Stina Nordenstam

Stina Nordenstam (b. 1969) is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Nordenstam was born Kristina Marianne Nordenstam on 4th March 1969 in Stockholm. In 1991 she played at the Swedish parliament as part of the Year of Jazz. Her early albums, Memories of a Colour and And She Closed Her Eyes, were significantly jazz-influenced, with only subtle elements of alternative rock. With 1997's Dynamite she started down a darker, more experimental path; most of the album was filled with processed, distorted electric guitars and unusual beats, but careful listening revealed her unique song-writing abilities. An album of covers, People Are Strange, followed before she returned in 2001 with This Is Stina Nordenstam, an album with shorter songs and a more pop-like feel; ex-Suede vocalist Brett Anderson featured on two tracks. In 2003 Nordenstam appeared in a duet with Jonas Bjerre from Mew on Mew's third album Frengers, with a song called "Her Voice Is beyond Her Years". Between 2003 and 2004 she made the Swedish radio-theatre series called The Fears of the Ice, about one of the first polar expeditions. Her 2004 album, The World Is Saved, continues the path set on This Is..., but presents a more realised sound and acknowledges her earlier jazz influences more. In addition to being a musician, Nordenstam also works in other fields, such as photography and music-video directing. Slightly reclusive, she gives very few interviews, rarely performs live and even alters her appearance using wigs and make-up for album covers and magazines. During the promotion for The World Is Saved, however, she gave more interviews than usual, and even talked about the possibility of future live performances. In 2006, Nordenstam appeared on Snow Borne Sorrow, an album by the band Nine Horses, singing duets with the band's vocalist, David Sylvian.