Biography by Mark Deming
Appearing seemingly out of nowhere with a batch of superb pop songs full of punk-infused energy and vocals chops that Björk or Polly Jane Harvey would envy, Ida Maria became a sensation in Sweden on the basis of a number of well-reviewed live shows and some truly impressive demos. Ida Maria Sivertsen was born and raised in Nesna, a small community in Norway with a population of less than 2,000. While Ida's parents encouraged her to learn the piano, she opted to take up the guitar instead, and taught herself well enough to play local concerts at the age of 14. When she was 16, Ida moved away from home and settled in Bergen, a city in southwest Norway (her parents rejected her original plan to move to South Africa), and she began working up songs with a handful of local musicians. However, Bergen's rainy climate didn't agree with her, so she moved on to Sweden, finding a handful of simpatico musicians in Stockholm. Teaming up with guitarist Stefan Tornby, bassist Johannes Lindberg, and drummer Olle Lundin, Ida Maria began making the rounds of Swedish rock clubs, and her wildly energetic tunes and witty lyrics quickly made her a local favorite. allmusic.com
Fra Øyafestivalens hjemmesider 2007:
Det er sjelden man opplever en artist med den kombinasjonen av sjarm, utstråling og selvsikkerhet som Ida Maria har. Den unge jenta har dratt med seg sitt låtskrivertalent og sitt scenetekke fra Nord-Norge, gjennom Bergen og til Stockholm. På sistnevnte sted fant hun også sine nåværende medmusikanter. Hun lager sprudlende og smittende poplåter, med refrenger du kan nynne på til du blir støl i kjeften. Ida Maria er en av årets Zoom-vinnere, noe som betyr at man vil få mulighet til å oppleve henne live over mesteparten av landet før sommeren kommer. Nylig vant hun også NRK P3s Urørtpris. Med andre ord er det mange som har tro på at 2007 er året hvor Ida Maria kommer til å nå ut til de virkelig store publikumsmassene. Vi spår at hun kommer til å bli en av årets friske, nye popstemmer. Få med deg denne kommende stjerna når hun spiller i nærheten av der du bor i løpet av våren. I tillegg kan du altså se henne og det svenske backingbandet under Øyafestivalen i august.
Ida Maria (English)
Oh, my God! Ida Maria has guts!
From the small town Nesna, far up north, comes a dynamite entertainer with songs that resemble Swedish indie pop.
Ida Maria won Zoom 2006, assisted by a large portion of charm and strong songs that could soon make her famous.
As a 14 year old she performed her first concert at a student center called Thorvalds. At 16 she moved to Bergen where she participated in her share of drinking binges along with her fellow students. This resulted in the fantastic pop tune ”Queen Of The World” which is all about her getting drunk.
Now Ida Maria is a bit older and she and her Swedish band members live in Stockholm. Her debut album is in the making with Timo Raïsinen at the mixing console.
Nice, sweet and one of a kind: Ida Maria is it!
- From the festivalprogram of by:Larm 2007
