...Annie
Nul set: Norway has never been known for producing classic pop acts. While its nearest neighbour, Sweden, has supplied such renowned acts as The Hives, The Cardigans, Soundtrack of Our Lives and a portion of Razorlight, the best Norway can seem to come up with are electro- folkies Kings of Convenience and Röyk- sopp, and Lene Marlin, the Oslo Dido. Even Eurovision voters have spurned the Norwegian entries, giving them nul points so often it became a running joke. But now, a 27-year-old from Bergen is hoping to put Norway firmly on the map with an album that's been hailed as a captivating collection of smart, sassy pop anthems. Known simply as Annie, this blonde bombshell is being tipped to take over from Kylie, and, judging from her bumping and grinding videos, she might just have the right assets behind her.
Stepping out: Anne Lilia Berge Strand was born in 1977. Her father, a keyboard whiz, died of cancer when Annie was just seven, but she inherited his piano-tinkling talent and began playing and singing in her local choir. But a stronger vocation beckoned, and by 16 she was belting out the tunes in an indie-rock band called Suitcase, and then DJing at various clubs in Bergen. Her eclectic tastes - every- thing from disco to The Ramones - ensured that Annie's DJ sets were anything but dull, and soon she had teamed up with local producer Tore Andreas Kroknes (aka Erot) to craft dancefloor-friendly pop tunes. They put out records on the Tellè label, and also became an item, stepping out together to Bergen's top clubs, where their tunes were inevitably playing.
Hit hard: In 1999, the young lovers put out a single, The Greatest Hit, featuring a sample of Madonna's Everybody. It became an underground hit, and no self- respecting DJ hit the decks without a copy in their box. Tore and Annie's beautiful partnership was prematurely dissolved, however, when Tore died in 2001 from a congenital heart disease. Annie didn't much feel like making bubbly dance-pop music. "I was so depressed I just wasn't able to do anything," she says. "I stayed at home, away from everyone, completely in my own world."
Gum drops: Eventually, Annie pulled herself together and started a club in Bergen, Pop Till You Drop. She also hooked up with Finnish electro producers Opl:Bastards and began working on her debut album, Anniemal. Röyksopp, who had turned down an offer to produce Britney Spears, agreed to work on three of the tracks, while UK mash-up king Richard X produced the fab lead single, Chewing Gum, a bubblicious blend of Kelis and Tom Tom Club. The single and album were released last year, but are getting a re-release this month, just to ensure they don't go stale on the bedpost. And the votes for Norway's newest star? Douze points.
