Maja Ivarsson
Encyclopedia
Maja Ivarsson, is a Swedish
singer and lead vocalist of the Swedish New Wave
band The Sounds
.
, by childhood friends guitarist and vocalist Felix Rodriguez and bassist Johan Bengtsson, who later invited drummer Fredrik Nilsson on board. Maja Ivarsson's striking presence and personality led to an invitation to be their lead singer. They met Jesper Anderberg during the Hultsfred Festival
by chance and invited him to join their band. He plays piano, guitar, synthesizers and does back-up vocals.
The Sounds are active on the touring circuit, including the United States
. Their first tour was in the wake of their 2003 smash "Living in America" (both the song and the album
), although their touring conditions were a far cry from the sheen of the video for the song. They have been to the "Southern Finland triangle" (Turku
, Tampere
and Helsinki
) many times, but their tour in the fall of 2006 showcased them in additional inland and coastal towns. After that they went on international tour and were in Portugal
in 2007. In 2008 they began a tour of Europe and North America that ended at the end of summer 2009. The band opened for No Doubt
alongside Paramore
during a U.S. tour over the summer of 2009. These proved to be successful exposure for them as their popularity on myspace
, twitter
and their Street Team has increased dramatically. Most of the shows on their tour involved opening for No Doubt, while some of their headlining shows featured opening act Hey Champ. The Sounds recently finished a US headlining tour with supporting acts Semi Precious Weapons
and Foxy Shazam
and a tour in Europe with supporting act Matt & Kim to promote their new album, Crossing the Rubicon.
In 2002, Ivarsson collaborated with Andreas Mattson in the song "Free Free Free" which was released on the soundtrack for the German film Big Girls Don't Cry.
Ivarsson was featured in Cobra Starship
's single
and music video
"Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)
", for the 2006 film
Snakes on a Plane
. The widely advertised film gave an enormous amount of publicity to Ivarsson and her band
, especially in America.
In March 2011, Ivarsson signed for a promotion campaign by American hair care
company Sebastian Professional. Earlier fashion-related appearances included the Berlin Fashion Week in January 2011 where The Sounds played during the presentation of a German fashion label.
Maja is featured on the song "We Are Rebels" by Alice in Videoland
from their 2008 album She's A Machine!
and on All Time Low
's song "Guts" on their 2011 album Dirty Work
.
and their song "Love is the Drug
" a big inspiration; references to this song and Bryan Ferry
can be found in The Sounds' single "Rock 'n' Roll". Depeche Mode
and Bruce Springsteen
were popular when she was young and she found the Depeche Mode song "My Secret Garden" particularly mesmerizing until her brother translated the lyrics for her (she did not yet speak English
), at which point she refused to listen to the rest of the translation. She has also admitted to having a crush on Billy Idol
when she was a child. The band has been likened to Blondie
. Ivarsson has an eclectic taste in music, having claimed to like electronica
as well as Britney Spears
' "Toxic
", and music by Otis Redding
, Dolly Parton
, Slipknot
and Simon & Garfunkel.
. She is also a composer
and lyricist
, even though most of The Sounds' songs are written by the other band members. Around the age of 8 she took up karate
, Thai boxing and kickboxing
. She has three tattoos: a tribal sun on the inside of her left forearm, Modesty Blaise
(a 1960s-era British comic book character) on her right outer forearm and three dots between her right thumb and index finger. The three dot tattoo is in memory of her father, who was a sailor. They symbolize having traveled the seven seas.
When asked by an interviewer in Out Magazine, Ivarsson characterized herself as bisexual. When asked what kind of sexual partners she prefers, she replied, "I like very feminine girls. And very masculine boys. Kind of boring in a way. If I was dating a guy - I like it almost when you can't make up your mind if they're good looking or not. I don't like pretty boys at all." In previous interviews, she confirmed her status as "a member of the queer
community."
Ivarsson is known to be intensely private when it comes to her personal life, so most details are not available.
Swedes
Swedes are a Scandinavian nation and ethnic group native to Sweden, mostly inhabiting Sweden and the other Nordic countries, with descendants living in a number of countries.-Etymology:...
singer and lead vocalist of the Swedish New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band The Sounds
The Sounds
The Sounds are a Swedish Indie Rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons....
.
Career
The Sounds were formed in 1998 in HelsingborgHelsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
, by childhood friends guitarist and vocalist Felix Rodriguez and bassist Johan Bengtsson, who later invited drummer Fredrik Nilsson on board. Maja Ivarsson's striking presence and personality led to an invitation to be their lead singer. They met Jesper Anderberg during the Hultsfred Festival
Hultsfred Festival
The Hultsfred Festival is an annual music festival held in Hultsfred, Sweden. It takes place at the lake Hulingen during three days in the June or July, from Thursday to Saturday. Since the first festival in 1986, its attendance has increased from 7,500 visitors to approximately 32,000 people in...
by chance and invited him to join their band. He plays piano, guitar, synthesizers and does back-up vocals.
The Sounds are active on the touring circuit, including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Their first tour was in the wake of their 2003 smash "Living in America" (both the song and the album
Living in America (album)
Living in America is the debut album in English by Swedish New Wave band The Sounds, produced in 2002 under the label Warner Sweden.-Original Swedish version:-American version:...
), although their touring conditions were a far cry from the sheen of the video for the song. They have been to the "Southern Finland triangle" (Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
and Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
) many times, but their tour in the fall of 2006 showcased them in additional inland and coastal towns. After that they went on international tour and were in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 2007. In 2008 they began a tour of Europe and North America that ended at the end of summer 2009. The band opened for No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
alongside Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
during a U.S. tour over the summer of 2009. These proved to be successful exposure for them as their popularity on myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and their Street Team has increased dramatically. Most of the shows on their tour involved opening for No Doubt, while some of their headlining shows featured opening act Hey Champ. The Sounds recently finished a US headlining tour with supporting acts Semi Precious Weapons
Semi Precious Weapons
Semi Precious Weapons is a rock band from New York City consisting of Justin Tranter on vocals, Stevy Pyne on guitar, Cole Whittle on bass and Dan Crean on drums. Pyne replaced former guitarist, Aaron Lee Tasjan, in November 2008...
and Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 2004. The band is composed of lead vocalist Eric Sean Nally, guitarist Loren Turner, pianist Sky White, and bass player Daisy. Later, trumpeter and back-up vocalist Alex Nauth joined, and Aaron McVeigh became the band's permanent...
and a tour in Europe with supporting act Matt & Kim to promote their new album, Crossing the Rubicon.
In 2002, Ivarsson collaborated with Andreas Mattson in the song "Free Free Free" which was released on the soundtrack for the German film Big Girls Don't Cry.
Ivarsson was featured in Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
's single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
"Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)
Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)
"Snakes on a Plane ", is the debut single of dance rock band Cobra Starship from the soundtrack album Snakes on a Plane: The Album...
", for the 2006 film
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American horror-action-thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006 in North America...
. The widely advertised film gave an enormous amount of publicity to Ivarsson and her band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, especially in America.
In March 2011, Ivarsson signed for a promotion campaign by American hair care
Hair care
Hair care is an overall term for parts of hygiene and cosmetology involving the hair on the human head. Hair care will differ according to one's hair type and according to various processes that can be applied to hair...
company Sebastian Professional. Earlier fashion-related appearances included the Berlin Fashion Week in January 2011 where The Sounds played during the presentation of a German fashion label.
Maja is featured on the song "We Are Rebels" by Alice in Videoland
Alice in Videoland
Alice in Videoland is an electroclash band from Sweden. They are compared to bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Missing Persons and The Sounds, although they are more electronic...
from their 2008 album She's A Machine!
She's A Machine!
She's a Machine! is the third studio album by Swedish electronic band Alice in Videoland, released in Sweden on 23 April 2008 by National Records. German pressings of the album include a bonus disc titled A Different Perspective, which contains reworked versions of the songs on the original disc...
and on All Time Low
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American pop punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2003.The band consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alexander Gaskarth, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Jack Barakat, bassist and backing vocalist Zachary Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson...
's song "Guts" on their 2011 album Dirty Work
Dirty Work (All Time Low album)
Dirty Work is the fourth full-length studio album by American pop punk band All Time Low. The album is the band's major label debut and was released on June 7, 2011 by Interscope Records. "I Feel Like Dancin'" was released as the album's first single on April 15, 2011. Dirty Work debuted at No...
.
Influences
Ivarsson found Roxy MusicRoxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
and their song "Love is the Drug
Love Is the Drug
"Love Is the Drug" is a 1975 single from Roxy Music . Taken from the album Siren it omits the gravel footstep sound effects at the start...
" a big inspiration; references to this song and Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
can be found in The Sounds' single "Rock 'n' Roll". Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
were popular when she was young and she found the Depeche Mode song "My Secret Garden" particularly mesmerizing until her brother translated the lyrics for her (she did not yet speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
), at which point she refused to listen to the rest of the translation. She has also admitted to having a crush on Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
when she was a child. The band has been likened to Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
. Ivarsson has an eclectic taste in music, having claimed to like electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
as well as Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' "Toxic
Toxic (song)
"Toxic" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, co-written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on January 12, 2004, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After trying to choose between " Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to...
", and music by Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
and Simon & Garfunkel.
Personal life
She began playing the French horn at the age of 8 and at 14 she took up the electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. She is also a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, even though most of The Sounds' songs are written by the other band members. Around the age of 8 she took up karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, Thai boxing and kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
. She has three tattoos: a tribal sun on the inside of her left forearm, Modesty Blaise
Modesty Blaise
Modesty Blaise is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows the adventures of Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin...
(a 1960s-era British comic book character) on her right outer forearm and three dots between her right thumb and index finger. The three dot tattoo is in memory of her father, who was a sailor. They symbolize having traveled the seven seas.
When asked by an interviewer in Out Magazine, Ivarsson characterized herself as bisexual. When asked what kind of sexual partners she prefers, she replied, "I like very feminine girls. And very masculine boys. Kind of boring in a way. If I was dating a guy - I like it almost when you can't make up your mind if they're good looking or not. I don't like pretty boys at all." In previous interviews, she confirmed her status as "a member of the queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
community."
Ivarsson is known to be intensely private when it comes to her personal life, so most details are not available.
Albums
- Living in AmericaLiving in America (album)Living in America is the debut album in English by Swedish New Wave band The Sounds, produced in 2002 under the label Warner Sweden.-Original Swedish version:-American version:...
- released 11 November 2002; 6 May 2003 (US) - Dying to Say This to YouDying to Say This to YouDying to Say This to You is the second studio album in English by Swedish New Wave group The Sounds. It was released on 15 March 2006 in Sweden and 21 March 2006 in the United States. The album blends Swedish-influenced New Wave music with a sassy and spunky delivery by vocalist Maja Ivarsson,...
- released 15 March 2006; 21 March 2006 (US) - Crossing the RubiconCrossing the Rubicon (The Sounds album)All music and lyrics by Jesper Anderberg and Félix Rodríguez except:Track 1: Lyrics by J. Anderberg, F. Rodríguez, F. Nilsson, M. IvarssonTrack 6: Lyrics by J. Anderberg, F. Rodríguez, M. Ivarsson...
- released 2 June 2009 (US) - Something to Die ForSomething to Die For-Soundtracks:The songs "Something to Die For" and "Yeah Yeah Yeah" are featured in the 2011 film Scream 4, and included on the film's soundtrack. The track "The No No Song" is also featured in episode 19 of the first season of Hawaii Five-0.-External links:...
- release date 29 March 2011