Maja Ivarsson: Difference between revisions
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==Influences== |
==Influences== |
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Growing up, the [[grunge]] scene was popular with bands like [[Nirvana]] and [[Pearl Jam]] getting radio play. Ivarsson found [[Roxy Music]] 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]] although many claim The Sounds are a better version of them. Ivarsson also has said she loves a great song. She has an eclectic taste in music, having claimed to like electronic music as well as Britney Spears's [[ |
Growing up, the [[grunge]] scene was popular with bands like [[Nirvana]] and [[Pearl Jam]] getting radio play. Ivarsson found [[Roxy Music]] 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]] although many claim The Sounds are a better version of them. Ivarsson also has said she loves a great song. She has an eclectic taste in music, having claimed to like electronic music as well as Britney Spears's "[[Toxic (song)|Toxic]]" and also music by [[Otis Redding]], [[Dolly Parton]], [[Slipknot]] and [[Simon & Garfunkel]]. |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Revision as of 21:34, 1 November 2009
Maja Ivarsson |
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Maja Ivarsson, born 2 October, 1979 in Åhus, Skåne County (in southern Sweden) is the lead singer with the Swedish New Wave band The Sounds. She began playing the French horn at the age of 8 and at 14 she took up the electric guitar. She is also a composer and lyricist. 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 sixties 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 her sexuality as bisexual. She stated that she has a girlfriend, whom she has been dating for three and a half years.When asked what kind of mates she likes, Maja 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."[1] In previous interviews, she confirmed her status as "a member of the queer community."[2] In her 2006 single (Tony the Beat), a lesbian couple is shown kissing.
Influences
Growing up, the grunge scene was popular with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam getting radio play. Ivarsson found Roxy Music 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 although many claim The Sounds are a better version of them. Ivarsson also has said she loves a great song. She has an eclectic taste in music, having claimed to like electronic music as well as Britney Spears's "Toxic" and also music by Otis Redding, Dolly Parton, Slipknot and Simon & Garfunkel.
Career
The Sounds were formed in 1998 by childhood friends guitarist and vocalist Felix Rodriguez and bassist Johan Bengtsson, who later invited drummer Fredrik Nilsson on board. 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 in four shows in California during the summer. These proved to be a 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 are currently on a headlining tour with supporting acts Semi Precious Weapons and Foxy Shazam to promote their new album, Crossing the Rubicon. They will be finishing off their tour in Europe with supporting act Matt & Kim.
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.
Maja is featured in the song "We Are Rebels" by Alice in Videoland from their 2008 album She's A Machine!
Albums
- Living In America - released November 11, 2002; May 6, 2003 (US)
- Dying To Say This To You - released March 15, 2006; March 21, 2006 (US)
- Crossing the Rubicon - release date June 2, 2009 (US)
References
- ^ ""Can't Stop The Queen Of The Sounds"", Out.com, 19 December, 2007, retrieved 2007-12-19
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Shapiro, Gregg (June 20, 2006), Interview with Maja Ivarsson of The Sounds, retrieved 2007-11-06
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help)
rebel