Espen Lind
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| Espen Lind | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | 13 May 1971 |
| Origin | Tromsø, Norway |
| Genres | Pop, Rock |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Universal |
Espen Lind, (born 13 May 1971), is a Norwegian songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage.
Contents |
[edit] Solo records
Espen Lind released his first solo album, Mmm...Prepare To Be Swayed, in 1995 under the moniker, 'Sway'. Only released in Norway, it received mixed reviews and sold approximately 5,000 copies. His commercial breakthrough came in 1997 with the single "When Susannah Cries" which was a hit in several European and Latin American countries, including Norway where it was number one for six weeks. His second album Red went on to sell more than 100,000 copies in Norway, and 350,000 copies worldwide, earning Lind three awards at the 1998 Norwegian Grammy's (Spellemannprisen) including Artist of the Year.
2000 saw Lind releasing his third album, This Is Pop Music, and the singles "Black Sunday" and "Life Is Good". The album also contains a duet, "Where the Lost Ones Go," with Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø. The album reached gold status in Norway but was generally perceived to be a commercial disappointment compared to its predecessor. After a four year break Lind released a new single, "Unloved," in December 2004, followed by the album April, in January 2005.
In 2006 Lind, together with fellow Norwegian artists Kurt Nilsen (World Idol winner), Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm released the concert album Hallelujah Live, featuring songs from the foursome's solo records as well as several songs by other artists, most notably a cover version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".
Lind released a new single, "Scared Of Heights," in May 2008. His fifth album titled Army Of One was released on the 23rd June 2008.
In January 2009 he received the award "Årets Spelleman" (artist of the year) at the Norwegian Grammy Awards (Spellemannprisen).
[edit] Writing and producing
During the past few years Espen Lind has done a lot of writing and producing, most notably as co-writer of both "Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé and "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train. Together with writing partner Amund Bjørklund in the production team Espionage he has also written and/or produced songs for artists Lionel Richie, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown and Leona Lewis.
[edit] Selected songwriting credits
- "Brick By Brick" - Train
- "Hey, Soul Sister" - Train
- "Half Moon Bay" - Train
- "Can't Stop the Rain" - Jennifer Hudson
- "Pastime" - Lionel Richie - co-written
- "My Little Secret" - Cavo
- "Ghost" - Cavo
- "I Need a Girl" - Trey Songz
- "Irreplaceable" - Beyoncé - co-written
- "With You" - Chris Brown - co-written
- "Angel" - Leona Lewis - co-written
- "Now You Tell Me" - Jordin Sparks - produced and co-written
- "Just For The Record" - Jordin Sparks - co-written
- "Go On Girl" - Ne-Yo - co-written
- "One Word" - Elliott Yamin - co-produced and co-written
- "I Don't Wanna Care" - Jessica Simpson - co-written
- "The One That Got Away" - Johnta Austin - co-written
- "Underdog" -Jonas Brothers - co-written
- "I Will Be With You" - Sarah Brightman/Paul Stanley - written
- "The Last Goodbye" - Atomic Kitten - co-written
- "Cry" - Kym Marsh - produced and written
- "Come Back To Me" - David Cook - co-written
- "Life On The Moon" - David Cook - co-written
- "Lie" - David Cook - co-written
- "It’s Gotta Be Love" - Lee DeWyze - co-written with DeWyze & Bjørklund
- "Stay Here" - Lee DeWyze - co-written with DeWyze & Bjørklund
[edit] Discography
The following is a discography of albums and singles released by Norwegian music artist Espen Lind.
[edit] Albums
| Statistics | Singles |
|---|---|
Mmm... Prepare To Be Swayed
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Red
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| Red |
|
| This Is Pop Music |
|
| April |
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Hallelujah - Live
|
|
| Army of One |
|
Hallelujah - Live Volume 2
|
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR [1][4] |
AUT [5] |
BEL (VL) [5] |
BEL (WA) [5] |
FRA [5] |
GER [6] |
NL [7] |
SWE [5] |
SWI [5] |
UK [8] |
|||
| 1995 | "Yum Yum Gimme Some" (as Sway) [disambiguation needed  ] |
17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Mmm... Prepare To Be Swayed |
| "American Love" (as Sway) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Red | |
| 1997 | "Baby You're So Cool" (as Sway) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "When Susannah Cries" (as Sway) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "When Susannah Cries" [new release] | 1 | 10 | 2 | 21 | 41 | 9 | 10 | 34 | 5 | 185 | Red [new version] | |
| "Lucky For You" | — | — | — | — | — | 82 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | "American Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2000 | "Black Sunday" | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | This Is Pop Music |
| 2001 | "Where the Lost Ones Go" (with Sissel Kyrkjebø) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 90 | — | — | — | |
| 2002 | "Life Is Good" | — | — | — | — | — | 99 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2004 | "Unloved" | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | April |
| 2005 | "Look Like Her" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Million Miles Away" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Hallelujah" (with Kurt Nilsen, Askil Holm and Alejandro Fuentes) | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hallelujah - Live |
| "The Boys Of Summer" (with Kurt Nilsen, Askil Holm and Alejandro Fuentes) | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008 | "Scared of Heights" | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Army of One |
| "Sweet Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "With or Without You" (with Kurt Nilsen, Askil Holm and Alejandro Fuentes) | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hallelujah - Live Volume 2 |
[edit] #1 Hits
| Preceded by "Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem)" by B-Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man |
Norwegian VG-lista number-one single: "When Susannah Cries" 16 April 1997 – 28 May 1997 |
Succeeded by "Barbie Girl" by Aqua |
| Preceded by "Call On Me" by Eric Prydz (second run) |
Norwegian VG-lista number-one single: "Unloved" 19 January 2005 – 2 February 2005 |
Succeeded by "Sommerflørt" by Philip og Sandra (first run) and Max 500 by Kent |
| Preceded by "Floden" by Bjørn Eidsvåg |
Norwegian VG-lista number-one single: Hallelujah (with Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm) 10 January 2007 – 17 January 2007 (37 weeks on the chart) |
Succeeded by "Smack That" by Akon featuring Eminem |
| Preceded by "4 Minutes" by Madonna (second run) |
Norwegian VG-lista number-one single: "Scared Of Heights" 20 May 2008 - 27 May 2008 |
Succeeded by "Lost" by Erlend Bratland |
| Preceded by "Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak |
Norwegian VG-lista number-one single: With Or Without You (with Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm) 15 April 2009 – 29 April 2009 |
Succeeded by "Halo" by Beyoncé |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Sway - VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958
- ^ Espen Lind - Red - norwegiancharts.com
- ^ charts.de - Albums - Espen Lind
- ^ a b c d e f norwegiancharts.com - Discography Espen Lind
- ^ a b c d e f Espen Lind - When Susannah Cries > Charts
- ^ charts.de - Singles - Espen Lind
- ^ dutchcharts.nl - Espen Lind - When Susannah Cries
- ^ Chart Log UK1994–2010 - DJ Steve L. – LZ Love > Espen Lind
[edit] External links
- Espen Lind at the Internet Movie Database
- Biography Espen Lind - at Universal
- Espen Lind - official website
