Learn More. Photographer: Kristin Saastad. Facebook Twitter E-mail Print. Watch a Titanic interview clip with Sissel starting at The contest was broadcast all throughout Europe, and millions watched Sissel sing snippets accompanied by flutist Steiner Ofsdal from a number of native Bergen songs, including the Bergen anthem, Jeg tok min nystemte.
In November Sissel released her debut Christmas album, Glade Jul , which comprised several traditional holiday cuts and soon became a fixture in homes across her native land.
In , deciding she wanted a break from her music career and wanting to mix with youngsters her own age, in the spring Sissel opted to attend Handelsgymnasiet, a commercial upper-secondary school in Bergen. In Sissel travels through the spring with the touring production of Sound of Music , entertaining more than , theater-goers during its run. The album sold , copies - less than her previous efforts but noteworthy nonetheless. All these three records were made in collaboration with composer and producer Svein Gundersen.
In Skoller and Sissel made their romance official at the beginning of the year, a busy one for the singer. Sissel returned to musicals sort of as the singing voice of Ariel in the Scandinavian version of the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. Sissel spent time both spring and summer on The Faeroe Islands developing a project called Kystland. That fall, Sissel met legendary American crooner Neil Sedaka and talked with him about a collaboration between the two singers, and she became engaged to Skoller over the Christmas holiday.
In Sissel was named one of the official musicians of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. She made a promotional appearance at the Olympics in Albertville, France, sitting on a giant fake polar bear and performing works by the Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek. On the bright side, however, she joined Sedaka on his fall tour of Norway. During this period she also had several event performances in USA, thus creating valuable contacts. The drama, which played at Bergen's Den Nationale Scene as part of Bergen International Festival, was well-received by critics, garnering six stars out of a possible six from the Norwegian daily newspaper, Verdens Gang.
In August Sissel and Skoller were married in Mariakirken in Bergen, and thousands of fans brave a rainstorm to cheer on their favorite married singer. The wedding received a great deal of attention from Norwegian and Danish press. At the closing ceremony, she sang the official Olympic hymn, which had been translated from its original Greek to Norwegian especially for her. The talented twosome recorded the English version of Se ilden lyse , Fire in Your H , in a cleared-out restaurant.
Later that month, Sissel released a collection of ancient Nordic hymns and songs, very much built on the material from the Kystland project. The album was called Innerst i Sjelen Deep Within My Soul , and unlike the previous album received much acclaim, including kudos from Billboard magazine editor-in-chief Timothy White, who also predicted eventual success for her in the USA.
She took most of off to ensure she could complete her school and enjoyed her final year of teenage life with friends in Bergen. Sissel and her family would go for a hike in the mountains around Bergen every Sunday. Instead of attending church, she felt that the natural world became like a church to her.
Sissel has always felt inspired by nature in her work, which she credits to growing up in such a naturally beautiful place. In she was invited to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest in Brussels but she declined.
They presented the plan to her and, much to their annoyance, she turned it down. For the next few years, Sissel continued to build her career in Scandinavia. She often released the same album in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, with some different songs sung in the other languages to tailor them for the country. Towards the end of the s, Sissel started to come to more international recognition.
The composer of the soundtrack, James Horner, said it was a difficult choice between Sissel and Celine Dion as to who would record the theme song but, in the end, he chose Celine. Titled Sissel, the album included many of the songs from her album All Good Things and added the folk song Shenandoah, and Solitaire — a Neil Sedaka ballad.
With very little publicity and marketing, Decca records expected to sell , copies in the first nine months. Taking everybody by surprise, yet again, the record managed that in just three months! Her first album was basically a pop album and her career has covered everything from folk to classical plus a couple of more surprising choices! In , as a sign of her openness to all genres of music, Sissel appeared on the song Prince Igor with the rapper Warren G.
The album The Rapsody Overture was a concept album combining rappers with classical and opera singers. The song was a big hit across Europe, reaching the top of the charts in Norway and Iceland while doing well in many other European countries. But rather than leaving it on record, Sissel appeared to sing the song live on stage.
Despite flirting with music of all kinds, for many Norwegians, Sissel means one thing: Christmas. She released her first Christmas album in December It soon sold , copies in Norway, breaking her own record for album sales from the year before to create a new record. Read more : Christmas Traditions in Norway. The album consisted mostly of lesser-known Scandinavian Christmas Carols and the record company anticipated sales of , Instead, the album sold , in its first two months in Norway alone!
She has sung at times of national celebration and also national tragedy. This was for her contributions to music and her role as an unofficial ambassador for Norway. Sissel performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Lillehammer Winter Olympics.
In and , she represented Norway at the Nobel Peace Prize concert, an annual event for Nobel Laureates and dignitaries held in Oslo to celebrate the annual award.
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