Susanne Sundfør

Norwegian singer songwriter and record producer

Susanne Aartun Sundfør ( (local Haugesund dialect; [sʉˈsɑ̀nːə ˈɔ̀ʈːʉːn ˈsʉ̀nføːr] in Urban East ("standard") Norwegian); born 19 March 1986) is a Norwegian singer songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Haugesund, Sundfør started touring in 2005. Susanne Sundfør (2007), her self titled debut studio album, reached number three on the Norwegian album chart. It was followed by Take One in 2008, a live album consisting of songs from her debut. Her second studio album, The Brothel, was released in 2010, peaking at number one in Norway and becoming the best selling album of that year. The album saw a shift from the piano driven pop of previous releases towards a more ambitious and electronic direction; its title track reached number two on the Norwegian singles charts, the highest of Sundfør's career. In 2011, she released a live instrumental album composed solely of synthesizers, A Night at Salle Pleyel, serving as a commission piece. Her third studio album, The Silicone Veil (2012), topped the Norwegian album chart and received critical acclaim. Her international breakthrough came in 2015 with her fourth studio album, Ten Love Songs, which saw Sundfør experimenting with an electronic dance pop sound. The album reached number one and garnered universal acclaim. Her fifth studio album Music for People in Trouble (2017) represented a departure from the electronic driven sound of previous records in favor of a return to her roots as a folk singer songwriter. The album reached number one in Norway as well, making it her fourth consecutive album to achieve this feat. Her sixth album Blómi was released in 2023.

Sundfør was born in Haugesund on 19 March 1986.

Sundfør rose to fame in her homeland in 2005, when she toured Norway opening for English singer Tom McRae.

Susanne Sundfør was followed by the 2008 live album Take One, consisting of acoustic versions of songs from her debut album. Sundfør considers it to be "kind of like a remix album. Like if you have an album of just remixes of an earlier record you made, that's how I see it. So I don't really see it as an album like the other ones." The following month, she was awarded Spellemannprisen for best female performance. She spurred nationwide debate when she accepted the award, stating her work represented her as an artist first, and a woman second, bringing into question whether the Norwegian Grammy board was acting archaically with such gender specific awards. That same month, Sundfør appeared on Mette Marit, Crown Princess of Norway's album Sorgen og Gleden , with the Norwegian folk tune psalm "Ingen Vinner Frem til Den Evige Ro" by Lars Linderot and Gustav Jensen. Later in 2008, Sundfør moved to Oslo.

In 2010, her second studio album The Brothel was released to critical acclaim in Norway and ended up becoming the best selling album of the year. The album saw a shift from the piano driven pop from previous releases towards a more ambitious and electronic sound. Sundfør described it as a "conceptual album with both quite acoustic and electronic soundscapes." Dagbladet wrote that Sundfør was so good that other young Norwegian artists would start crying when hearing her—both because she is several leagues above them, but also because her music is so moving and beautiful. It was at this time that Sundfør decided to commit to music as a profession. She said in a 2013 interview, "I think I only decided that this is something that I wanted to spend my entire life doing after I released The Brothel, because that was the first time I really felt like I had 'found' a sound." She also appeared that year on folk/rock band Real Ones' single "Sister to All". and was a commercial success in Norway, debuting at number one on the album chart. A studio version of "Ice Machine" was later featured on the duo's compilation album, Late Night Tales: Röyksopp (2013), and "Running to the Sea" was later featured on the duo's fifth studio album, The Inevitable End (2014). Sundfør collaborated with French electronic band M83 on the soundtrack for the 2013 film Oblivion. The soundtrack was released on 9 April 2013 and features the title song "Oblivion" with Sundfør contributing the main vocals. Later that month, Sundfør's back catalog was released for the first time in the United Kingdom to positive critical response. The following month, Sundfør was featured on a single by Susanna alongside Siri Nilsen. In June 2013, Sundfør remixed Maps' single "A. M. A". She also produced, programmed, arranged, recorded, provided backing vocals and played the keyboards and autoharp on the indie pop band Bow to Each Other's debut album The Urge Dreams, marking her debut as a producer.

In October 2014, "Fade Away" was released. It served as the lead single to her fourth studio album Ten Love Songs, released in February 2015. The album was Sundfør's international breakthrough, and became a commercial and critical success, debuting at number one on the Norwegian album chart and garnering critical praise from music critics, with many listing it as one of the best albums of 2015. Sundfør began a European tour to coincide with the album in March at Scala, London. Sundfør briefly moved from Oslo to East London in 2015, where she wrote in Dalston most of the songs for her next album, The first single from the new album "Undercover" was released on the same day of the announcement. That same day, it was also announced Sundfør would embark on a tour in support of the album. The second single "Mountaineers" featuring John Grant was released on 24 July. Upon release, the album received highly positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number one on the Norwegian album chart, making it her fourth consecutive album to achieve this feat.

In 2020, Sundfør composed the score to the biographical film Self Portrait, about the late Norwegian artist Lene Marie Fossen. On 23 February 2023, Sundfør released the lead singles "Alyosha" and "Leikara ljóð" and announced her sixth album Blómi, which was released on 28 April 2023. The album debuted at number two in Norway. The album was dedicated to her linguist grandfather Kjell Aartun and her recently born daughter.

Sundfør's music is varied, experimenting with various styles. Described as a mixture of experimental pop, the music she's released throughout the years also incorporates synth pop, baroque music, electro folk, electropop, dream pop, country, while generally being labeled as an art pop musician. She has been compared to various artists, such as Kate Bush and Björk, although she's rejected these comparisons. She said the music she writes is heavily inspired by Carly Simon. Radiohead, Burial, Aphex Twin, Scott Walker, Philip Glass, Sylvia Plath, and Elton John,

Sundfør grew up in a mix of country, folk rock and pop music, she mentioned that "being a woman in electronic music often means fighting against prejudices that male persons do the programming and the females do the singing." In August 2020, Sundfør announced on Instagram that she was pregnant with her first child. She married jazz musician André Roligheten two years later, in summer 2022. Sundfør is an advocate of regenerative agriculture, and has produced an Instagram series on sustainable farming alongside chef Per Theodor Tørrissen, visual artist Johanne Log, and the Nybo Regenerative Farm. She has advocated meat consumption, especially for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

Prior to the 2017 Norwegian General Election, Sundfør showed her support for the Socialist Left Party on Twitter, writing: "Vote for solidarity and protecting our planet. Vote against capitalism. It's the only humane future."

+ List of live albums, with selected chart positionsTitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions NOR — "Turkish Delight" 2011 — "White Foxes" 2012 19 The Silicone Veil "The Silicone Veil" — "Fade Away" 2015 — "Kamikaze" — "Undercover" — "When the Lord" 2020 — Self Portrait Original Soundtrack EP "Alyosha" 2023 — Blómi "Leikara ljóð" — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

+List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released Title Year Peak chart positions Album NOR DEN FRA "Sister to All" 2010 — — — First Night on Earth "Kapitulera" 2011 12 — — Sagolandet "Away" 2012 — — — Morten Myklebust "Oblivion" 2013 — — 114 Oblivion: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack "Death Hanging" — — — "Running to the Sea" 2014 14 10 — The Inevitable End "Let Me In" — — — As If We Never Won "Never Ever" 2016 22 — — "If You Want Me" 2022 — — — Profound Mysteries "Oh, Lover" — — — Profound Mysteries II "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.