LISA EKDAHL is to perform at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon on November 14.
Lisa Ekdahl is a Swedish singer and song writer who has, so far, released 10 albums, most of them in Swedish but some entirely in English. Her voice has been described as ‘child-like’ and ‘soft, supple and smooth’.
In 1994, at the age of 23, she became famous overnight in Sweden with her self titled debut album. The record sold almost 800,000 copies and she won three Swedish music prize awards, one of them as the nation’s best artist of the year. She repeated the success in Denmark and Norway as well.
She signed with EMI Records, but later recorded two pop albums with RCA/BMG: Med Kroppen Mot Jorden and Bortom Det Blå.
In 1998, she recorded the English language album When Did You Leave Heaven?, which contained jazz standards. While a success in Sweden and in France, American critics claimed her childish voice was considered unsuitable for jazz. Her next album, Back To Earth (1999), was again full of jazz standards and, like her jazz debut, recorded with the Peter Nordahl Trio. In France it sold over 40,000 copies. She received positive reviews for her live appearances in Great Britain from The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian.
Lisa Ekdahl’s sixth album, Lisa Ekdahl sings Salvadore Poe (2000), marked a new direction and critical esteem. As the new album’s title indicates, she exclusively sings songs written by her husband, primarily in the bossa nova style. Her fragile and childish voice seems to be made for this type of music. Their album was a big hit in France and Scandinavia, where it sold over 120,000 copies by early 2001.
She continued to record in both Swedish and English, most recently touring Scandinavia with an acoustic tour. Her voice is variously compared to Blossom Dearie, Diana Krall, and perhaps most accurately Astrud Gilberto.
Check her out at www.lisaekdahl.com
