Karin Dreijer Andersson
Encyclopedia
Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson (born 7 April 1975 in Nacka
, Sweden), commonly known by her stage name
Fever Ray, is the lead vocalist of the electronic
duo The Knife
, formed with her brother Olof Dreijer
. Andersson was previously the vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock
band Honey Is Cool
. Andersson released her eponymous debut solo album under the name Fever Ray in 2009. Her vocal style is notable for both shrill and deep tones, and also the use of multitracked vocals, with different uses of pitch-shifting technology on each track, creating an intricate, mysterious effect. Many listeners mistake the deep vocals on songs by The Knife for those of her brother. Visually, Dreijer Andersson employs the use of masks, face and body paint, intricate costumes, and other theatrical elements in photo shoots, videos and live performances, during which she often performs behind a gauze screen that partially obscures her from view.
digitally on 12 January 2009 and physically on 18 March 2009 via Rabid Records
, preceded by its lead single "If I Had a Heart
", released digitally on 15 December 2008.
In 2009 the collection of feminist pornographic shorts Dirty Diaries
was released with a soundtrack composed by Andersson. In a review of the collection in Swedish newspaper Smålandsposten it was described as appropriate to the film, though repetitive.
Andersson performed as "Fever Ray" at the 2010 Coachella Festival and received positive reviews. She performed at Electric Picnic
2010 and Bestival
2010 in September.
Contrary to a statement from the film's director, Andersson did not make a cameo
in the 2011 film Red Riding Hood. However, the soundtrack features the exclusive track "The Wolf", which Andersson co-wrote with her band, as well as "Keep the Streets Empty for Me".
Andersson wrote the music for the adaptation of Ingmar Bergman
's Vargtimmen, The Wolf Hour
that premiered at Stockholm's Royal Theatre on 12 March 2011.
" by Röyksopp
on the album The Understanding
. She also appeared in the video for that single, but not as the vocalist, which was played by a model. In 2008, Andersson provided vocals for the dEUS song "Slow" from the band's Vantage Point
album. Andersson was featured in the tracks "This Must Be It" and "Tricky Tricky" again by Röyksopp
, appearing on the album Junior released in 2009.
, Sweden. While both Karin and Olof are hesitant to give interviews, Karin partakes in them more frequently than her brother. On the occasions they do consent to interviews, they often stick to topics concerning their music, influences and public image, avoiding talking about their personal lives. Karin is married to Kent Peter Kristian Andersson and has two children, though the first names of her children are not publicly known, in order to protect the privacy of the Dreijer-Andersson family. Her favorite TV show is Miami Vice
Nacka
Nacka is the municipal seat of Nacka Municipality and part of Stockholm urban area in Sweden. The municipality's name harks back to an 16th century industrial operation established by the Crown at Nacka farmstead where conditions for water mills are good...
, Sweden), commonly known by her stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Fever Ray, is the lead vocalist of the electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo The Knife
The Knife
The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...
, formed with her brother Olof Dreijer
Olof Dreijer
Olof Bjorn Dreijer is a member of the electronica duo The Knife, formed with his sister Karin Dreijer Andersson.Although The Knife very rarely performs live concerts, Olof performs as DJ Coolof in nightclubs across Europe....
. Andersson was previously the vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Honey Is Cool
Honey Is Cool
Honey Is Cool was an alternative rock band from Sweden. The band was formed in 1994 by Karin Dreijer, drummer Johan Hagström, and bass player Staffan Larsson, who were soon complemented by guitarist Anders Göthberg who soon left the band and was replaced by John Jern.-History:During the second half...
. Andersson released her eponymous debut solo album under the name Fever Ray in 2009. Her vocal style is notable for both shrill and deep tones, and also the use of multitracked vocals, with different uses of pitch-shifting technology on each track, creating an intricate, mysterious effect. Many listeners mistake the deep vocals on songs by The Knife for those of her brother. Visually, Dreijer Andersson employs the use of masks, face and body paint, intricate costumes, and other theatrical elements in photo shoots, videos and live performances, during which she often performs behind a gauze screen that partially obscures her from view.
Solo work
While The Knife was on hiatus, Andersson released her self-titled solo debut album Fever RayFever Ray (album)
Fever Ray was lauded by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 27 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim"...
digitally on 12 January 2009 and physically on 18 March 2009 via Rabid Records
Rabid Records
Rabid Records is a Swedish record label founded in 1998 by members of Honey Is Cool. Today the label is operated by Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer of the synthpop duo The Knife, as well as Frau Rabid. The label rarely releases anything other than works by The Knife, but it is currently...
, preceded by its lead single "If I Had a Heart
If I Had a Heart
"If I Had a Heart" is a song performed, written and produced by Swedish recording artist Fever Ray. It was released as the lead single from her debut self-titled album, Fever Ray , marking Ray's debut single as a solo artist, after her work with previous band, The Knife...
", released digitally on 15 December 2008.
In 2009 the collection of feminist pornographic shorts Dirty Diaries
Dirty Diaries
Dirty Diaries is a 2009 collection of thirteen pornographic short films made by Swedish feminists and produced by Mia Engberg. The individual films are highly diverse in content, although many of them feature humour and different forms of queer sex...
was released with a soundtrack composed by Andersson. In a review of the collection in Swedish newspaper Smålandsposten it was described as appropriate to the film, though repetitive.
Andersson performed as "Fever Ray" at the 2010 Coachella Festival and received positive reviews. She performed at Electric Picnic
Electric Picnic
The 2005 festival took place on Saturday 3 September and Sunday 4 September. It is best remembered for Arcade Fire's performance which came before their subsequent mainstream success...
2010 and Bestival
Bestival
Bestival is a four-day music festival held at the Robin Hill country park on the Isle of Wight, England. It has been held annually in late summer since 2004. The event is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial...
2010 in September.
Contrary to a statement from the film's director, Andersson did not make a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the 2011 film Red Riding Hood. However, the soundtrack features the exclusive track "The Wolf", which Andersson co-wrote with her band, as well as "Keep the Streets Empty for Me".
Andersson wrote the music for the adaptation of Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
's Vargtimmen, The Wolf Hour
Hour of the Wolf
Hour of the Wolf is a 1968 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. It combines elements of the film drama, surrealist film and horror film.-Plot:...
that premiered at Stockholm's Royal Theatre on 12 March 2011.
Collaborations
In 2005, Andersson supplied vocals on the track "What Else Is There?What Else Is There?
"What Else Is There?" is the third single from the Norwegian duo Röyksopp's second album The Understanding. It features the vocals of Karin Dreijer Andersson from the electronica duo The Knife. The album was released in the UK with the help of Astralwerks....
" by Röyksopp
Röyksopp
Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
on the album The Understanding
The Understanding
The Understanding is the second studio album by Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp. It was released in the United Kingdom on 4 July 2005 by Wall of Sound and in the United States on 12 July 2005 by Astralwerks. The deluxe edition, including a bonus CD, is sold in a Digipak...
. She also appeared in the video for that single, but not as the vocalist, which was played by a model. In 2008, Andersson provided vocals for the dEUS song "Slow" from the band's Vantage Point
Vantage Point (album)
Vantage Point is the fifth album from the Belgian band Deus, released on April 18, 2008. This is the first Deus album which features the same line-up as the previous album....
album. Andersson was featured in the tracks "This Must Be It" and "Tricky Tricky" again by Röyksopp
Röyksopp
Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
, appearing on the album Junior released in 2009.
Personal Life
Karin was born on 7 April 1975 in NackaNacka
Nacka is the municipal seat of Nacka Municipality and part of Stockholm urban area in Sweden. The municipality's name harks back to an 16th century industrial operation established by the Crown at Nacka farmstead where conditions for water mills are good...
, Sweden. While both Karin and Olof are hesitant to give interviews, Karin partakes in them more frequently than her brother. On the occasions they do consent to interviews, they often stick to topics concerning their music, influences and public image, avoiding talking about their personal lives. Karin is married to Kent Peter Kristian Andersson and has two children, though the first names of her children are not publicly known, in order to protect the privacy of the Dreijer-Andersson family. Her favorite TV show is Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
Singles
- "If I Had a HeartIf I Had a Heart"If I Had a Heart" is a song performed, written and produced by Swedish recording artist Fever Ray. It was released as the lead single from her debut self-titled album, Fever Ray , marking Ray's debut single as a solo artist, after her work with previous band, The Knife...
" (2008) - "When I Grow UpWhen I Grow Up (Fever Ray song)"When I Grow Up" is the second single from Swedish recording artist Fever Ray's self-titled debut album, Fever Ray .-Critical reception:Pitchfork Media placed "When I Grow Up" at number 36 on the website's list of The Top 100 Tracks of 2009....
" (2009) - "Triangle WalksTriangle Walks"Triangle Walks" is the third single from Swedish recording artist Fever Ray's self-titled debut album, Fever Ray .-Music video:The music video was directed by Mikel Cee Karlsson...
" (2009) - "SevenSeven (Fever Ray song)"Seven" is the fourth single from Swedish recording artist Fever Ray's self-titled debut album, Fever Ray .-Music video:The music video for "Seven" features a wolfman and Fever Ray in makeup that makes her look elderly...
(2009) - "Stranger Than Kindness" (2009)
- "Keep the Streets Empty for Me" (2009)
- "Mercy Street" (2010)
Collaborations
- "Wasted" on Robot's Fake or Real? (2000) – additional vocals
- "Axe Man" on SilverbullitSilverbullitSilverbullit is a Swedish rock band based in Göteborg. Formed in 1995 under the name "Silverbullet", which was changed after a conflict over the rights for the name. They are known under the name Citizen Bird in the US, and have toured under that name and released their album Citizen Bird as a...
's Citizen Bird (2001) – featured vocals - "Lost in the City Nights" on Yvonne's Hit That City (2001) – featured vocals
- "What Else Is There?What Else Is There?"What Else Is There?" is the third single from the Norwegian duo Röyksopp's second album The Understanding. It features the vocals of Karin Dreijer Andersson from the electronica duo The Knife. The album was released in the UK with the help of Astralwerks....
" on RöyksoppRöyksoppRöyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
's The UnderstandingThe UnderstandingThe Understanding is the second studio album by Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp. It was released in the United Kingdom on 4 July 2005 by Wall of Sound and in the United States on 12 July 2005 by Astralwerks. The deluxe edition, including a bonus CD, is sold in a Digipak...
(2005) – featured vocals - "Slow" on dEUS' Vantage PointVantage Point (album)Vantage Point is the fifth album from the Belgian band Deus, released on April 18, 2008. This is the first Deus album which features the same line-up as the previous album....
(2008) – featured vocals - "This Must Be ItThis Must Be It"This Must Be It" is the third single from the Norwegian duo Röyksopp's third album Junior. It features the vocals of Karin Dreijer Andersson...
" and "Tricky Tricky" on Röyksopp's Junior (2009) – featured vocals