Maria Arredondo
| Maria Arredondo | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1985 |
| Origin | Vennesla, Norway |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 2002-Present |
| Labels | Universal Music Norway 2002- |
| Website | http://www.maria-arredondo.net / http://www.maria-arredondo.co.uk |
Maria Arredondo (born 1985 in Vennesla, Norway) is a Norwegian pop singer. The name Arredondo comes from her Chilean stepfather.[1]
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[edit] Career
Maria started her singing career early. By the age of 10, she had already participated in some local concerts in her home town Vennesla. After that, Maria spent some time developing her own style. In March 2003, Maria released her first album called Maria Arredondo by Universal Music Norway. The album was a success in Norway, attaining the highest possible scores from an important Norwegian newspaper, VG.[2]
In November 2004, Maria released her second album, Not Going Under. This was the first album to have videos from the singles, as Maria didn't produce any videos for her first album.
After Maria released her last album, Min Jul (some tracks produced and arranged by Jon Lord of Deep Purple), she made some shows and then took a break. Now, almost one year after the release of her Christmas album, she is planning some concerts, and the release of a new single, called On Christmas Day She has just released her fourth album.[3]
Arredondo was among other contributions of singers like Marit Larsen in the song "For a Friend" and Marion Raven in the song "That Day", Both members of the defunct band M2M.
On November, 7th Maria did an interview with Fedrelandsvennen[4] and announced that the new single will be released on November 13, 2006.
Her 3 cds have combined sales of over 150.000 copies.[4]
On November 12, 2007 she released her first album in two years, For A Moment. The first single from this album, "Brief and Beautiful" became a monster-hit throughout the fall. "Brief and Beautiful" was written by Hanne Sørvaag and Harry Sommerdahl, and a Spanish-language adaptation of this song called "Fue para los dos" was released earlier in 2007 by Spanish singer Edurne.
Her fourth album was met with mixed reviews. On the album, "Even when you're with me" is a cover of the Spanish singer Chenoa's "Me Enamoro Del Dolor", and "If You Could Only See Me" was originally recorded by another Norwegian artist called Ina.
In the fall of 2007, it was also revealed that Maria Arredondo will star as Maria Von Trapp in the Sound of Music, which will be a major production in Norway - premiering in the fall of 2008. This is the first major production of the Sound of Music in Norway in about 20 years, Sissel Kyrkjebø played the part as Maria Von Trapp back then.
Maria Arredondo entered the qualifying rounds of the Melodi Grand Prix 2010 (the Norwegian selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest) on 16 January and was voted through to the national final, with the song "The Touch", which is written by Rolf Løvland. Today, Maria workes (beyond her singing) 20% in Heggedal chirch in Asker Norway.
[edit] Musical style
Arredondo's musical style is a mixture of pop and dream pop very similar to artists such as M2M, Natalie Imbruglia, Michelle Branch, Jewel and The Cranberries.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| VG-lista | |||
| 2003 | Maria Arredondo | 2 |
|
| 2004 | Not Going Under | 7 |
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| 2005 | Min Jul | 6 |
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| 2007 | For A Moment | 12 |
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| 2008 | Sound Of Musicals | 28 |
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[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VG-lista | Hit40 | |||
| 2002 | "Can Let Go" | / | 3 | Maria Arredondo |
| "Just A Little Heartache" | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2003 | "In Love With An Angel" | 1 | 1 | |
| "Hardly Hurts At All" | 5 | 2 | ||
| "A Thousand Nights" | / | — | ||
| "Julekveldsvise" (With Winta, Sølvgut) | / | — | Nå Har Vi Vaske Golvet | |
| 2004 | "Mad Summer" | 3 | 2 | Not Going Under |
| "Burning" | / | 1 | ||
| 2005 | "Cross Every River" | / | — | |
| "Himmel På Jord" | / | 11 | Min Jul | |
| 2006 | "On Christmas Day" | 4 | — | For A Moment |
| 2007 | "Brief and Beautiful" | 4 | 1 | |
| "Kyrie Eleison" | / | — | ||
| "For A Moment" | / | — | ||
| 2010 | "The Touch" | — | — | TBA |
/ : The sinlges were only released as radio single. —: The sinlges did't enter the charts
[edit] Features
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VG-lista | Airplay | |||
| 2009 | Ett sår i min själ (With Jan Johansen) | / | / | Minnen |
