Choir of Young Believers

Choir of Young Believers
Choir of Young Believers
	Choir of Young Believers performing at Nordic Delight Festival on May 15, 2015 at EKKO in Utrecht, Netherlands
Background information
Also known as	COYB
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Chamber pop; avant pop; orchestral pop;
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Ghostly International; Tigerspring; Chess Club; PonyRec; art union;
Members	Jannis Noya Makrigiannis; Jakob Millung; Cæcilie Trier; Lasse Herbst; Casper Henning Hansen; Bo Rande; Sonja Labianca; Aske Zidore
Past members	Mette Sand Hersoug; Fridolin Nordsø; Nicolai Koch; Frederik Nordsø; Anders Rhedin
Website	Myspace

Choir of Young Believers is the musical project of singer, writer and guitarist Jannis Noya Makrigiannis from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band, which consists of Makrigiannis along with a rotating cast of supporting players, has had multiple No 1 hits in their home country of Denmark and was named the "Best New Act" at the 2009 Danish Music Awards. COYB’s music combines folk melodies, orchestral instrumentation, and dark lyrics.

History

After the breakup of his previous band, Lake Placid, in 2006, Makrigiannis moved to the Greek island of Samos and began developing his own solo material. Upon his return to Copenhagen, Makrigiannis gathered musicians and friends to form Choir of Young Believers. The group released the EP Burn the Flag in 2007, with the single "Sharpen Your Knife" receiving heavy play on Danish Radio. In September 2008, the band released its first full length album, This Is for the White in Your Eyes, which was nominated for six Danish Music Awards and won the "Best New Act" category.

COYB performed at the 2009 SXSW music festival, after which it was signed to US label Ghostly International who released This Is for the White in Your Eyes in North America on 18 August 2009. The next album released was Rhine Gold in March 2012. The band's third studio album, Grasque, was released on February 19, 2016.

The song "Hollow Talk", from the debut album, was used over the opening and the closing credits of the Danish–Swedish police series The Bridge (2011, 2013, 2015, 2018).

Members

Current members

Jannis Noya Makrigiannis: vocals, guitar, piano, bass, keyboard, percussion
Cæcilie Trier: cello, backing vocals
Jakob Millung: bass
Bo Rande: brass instruments, keyboard, backing vocals
Sonja Labianca: piano
Lasse Herbst: percussion
Casper Henning Hansen: drums, percussion
Aske Zidore: guitar, production

Past members

Anders Rhedin: keyboard, drums, guitar, percussion, backing vocals (until 2008)
Mette Sand Hersoug: violin, flute, backing vocals (until 2008)
Fridolin Nordsø: bass, drums, percussion, trumpet, flute, keyboard, backing vocals (until 2008)
Nicolai Koch: piano (until 2008)
Frederik Nordsø: percussion (until 2008)

Discography

Studio albums

2008: This Is for the White in Your Eyes
2012: Rhine Gold
2016: Grasque

EPs

2007: Burn the Flag (EP)
2007: Choir vs. Evil (EP)

Singles

2007: "Sharpen Your Knife"
2009: "Action/Reaction" (Ghostly International)
2009: "Next Summer" (Ghostly International)
2014: "Hollow Talk"
2015: "Face Melting"
2015: "Jeg ser dig"
2015: "Serious Lover"

Tracks featured

2009: "Ghostly Essentials: Avant-Pop One" (Ghostly International)
2009: Numb3rs, end credits for series 6 episode 1 – "Hollow Talk" from the album "This Is for the White in Your Eyes" (Ghostly International)
2009:"One Tree Hill", season 7 episode 3-"Hollow Talk" plays where Haley and Nathan are arguing
2010: Submarino, Danish drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg
2011: The Bridge, theme and end credits – "Hollow Talk"
2014: Reign, season 1 episode 18 – Hollow Talk plays at the end of the episode.

Reviews

Sources

External links

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States
Artists	MusicBrainz