Amanda Jenssen
| Amanda Jenssen | |
|---|---|
 Amanda Jenssen in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jenny Amanda Katarina Bengtsson |
| Born | 12 September 1988 |
| Origin | Lund, Sweden |
| Genres | Jazz, acoustic, rock, indie, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter |
| Instruments | Singing, Guitar |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Sony BMG (2007–present) |
| Associated acts | Marit Bergman, Pär Wiksten, Miss Li |
| Website |
amandajenssenmusic |
Jenny Amanda Katarina Jenssen (born Bengtsson, 12 September 1988 in Lund, Sweden), known professionally as Amanda Jenssen, is a Swedish singer and Idol 2007 runner-up. Jenssen's first album, released in 2008, became one of that year's best-selling albums in Sweden, peaking at number 1 on the Swedish album chart. She also had success with her music singles, with seven individual placements on the Swedish singles chart. As of November 2012 she had released three full albums, the last being the mid-November 2012 Hymns for the Haunted.
Career
Early life
Jenssen started her career as the lead singer in the band Oh Hollie Neverdays and in the band called Amanda and the Papas which did covers of classic songs. Oh Hollie Neverdays wrote their own tunes (Jenssen and guitarist, Viktor Rinneby). In May 2007 they won the Swedish competition "Musik Direkt" and the prize was a tour in Gambia.
Idol experience
Jenssen entered the Idol 2007 talent show on TV4, early on becoming one of the favourites after some strong performances. In the end she finished second in the finale after going head to head with Marie Picasso on 7 December 2007 in Globen Arena in Stockholm. Jenssen lost to Marie Picasso but received 48.7% of the votes.
Idol performances
- That's Alright Mama
- Dream a Little Dream
- Look What They've Done to My Song
- Tainted Love
- Don't Hate on Me
- Born to Run
- Baby Can I Hold You Tonight
- Disco Inferno
- Suspicious Minds
- Just a Girl
- You Really Got Me
- No One
- Hallelujah
Post-Idol career
On 3 January 2008 Jenssen announced that she had landed a record deal. Her first single, "Do You Love Me", was released in stores on 23 January the same year. The following single "Amarula Tree" (written by Jenssen and Pär Wiksten) was released on 16 April 2008.
Her debut album, Killing My Darlings, was released on 7 May 2008 and became one of the most sold albums of 2008 landing at number 1 on the Swedish album chart. The majority of the songs on the album were written by herself and together with Wiksten. Marit Bergman and Vincent Pontare also contributed with a song each. A nationwide tour in the summer and autumn of 2008 followed. She was backed up by members of Damn and her songwriting friend Wiksten. It was a huge success, and at the end of the summer she was voted Queen of the summer tours by Aftonbladet readers (the biggest Swedish evening paper).
In early 2009, Jenssen was nominated for a number of awards at the Swedish Grammy Awards and the P3-guld galan and at the Rockbjörnen and Gay galas she won. At Rockbjörnen for "This Year's Female Artist" and "This Year's Newcomer" and at Gaygalan she won "Artist of the Year".
Happyland
After the success with her debut album Killing My Darlings, Jenssen returned to the studio to record her second album Happyland, which was slated for a release on 28 October 2009. Her first single from the album was "Happyland" and it debuted at number 3 on the Swedish Singles chart and at number 55 on the German Singles chart.[1]
The album debuted at number three on the Swedish charts and was certified Gold status after just one week of album sales. The album was critically praised and it went on to win two Grammies for best female artist and best composer.[2]
Other appearances
Jenssen's song "Do You Love Me?" was played on 23 September 2008 in the beginning of the third episode of the American TV series Privileged. The episode was watched by about 1.8 million viewers in the US.
"Our Time", a song from Happyland album, was played on Dior's Haute Couture Fashion Show Spring Summer 2011.
In May 2013, Jenssen performed a solo concert at Gröna Lund theme park in Stockholm.
In late 2014 he took part in the television series Så mycket bättre which was broadcast on TV4.
Hymns for the Haunted (2012) and "Dry My Soul" single
On 7 February 2012 a teaser video for Jenssen's new single "Dry My Soul" premiered on YouTube. The video for "Dry My Soul" was released on 14 February 2012, and is currently available for streaming on her official website, and for purchase on the iTunes Store. The new album called Hymns for the Haunted, originally scheduled for release on 5 September 2012, was released on 14 November 2012 (now available on Spotify and for download on iTunes Store ) worldwide. It appears on Sony Music Entertainment.[3]
American Horror Story
Snippets from the song "The Carnival" feature preview videos from the fourth season "Freak Show" which premiered on FX.
Discography
| Amanda Jenssen discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 3 |
| Music videos | 4 |
| Singles | 9 |
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE | AUT | GER | SWI | |||
| 2008 | Killing My Darlings
|
1 | — | — | — |
|
| 2010 | Happyland
|
3 | 55 | 43 | 68 |
|
| 2012 | Hymns for the Haunted
|
2 | — | — | — |
|
| 2015 | Sånger från ön
|
25 | — | — | — | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE | AUT | GER | SWI | |||
| 2007 | "Look What They've Done to My Song" | 24 | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | "Do You Love Me?" | 1 | — | — | — | Killing My Darlings |
| "Amarula Tree" | 4 | — | — | — | ||
| "Greetings from Space" | 30 | — | — | — | ||
| "Maple Trees" | 60 | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Another Christmas" | 27 | — | — | — | |
| "Happyland" | 3 | 75 | 55 | 75 | Happyland | |
- Other releases
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE | |||
| 2014 | "When We Dig for Gold in the USA" | 4 | Så mycket bättre - Season 5 - Orup Songs originally "När vi gräver guld i USA" |
| "Calleth You, Cometh I" | 29 | Så mycket bättre - Season 5 - Ola Salo Songs | |
References
- ↑ "Hitlist Germany - Top 100 - Alle Musikvideos - Chart". MTV.de. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ↑ Kristin Lundell (2012-06-11). "Grammisgalan - Fyra dubbelvinnare i toppen | Kultur | SvD" (in Swedish). Svd.se. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ↑ "Amanda Jenssen, Tba Album 2012, Musik CD". Bengans music store, Sweden. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amanda Jenssen. |