A multi-talented singer, poet, writer and composer Kristin Asbjørnsen has been at the forefront of the Norwegian music scene for over a decade. Having led highly acclaimed and eclectic band Dadafon, written films scores and made many high profile collaborations, she’s now releasing her debut solo album Wayfaring Stranger.
Released in Norway last year, Asbjørnsen's long-awaited solo-album on Emarcy/Universal, based on Kristin's interpretations of African-American spirituals, was met with outstanding reviews. Kristin inherited a great number of spirituals from the singer Ruth Reese in 1990 and has recently made new interpretations together with Jarle Bernhoft (guitars, vocals), Jostein Ansnes (guitars, lap steel, vocals) and Anders Engen (percussion, piano), while the album was produced by Anders Engen.
Building confidence to lead her own solo...
(Read More)A multi-talented singer, poet, writer and composer Kristin Asbjørnsen has been at the forefront of the Norwegian music scene for over a decade. Having led highly acclaimed and eclectic band Dadafon, written films scores and made many high profile collaborations, she’s now releasing her debut solo album Wayfaring Stranger.
Released in Norway last year, Asbjørnsen's long-awaited solo-album on Emarcy/Universal, based on Kristin's interpretations of African-American spirituals, was met with outstanding reviews. Kristin inherited a great number of spirituals from the singer Ruth Reese in 1990 and has recently made new interpretations together with Jarle Bernhoft (guitars, vocals), Jostein Ansnes (guitars, lap steel, vocals) and Anders Engen (percussion, piano), while the album was produced by Anders Engen.
Building confidence to lead her own solo project, Kristin has made her international debut as a film score composer for the American movie Factotum, based on a novel by Charles Bukowski. Factotum was a US/Norwegian co-production by director Bent Hamer and producer Jim Stark, and is starred Matt Dillon, Marisa Tomei, Lili Taylor among others. The film and the soundtrack received much international acclaim and Factotum was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Factotum is currently released in US together with the release of Kristin's soundtrack album (released on the French/American label Milan Records).
Yet Kristin has built her artistic repertoire over years of hard work and impassioned performing within a band. Her years spent with Dadafon have been the main vehicle for her songwriting, the band’s music often described as passionate love songs, where strong melodies and the powerful and danceable rhythms play a central part. In 2005 Dadafon released their fifth album Lost Love Chords on Emarcy/Universal, receiving excellent reviews and audience reception. Dadafon have won the Norwegian music award Alarm and has been nominated for the "Spellemannsprisen" (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy). In addition to performing at a number of European festivals, also touring Norway extensively, to great acclaim.
Kristin's also performed with her own trio - Krøyt - with Øyvind Brandtsegg (vibraphone/sampling) and Thomas T. Dahl (guitar), establishing themselves as one of Norway's hottest live-acts with their improvised mix of avant-garde multimedia performance set against mutated, improvised rock sounds. Krøyt has released 4 critically acclaimed albums. The band have also won the "Spellemannsprisen" award in 2000 for their album Low and won the National Composition Award for their song ‘Silent’. Krøyt has collaborated with the Swedish Fleshquartet and the brilliant Norwegian string quartet Vertavo to name a few. Krøyt has performed at a great number of international festivals. In 2005 the band collaborated with the Swedish cello player Svante Henryson, performing in Norway and England.
Kristin was also a member of and composer for the vocal experimentation a capella quartet, Kvitretten. During a 10-year period, Kvitretten became almost like a Norwegian institution for contemporary, experimental way of singing; with a main focus on improvisation. Kvitretten received the "Spellemannspris" nomination for the album Voices in 1996, and released two more albums to excellent reviews. Kvitretten toured extensively in the Nordic countries and Germany. Kristin has also worked with the internationally acclaimed pianists Tord Gustavsen and Ketil Bjørnstad, as well as top Malian singer Rokia Traore.
Kristin’s unique voice can shift effortlessly from masterful smooth tones to organic distortions, through to bright and complex singing techniques that allow her amazing freedom of expression. Known for her distinct approach to songwriting, Kristin's roots lies in both the singer / songwriter tradition and the groove-based world music. Her trademark sound is rich with contrasts and dynamics, with strong melancholy and a feisty devilish energy. Kristin received her formal musical education from the Jazz Department at the Trondheim Music Conservatory, and West-African griot singers are among her many sources of inspiration. Now it seems as a solo artist, the sky’s the limit.
(Shrink Biography)
