biography - Stina Nordenstam

Stina Nordenstam is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She was born in 1969, and grew up in the Swedish capital Stockholm. Nordenstam has released five albums so far: "Memories Of A Colour" (91), "And She Closed Her Eyes" (93), "Dynamite" (97), "People Are Strange" (98), a strange yet enjoyable cover album, and "This Is" (2001). She has also put out some singles and appeared on other cds (see the discography).

In 1996 she worked together with the American avant-garde artist Anton Fier, a collaboration which resulted in Stina buying the tracks, having them remixed and releasing them on a single called "The Photographer`s Wife". A collaboration with the Greek composer Vangelis ("Blade Runner"), ended up on the single ("Ask The Mountains", one of Stina most beautiful songs to date). There is rumoured to be at least two more tracks that have yet to be released. In 1997 Stina`s most commercially successful song, "Little Star", was re-released as a single, most likely as a result of it being put on the "Romeo and Juliet" motion picture soundtrack. Later that same year the "Dynamite" single followed, and about the same time a song Stina had done with Yello called "To The Sea" was released. Finally in 1998, UNKLE and Techno Animal reworked the title track from "People Are Strange", which originally is a The Doors tune

In 1999 Stina collaborated with with a Danish indie band called Mew. Her voice can be heard on the track "Her Voice Is Beyond The Years" on the band`s latest full length album, "Frengers" - and in a different mix on their previous "Half The World is Watching Me". When Mew plays this song live, a video screen placed on stage shows Stina singing. In 2000 Nordenstam also wrote the lyrics and sang on four pieces on the soundtrack for the Norwegian movie "Aberdeen", together with the acclaimed Polish composer Zbigneiw Preistner (best known for the experimental "Dekalog" tv series). Stina has also worked as a tutor at Norges Musikkhøgskole in Oslo, Norway. One of her pupils, Beate S. Lech - artist name: Beady Belle) released her jazzy soul-oriented debut "Home" in 2001, and in the booklet she thanks Nordenstam for "guidance concerning vocals, lyrics and composition" (check out beadybelle.com for audio samples and more). Beady Belle`s first single "Ghosts" sound very Stina-ish, especially the chorus.

Stina`s fifth album called "This Is..." was released in November 2001 on Independiente. This album features two tracks performed with Suede frontman and vocalist Brett Anderson. One of these, named "Keen Yellow Planet", was planed to be a future single (source: NME 1999). Late 1999 Stina did an interview in which she said: "I have done fifteen half finished tunes for it [the record]" (Dagens Nyheter.061299). "Sharon & Hope" was later chosen to be first single, but it was to the disappointment of many never put out commercially - and two b-sides therefore never became available. In May 2002 Stina cut the lines to Independiente, most likely partly because of the poor work that seems to have been done to promote the album - however not much is know about the reason for the break up.

The songs found on Stina`s records are all in English, though she actually does sing in her native tongue on the traditional song "Värmtlandsvisan" featured on the 2000 Freddie Wadling album "Skillingtryck & Mordballader". Stina has also written a song in Swedish for Monica Zetterlund, a popular jazz singer in her native country. Nordenstam`s songs are beautiful poems with an huge intensity, and they often suggest some jazz influence as they can be said to often capture the moments of a mood quite directly - as good jazz tend to do. Her somewhat "high pitched child-like voice" may annoy some, enchant others, but cannot in any way be ignored. Nordenstam`s instrumentation is also truly unique and exciting, and she is said not to be particularly being fond of the studio environment, "Dynamite`s" many different record locations being an example of that. Stina Nordenstam grew up listening to her father's jazz and classical records, and she has claimed that they still influence her music today (at least she said so in an interview made after "And She Closed Her Eyes" came out in her home country).

Stina was in her teens member of Sweden's Communist Youth League, something that may have influenced or rather states the fact that she does not look very kindly on how the turbo capitalistic record industry runs and uses it's resources (artists and financial power) to almost any extinct (my impression, but also described in the Dynamite books). Stina also turned down an offer to do a song for a James Bond movie ("Tomorrow Never Dies") in 1997, and she supposedly declined to work with the infamous Chemical Brothers (or the Dust Brothers) due to their "rave attitude" (all this according to another Stina page found on the net). Stina Nordenstam has since her first album was released back in 1991 given very few interviews, and the almost only place to find pictures of her is in the cd covers and booklets. After her latest album was released, Stina allowed the British quality newspaper "The Times" and some others newspapers interview, but -mind- not photograph, her.

Stina Nordenstam is a skilled photographer, and she has directed several music videos. The video for the Swedish group Koop`s "Glömd" shows a person not afraid of playing with the demanding music video format. Stina also made the artwork for the European releases of Koop`s debut album "Sons Of Koop" and "Glömd". A Koop DVD containing "Glömd" was released in April 2002. (click here for an interview and further info about Stina`s photographical work).

Stina Nordenstam is an original and unique artist indeed. People are strange, but Stina is stranger.