Siri Nilsen

Siri Anne Nilsen (born 12 April 1985) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and voice actress. "As the daughter of two folksingers, Lillebjørn and Shari Nilsen, she grew up surrounded by music." During her first two albums she often accompanied her singing with a ukulele, which she plays in a fingerpicking style.

Nilsen made her stage debut in 2007, and she was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy in the category of Best Female Artist in December, 2011. Nilsen has had a career for several years as a voice actress, dubbing character roles into Norwegian for several feature films and television, mostly animation.

Biography

Siri Nilsen was born in Oslo, Norway where she grew up in the borough of Sagene. As a child she appeared in two Norwegian films, one of which, Maja Steinansikt (1996), she co-starred in.

Before deciding to devote herself to music as a career at around the age of twenty, Nilsen was a ballet dancer. At that time she turned to a "secret notebook full of songs that she had been compiling since her early teens" to express herself as an artist.

In October 2008, Nilsen won a competition among new artists sponsored by the Norwegian record label, Grappa. In awarding Nilsen the prize for best debut artist, the jury described her as having "the courage to write simple, personal and intimate lyrics in Norwegian". As part of the award, Nilsen received a record contract which produced 2009's Vi som ser i mørket (We Who See in the Dark).

As a voice actress in Norwegian-version feature films and television, Nilsen played Carmen Cortez in Småspioner 2 (Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams), Lisa Simpson in The Simpsons Movie, Haru in Katteprinsen (猫の恩返し Neko no Ongaeshi/The Cat Returns), among others. Norway's largest newspaper, Aftenposten described Nilsen as "an artist who had already found her own voice." It described her music as ranging from "sensitive melancholy moods to light and playful tones", and "imparting joy and peace of mind.." Remarking on this Nilsen has said that her songs are not completely just about herself but can also be about things that she's observed or heard from others:

Aftenposten characterized the album's lyrics as "well written and honest". Nilsen was described by one album reviewer as being "remarkably adept at combining bright colors with subtle hints of darkness," adding, "this usually prevents this light, nimble music from becoming overly cute."

Similar to the previous album, many reviewers focused on Nilsen's voice. The single, "Alle snakker sant", received praise in the pages of The Guardian and among Norwegian music critics. The album was released in the UK on 9 April 2012. single, "Death Hanging", along with Susanne Sundfør. It was released worldwide on 24 May 2013.

Performer

Nilsen performed at the annual Øyafestivalen (Island festival) on 10 August 2012. The music festival is held at Middelalderparken (Medieval park) in Nilsen's hometown of Oslo, Norway. Nilsen had previously performed there as a backing singer for Jens Carelius. Among concert reviews, Nilsen was described by one writer as "a fascinating hybrid of melancholy, vulnerable sweetness and inner strength..."

Nilsen is described as having a "strong artistic presence" and that she can convey more dimensionality with her voice live than what comes across on digitized recordings.

Nilsen performed at the SPOT music festival in Århus, Denmark on 3 May 2013 backed by an orchestra of 30–40 musicians performing some of Nilsen's music such as "Brev" and "Snu, Ikke Snu."

Personal life

As the daughter of folksingers, Nilsen grew up around music. Her father is Lillebjørn Nilsen (born 1950 Oslo, Norway) who first came to prominence in Norway in the early 1970s after the release of his first albums, and her mother is Shari Nilsen, who is American. (Lillebjørn Nilsen wrote a popular song/guitar book that has been in print for decades).

In November 2011, Nilsen performed with her father on the Norwegian late-night talk show, Senkveld med Thomas og Harald (Late Night with Thomas and Harald). She sang the single Alle snakker sant and played the ukulele while Lillebjørn accompanied on ukulele.

In June 2012, Siri Nilsen gave birth to a daughter with Norwegian actor and comedian Anders Bye, with whom she has been in a relationship for several years.

Honors 2014: Spellemannprisen in the class best lyricist, for the album Skyggebokser

Discography

Albums

Live albums 2012: Siri Nilsen: Live fra Rockefeller Music Hall

Singles live acting role in feature film *