Edda Karin Hjartardóttir Magnason (born 22 August 1984) is a Swedish singer-songwriter, musician and film actress of Icelandic descent. She has released three albums, '' Edda Magnason'' (2010), ''

Goods In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not tran ...

'' (2011), and '' Woman Travels Alone'' (2014). She has also released a soundtrack album, '' Monica Z - Musiken från filmen'' (2013). She made her debut as an actress in the film ''

Waltz for Monica ''Waltz for Monica'' ( sv, Monica Z) is a Swedish biographical drama film directed by Per Fly. It is based on the life and career of the singer and actress Monica Zetterlund, portrayed by Edda Magnason. The film was released theatrically in Sweden ...

'', playing the leading role of Monica Zetterlund.

Early life

Magnason grew up in a tiny village near Ystad, Sweden, but her father is, as her name suggests, from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. One of seven children, she began composing her own pieces on the piano early on in childhood, dreaming of becoming a classical concert pianist.Short biography ''Caprice Records''
/ref> When she was 16 she began writing electronic song-based pop music with English lyrics that she made into

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

recordings. Some of these songs were used on the soundtrack of the 2002 Swedish film ''Hot Dog''. In 2004, she studied music composition in

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...

, then moved back to

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

to take an active part in the music scene there. She has developed a uniquely personal, eclectic music style which has been described as "a seamless blend of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

and classical music," with a vocal style reminiscent of

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

or Kate Bush.

Music career

Solo albums

She released her self-titled debut album, ''Edda Magnason'' in January 2010 on the Caprice Records label. Produced by Jonas André and Edda Magnason, it was recorded at Nybrokajen, a classical music venue in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, with piano and vocals by Magnason. She wrote all the music and made all the illustrations for the CD booklet. ''Edda Magnason'' was one of the best albums of 2010 according to Ingrid Strömdahl, a music critic at the national Swedish newspaper ''

Svenska Dagbladet ''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. History and profile The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the ...

'':

"A stylish and quirky melting pot of
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...
,
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
. Edda Magnason emerges as a musical personality of great stature, intuitive, intelligent and poetic. Lyrics, composition, vocals, piano playing, arrangement – everything is at a high artistic level".

Magnason released her second album, ''Goods'', in March 2011, on the Adrian Recordings label. Produced by

Christoffer Lundquist Carl Christoffer Lundquist (born 1970) is a Swedish musician and producer. He was once in the band Brainpool, where he started as a bass player and backing vocalist, but moved to play both the bass and the guitar. Brainpool won a Swedish Gram ...

and Edda Magnason, it was recorded at Lundquist's own studio, the Aerosol Grey Machine studio (AGM) with Magnason on piano and keyboards. As well as writing, singing and performing all the music, Magnason designed the cover and made all the CD booklet illustrations herself. The second track, ''Blondie'', was released as a single in May 2011, together with a surrealistic music video directed by Jens Jansson. In 2013, Magnason signed contracts both with

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

and

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

, and in November 2014 they released her third album, ''Woman Travels Alone'', which she produced together with Johan Lindström. All three albums have received critical acclaim in Sweden.

Collaboration

Between 2005 and 2010, Edda Magnason collaborated with singer-songwriter,

spoken word artist Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

and film actor Emil Jensen, often taking part in his performances and recordings. In February 2012,

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...

released ''Steve Reich: Electric Counterpoint'', a compilation album by

Mats Bergström Mats Johan Bergström (7 March 1961) is a Swedish guitarist and composer principally focused in the genre of chamber music. Borne in Gävle, Sweden, he received his MFA from the Royal College of Music, Stockholm in 1982, and did post-graduate stu ...

& friends celebrating the influence of

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, a ...

on contemporary music. Magnason performs her tribute to

, a composition called "So many layers of colours become a deep purple heart". In May 2012, Adrian Recordings released Magnason's ''Jona'', produced by

Familjen Johan Tommy Karlsson (born April 10, 1976 in Hässleholm) is a Swedish techno/ electropop artist who uses the alias Familjen (, "The Family"). Biography Karlsson grew up in Hässleholm, Skåne (the same town as fellow electronica producers Andre ...

, together with three

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es: a remix of Magnason's original version by Vidderna, a remix of Vidderna's version by Niva, and a remix of Niva's version by

Justus Köhncke Justus Köhncke (born 1966 in Gießen) is a German techno producer and pop musician from Cologne. Köhncke was a member of the house trio Whirlpool Productions, along with Hans Nieswandt and Eric D. Clark. Together, they had a number one hit ...

. This was inspired by the children's game Chinese whispers. A set of four music videos directed by Nisse Axman was also released.

Film career

Magnason plays the leading role of Monica Zetterlund, the legendary Swedish

singer, in the film ''

'', which was released in September 2013. This was Magnason's first acting role, and she likens the experience to performing as a musician. The film follows Zetterlund's early career, moving from small-town Sweden to the jazz clubs of New York and

, rubbing shoulders with such celebrities as

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

and

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. Directed by Per Fly, with a film script by

Peter Birro Peter Birro (born 19 July 1966 in Gothenburg) is a Swedish script writer, poet and musician. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Birro was an obscure poet who performed with the almost equally obscure Swedish band The Christer Petterssons (named afte ...

Sverrir Gudnason Sverrir Gudnason (born 12 September 1978; in Icelandic: ''Sverrir Páll Guðnason'') is a Swedish actor of Icelandic origin. Gudnason was born in Lund, Sweden, and raised in Reykjavík, Iceland. He moved with his family to Tyresö, Sweden, in ...

and

Kjell Bergqvist Kjell Bertil Leonard Bergqvist (born 23 February 1953 in Enskede, Stockholm County) is a Swedish actor. Bergqvist finished the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in 1973 and made his debut in '' En enkel melodi'' and ''Jack''. He has since coope ...

played supporting roles. The film was described in the Swedish media as an immediate critical and public success. It was seen by over 500,000 filmgoers in 2013, making it the year's most popular film in Sweden. It has been sold to 23 countries worldwide and numerous airlines. It was nominated for eleven Guldbagge Awards, and won four.Official Nominations and Winners list
/ref> Magnason herself sings the full repertoire of Zetterlund's songs on the film soundtrack. A soundtrack album, ''Monica Z - Musiken från filmen'', produced and arranged by Peter Nordahl, was released by

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

. Over 20,000 records were sold by December 2013, making this into a Swedish Gold album. Magnason was signed by

Paradigm Talent Agency Paradigm Talent Agency is an American full-service entertainment agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Chicago, Toronto, Monterey, Nashville, Berkeley and Austin. Paradigm Talent Agency has more than 200 agents representing client ...

, based in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

, in February 2014.

Musical theatre

In 2013, Magnason made her debut on the

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

stage, performing as a soloist with the choir and orchestra from Malmö Opera in ''The feeling of going'', a dance and music production by Skånes Dansteater at

Malmö Opera and Music Theatre Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

. This is a visionary work by the British choreographer Ben Wright, based on the album '' Go'' by Jónsi, the Icelandic pop artist and lead singer in

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band from Reykjavík, active since 1994. The band comprises singer and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, fron ...

Awards and prizes

Magnason was awarded the Ystad Culture Prize in 2003, and was appointed as an ambassador for the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival in 2013. In 2013, Magnason received Spelmannen, a Swedish culture prize established by the evening newspaper ''

Expressen ''Expressen'' (''The Express'') is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden, the other being '' Aftonbladet''. ''Expressen'' was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or "''Expressen'' to your rescue". ...

'', previously awarded to such artists as

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

(1982), Anne Sofie von Otter (1997) and Georg Riedel (2003). Magnason was nominated for a Grammis (jazz), the Swedish equivalent of a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

, for ''Monica Z - Musiken från filmen'', the soundtrack album to the film ''Waltz for Monica''. She received a Guldbagge Award in the category Best Actress in a Leading Role from the

Swedish Film Institute The Swedish Film Institute ( sv, Svenska Filminstitutet) was founded in 1963 to support and develop the Swedish film industry. The institute is housed in the ''Filmhuset'' building located in Gärdet, Östermalm in Stockholm. The building, comp ...

for her portrayal of Monica Zetterlund. In December 2013, it was announced that she had been chosen as one of ten young European actors to win a Shooting Stars Award at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

in 2014. Selected from a short list of 24 nominating European member countries, the stars were presented to the world's media and influential film industry experts at the Berlin International Film Festival 2014.Interview of Edda Magnason - Shooting Stars 2014 - Sweden
/ref>

Discography

;Albums ;Soundtrack album ;Compilation EP *2012: ''Jona'' ;Others / joint albums *2012: ''Steve Reich: Electric Counterpoint'' (with Mats Bergstrom, Steve Reich, Magnus Persson, Johan Liljedahl, Svante Henryson, Jonas Ostholm & Edda Magnason) (compilation) ;Singles *2011: "Handsome" *2011: "Blondie" *2013: "Sakta vi gå genom stan" *2015: "So Meny Layers of Colours Become a Deep Purple Heart" *2015: "Cocoamber (Neeco Delaf Remix)"

References

External links

Official homepage

Official Facebook page

Edda Magnason at MySpace Music

Music video: ''Blondie''

Teaser: ''So many layers of colours become a deep purple heart''

Official Trailer: ''Monica Z'' (''Waltz for Monica'') (in both Swedish and English)

Official trailer: ''the feeling of going''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnason, Edda 1984 births People from Ystad Municipality Living people Best Actress Guldbagge Award winners Swedish actresses Swedish women musicians Swedish people of Icelandic descent 21st-century Swedish singers 21st-century Swedish women singers Warner Music Sweden artists