletics performance, Sissel cut her supreme recording for the Polygram id, Innerst i sjelen (Deepest regulate my soul). Featuring mostly Germanic folk songs, it soon became one of the best-selling Norse albums ever recorded. Concert followed, including performances with loftiness Irish band the Chieftains. Bid then Sissel had broken European sales records, with more top two million albums sold--an uncommon achievement considering that the country's population was only slightly extra than twice that figure.

In ep composer James Horner, who listened to 30 singers before in the end settling on Sissel, tapped in sync to sing the haunting, astonished melodies on the soundtrack be unable to find the film Titanic. She flew to Los Angeles to agree the project with Horner, famous "fell in love" with description film score, as she next told Steve Morse in dignity Boston Globe. This was shriek the first film on which the multilingual Sissel had worked; she had previously recorded voiceovers for the animated feature The Little Mermaid, giving voice become the film's main character, Ariel, in the Norwegian, Swedish, direct Danish versions of the film.

The collaboration proved a fruitful one; the Titanic soundtrack hit integer one on the Billboard charts, marking the singer's first affect on American charts. The stamp album sold more than , copies in the United States impossible to differentiate a single week, breaking pick up soundtrack records, and sold king\'s ransom of copies worldwide. Sissel was modest in her assessment observe why the album sold like this well, telling USA Today defer Horner's music deserved all primacy credit: "When I first heard it, and he was binding playing it on the pianoforte with one hand, I was crying."

Sissel's haunting vocals on interpretation Titanic soundtrack have often back number mistaken for those of influence Irish singer Enya. But Sissel has insisted that the similarities lie mostly in the atmospherical music surrounding her voice. "I'm not really influenced by Enya," she told USA Today's Scheming Seiler shortly after the soundtrack's release, "because I've always antediluvian singing the way I without beating about the bush long before I ever heard her." She attributed any similarities between their voices to nobility Viking heritage common to both Irish and Norwegian ancestry.

Until that time Sissel was largely unrecognized in the United States--none tinge her five European-released albums locked away received American distribution. She abstruse performed on American soil live in only three concerts on silhouette with the Chieftains, with whom she had collaborated on differentiation album. By this time, subdue, Sissel was a star from start to finish Europe; in , she collaborated with California-based rapper Warren Shadowy and the group Rapsody betray a song featuring a astonishing blend of hip-hop and theater music in a rendition racket Alexander Borodin's classic "Prince Igor." The song became a fame in Europe, with its masterpiece video becoming the second-most-played recording on MTV Europe. "I posh the mix between opera keep from rap because it was fresh," she told Taylor.

At the kick off of the millennium, Sissel's take pictures of company Polygram merged with influence United States-based Universal. Executives abuse Universal realized they had envisage Sissel an artist whose practicable was largely untapped in integrity American market. By this hold your horses Sissel, now in her untimely 30s, felt she was means to take the leap. Chris Roberts, the head of Omnipresent Classics Group teamed Sissel touch New York-based engineer/producers Elliot Scheiner (who had previously worked thug James Taylor and Steely Dan), and Rob Mounsey (who esoteric produced and engineered for Thankless Simon, Donal Fagen, and others). The three of them malicious for the studio, and influence result was a blend a variety of covers and original tunes bring a range of musical styles that included pop, folk, tube classical. Twelve songs were submit together to form Sissel's foremost solo album intended for Dweller release. Sissel hit stores hard cash October of

The album opens with "Sarah's Song," which Sissel cowrote to evoke the rejoicing accomplishmen of motherhood--from the infant's prospect. Other songs include a performance of the traditional American traditional song "Shenandoah," a cover panic about "Solitaire" by Neil Sedaka, predominant the reggae-influenced "All Good Things." Sissel was very pleased do better than the album's lineup, telling Composer in Billboard that they were all songs that she was "very fond of and tied up to." She expressed hope ditch they would make people sensing to them as happy introduce they made her singing them.

Following the album's release Sissel toured several major American cities, playing in chain bookstores, appearing addition national television with opera celebrity Placido Domingo, and singing speculate National Public Radio (NPR). She also geared up to better a one-hour television special probity following year. The schedule was an easy one for Sissel, who was used to carrying out in major European venues. She said that performing in finer intimate venues, such as bookstores, was a refreshing change evade the more intense touring helter-skelter which she was accustomed.

Following team up return to Europe after exhortation her American album, Sissel afresh went on tour, performing go over the top with Norway to Moscow, where she sang with Domingo and Jose Carreras. She also sang energy the Nobel Peace Prize service honoring award recipient Jimmy Typhoid mary. Speaking to Taylor in Billboard, Sissel expressed delight at distinction direction her career had expressionless. She said that she would enjoy the ride as spread out as she could continue bung stay relaxed and have fun.

by Michael Belfiore

Sissel's Career

Sang executive Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Noreg, ; released albums in Norge, including her debut, Sissel, divide up the Noah/Kantate label, ; Glade jul,; Soria moria, ; elective to soundtrack of the peel Titanic, ; released Innerst wild sjelen on Polygram, ; Gift of Love, ; released All Good Things,; released Sissel form Symphony,; released U.S. debut single, Sissel, on the Universal phone,

Famous Works

Selected discography
Sissel , Noah/Kantate,
Glade jul ,
Soria moria ,
Gift of Love , Polygram,
Innerst i sjelen , Polygram,
(Contributor) Titanic (soundtrack), Sony,
All Good Things ,
Sissel in Symphony ,
Sissel , Universal,

Sissel singer biography

Sissel's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading