Annie
Annie performing in Bergen in 2005.
Background information
Birth name	Anne Lilia Berge Strand
Also known as	Annie
Born	November 21, 1978 (1978-11-21) (age 30)
Origin	Bergen, Norway
Genre(s)	Pop, dance, indie rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, DJ
Years active	1993-present
Label(s)	679, Island
Website	www.anniemusic.co.uk

Anne Lilia Berge Strand (born November 21, 1978 in Trondheim, Norway), better known by her stage name Annie, is a pop artist and DJ from Bergen, Norway. Annie's widely acclaimed debut album Anniemal (2004) created a buzz among music bloggers that brought her into the international spotlight. Her recording career began with the underground hit single "The Greatest Hit" (1999).

While Anniemal did not achieve major commercial success^[1], the album received widespread critical acclaim^[2] and was awarded Best Pop Album at the Spellemannsprisen, an annual Norwegian music award ceremony, where Annie also won Best Newcomer. The album's lead single "Chewing Gum" was chosen as NME's Single of the Week upon its release and charted in the UK, Norway, Sweden, and Australia, and its second single "Heartbeat" was chosen as Pitchfork Media's #1 Single of 2004.

Annie has been praised as a pop artist with indie values and appeal, described as "a pop singer with credibility, an indie artist with one eye on the dancefloor"^[3], and "the Kylie it's cool to like"^[4]. Annie describes her music as "pop with strange edges."

Annie will be releasing the song "Ánthonio" on Richard X's record label Black Melody in the first week of 2009. Annie currently lives in Berlin.

Early life

Annie was born in Trondheim, Norway and was raised in the coastal town of Kristiansand. Annie's father, a church organ player, died of cancer when Annie was 7. After a series of moves, Annie and her mother, an English teacher, moved to Norway's second largest city Bergen when Annie was 13.^[5] By this time, Annie sang in choirs^[6] and played the piano.^{[citation needed]}

At age 16, Annie and a group of friends formed Suitcase, an indie rock band. Suitcase only performed once, before a panel of judges for a music competition where they did not reach the finals.^[7] A few years after Suitcase's inception, Annie left the band over musical differences.^[8]

Annie attended secondary school until around 1997, when she began to DJ around Bergen, getting acquainted with members of the Bergen music scene. During this time she met producer Mikal Tellé, owner of the Bergen-based Tellé record label, and Norwegian house producer Tore Andreas Kroknes, known professionally as DJ Erot.

Music career

1999-2003: Greatest Hit

Annie and Kroknes became romantically involved, and began to collaborate musically. Annie launched her solo singing career in 1999 with the single "Greatest Hit", written and recorded with Kroknes and released under the Tellé label. The song, which samples Madonna's song "Everybody", saw a limited release of 500 7-inch singles and sold out in two days. The song became an underground club hit in Norway and Britain, and Annie received offers for record contracts.^[9]

Annie and Kroknes made plans to release an album and began recording "I Will Get On" in 2000. However, Kroknes, who was born with a degenerative heart condition, fell ill near the end of 2000 and was hospitalized repeatedly. In April 2001, Kroknes died of complications from his heart condition at the age of 23.^{[6] [10]}

After that, I was so depressed I just wasn't able to do anything. I stayed at home, away from everyone, completely in my own world. I wanted to make the album with Tore - that was the plan. After he died I just didn't think I had the heart. But then I thought, 'Right, you're really depressed now but you have to make this album. Tore would be quite pissed off if you just stopped doing anything.'

-Annie, Clubbing Magazine^[11]

After a hiatus from music, Annie returned to DJing and songwriting in late 2001. With friend Fröken Blytt, she started a club night in Bergen at the Agora nightclub called Pop Till You Drop^[12], where she met Finnish DJ Timo Kaukolampi of Op:l Bastards. In return for booking him for Pop Till You Drop, Annie traveled to Helsinki to DJ at Kaukolampi's own night club, and later lent her vocals to some Op:l Bastards tracks.^[6]

2004: Anniemal

Annie sent a demo tape to Britain's 679 Recordings label and was signed in March 2003. Around this time she met British producer Richard X and contributed vocals for the track "Just Friends" on his X-Factor Volume 1, released in August 2003.^[13]

Annie and Richard X continued to work together, releasing the single "Chewing Gum" in Annie's name in September 2004. The track was named single of the week by NME soon after its release^[14], and charted in the UK at #25.

Annie performing at BIT Teatergarasjen for Bergenfest in May 2005.

Later that year, Annie released her debut CD Anniemal, collaborating with Timo Kaukolampi, Richard X, who produced and co-wrote the track "Me Plus One", and fellow Norwegians Röyksopp. "Greatest Hit" earned a spot in the tracklist, and the album's second single "Heartbeat" was voted #1 in Pitchfork Media's Top 50 singles of 2004 before the song was officially released. "Chewing Gum" took the #11 spot on that same list.^[15]

In 2005, Annie won several awards for her work, including Best Pop Album and Best Newcomer at the Norwegian Alarm Awards. "Chewing Gum" had also been nominated for Song of the Year. In addition, Annie won the Best Newcomer award at the prestigious Spellemannsprisen. Annie's February 5 performance at the Alarm Awards was one of the first live performances of her solo career.^[16]

Annie toured around the world in 2005 to promote Anniemal, including a brief UK tour with Saint Etienne^[17], to whom she had sent a demo tape while still in Suitcase in 1996. Annie performed at sold out club venues in the United States in 2005, and returned to the US later that year.

2005: DJ-Kicks

In 2005, Annie released a DJ mix album as part of !K7's DJ-Kicks series. Around this time, she began a record label called Totally, with Timo Kaukolampi, and planned to release a 12" single with Datarock.^[18] She provided vocals for the Teddybears track "Yours to Keep"^[19] as well as the Ercola track "Follow Me"^[20], and re-recorded her songs "Chewing Gum" and "Heartbeat" in Simlish for The Sims 2: Nightlife's Danish and Norwegian localizations.

2006-Present: Don't Stop

On January 17, 2007, Annie signed an international deal with Island Records, owned by Universal Music Group. She had planned to release her second album, Don't Stop, in April 2009, preceded by the single "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me", scheduled for release on July 7, after she finished touring on the Popjustice Wonky Pop Tour.^[21][22] However, on November 25, 2008, Annie announced that she had decided to part ways with Island Records, leaving her second album's future uncertain.

For "Don't Stop," Richard X co-wrote the songs "Marie Cherie", "Anthonio" and "Songs Remind Me of You" and produced a cover of Stacey Q's 1986 NRG hit "Two of Hearts". Timo Kaukolampi, who produced Annie's debut album Anniemal, was also a producer and co-writer on the record. ^[3]The album included collaborations with Franz Ferdinand guitarist Alex Kapranos, and Datarock.^[23]

The album's first single, another Richard X collaboration, "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me" premiered on her MySpace on 3rd March 2008 and was released in stores on July 7, and charted at #54 in the UK.

It was announced in early May that the song "My Love is Better," a collaboration with UK pop group Girls Aloud, would not be included on the album as previously planned. Producer Brian Higgins was reported to have included vocal tracks from a Girls Aloud demo in the song without their permission, however, the song has since been re-recorded without the Girls Aloud vocals and will be included on the album.^[24][25][26] A message from the official Annie mailing list states that the album will be released in September.^{[citation needed]}

The promo sampler of Don't Stop leaked on June 28, 2008.

Annie plans to release singles in 2008, and will release the song "Ánthonio" on Richard X's record label Black Melody during the first week of 2009 followed by a new song shortly after it.

Personal life

Annie currently lives in Berlin.^[27] She owns a cat named Joey, whom she named after both Joey Ramone and Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block.^[6]

Discography

Albums

DJ mix albums

Singles

"-" denotes releases that either were not released in that country and/or did not chart

Videos

• 2004 "Chewing Gum"
• 2005 "Heartbeat"
• 2008 "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me"

References

• "A fan's encounter with Annie".^{[dead link]} Annie reveals she was born in 1978. URL accessed on April 1, 2006.

External links

• Annie's official website
• Annie at MySpace