Lykke Li

I must admit that I have never heard of Lykke Li until I came across news of her performing at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore tonight.  Out of curiousity, I googled “Lykke Li” and listened to her songs on YouTube.

I can only say “Wow! What an amazing singer!”

Lykke Li, real name Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (born 18 March 1986), is a Swedish singer-songwriter who is making waves in the music scene (but not in Malaysia) with her infectious pop melodies, roots and crispy clear vocals. Her music often blends elements of pop, indie rock and electronic; various instruments can also be found in her songs, including violins, synthesizers, tambourines, trumpets, saxophones and cellos. Her music has been described as a mix of soul, electro and “powdered-sugar pop”.

Lykke Li

Zachrisson was born on March 18, 1986 in Ystad, Skåne.  Her mother is a photographer while her father is a musician. The family moved to Stockholm when Zachrisson was a toddler. When she was six, the family moved to a mountaintop in Portugal where they lived for five years. The family also spent time in Lisbon and Morocco, and winters in Nepal and India. She moved to the neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn in New York for three months when she was 19.

She returned to Sweden when she was 21 to record her debut album, Youth Novels, which was released on LL Recordings in the Nordic region on 30 January 2008 and received a wider European release in June 2008.

Her second album Wounded Rhymes was released in 2011.

Some of her top hits include “I Follow Rivers”, “Dance, Dance, Dance” and “Little Bit.”

Her video for “I’m Good, I’m Gone” received rave reviews. A remixed version of her song “I’m Good, I’m Gone” was featured in the 2009 horror film Sorority Row.

The song “Possibility” was written for the 2009 film The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Li had been asked to write a song to the film soundtrack but she was reluctant to commit to the project. It was after she had seen an early screening of the film that she decided she wanted to contribute to the soundtrack. The soundtrack was released on 16 October 2009.

In September 2010, she was announced as the official face of the Levi’s Curve ID Collection, alongside Pixie Geldof and Miss Nine.

Lykke Li, Pixie Geldof and Miss Nine - Ofiicial Faces of Levi's Curve ID Collection

Lykke Li is definitely a singer to watch out for.