- Teitur Lassen
Infobox Musical artist
Img_capt = Teitur at the piano
Img_size = 550
Name = Teitur
Img_capt = Teitur
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Teitur Lassen
Born = 1977
Origin =Faroe Islands
Genre = Pop,Folk music ,Rock music
Occupation =Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 2003–present
Label =Universal Records ,Arlo & Betty Records , Equator Records,Tutl ,Cheap Lullaby Records
URL = [http://www.teitur.com/ Teitur] , [http://www.myspace.com/Teitur MySpace]Teitur (born 1977) is a
singer-songwriter from theFaroe Islands . He has toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States since releasing his major label debut,Poetry & Aeroplanes . He is probably best known for his song “One and Only”, which appeared on soundtracks to the major motion picturesAquamarine andMy Super Ex-Girlfriend , and for his 2004 nomination for theShortlist Music Prize . [cite web|url=http://www.www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2004/09/nominees-for-the-2004-shortlist-music-prize.html
title=2004 Shortlist Music Prize Nominees Records|accessdate=2008-07-28|date=2007-12-12|publisher=pastemagazine.com] In 2007 Teitur was named Best Male Artist at theDanish Music Awards [cite web|url=http://www.danishmusic.info/1c6000c/base/11b6277e|title=2007 Danish Music Awards|accessdate=2008-07-30|date=2007-03-05|publisher=danishmusic.info] , and in 2008 he opened the main stage forRadiohead at theRoskilde Festival .Teitur has also shared a stage with
Rufus Wainwright ,Suzanne Vega ,KT Tunstall ,John Mayer , andAimee Mann . Although considered firmly within thesinger-songwriter genre, the last few years have seen Teitur's music grow in a vaster, more mature and experimental direction, including a recent collaboration with contemporary classical artistNico Muhly . Teitur's latest album, “The Singer ”, was released worldwide in the spring of 2008.Biography
Teitur (born Teitur Lassen) was born in 1977 in the
Faroe Islands , a group ofisland s (population 46,500) roughly equidistant between Iceland, Scotland, and Norway. Influenced by music from a young age, he gained a reputation as a gifted musician and songwriter at home early on and by the age of 17, had moved with his family to Denmark to write music full time. Within a few short years Teitur found a slot performing at the Danish music festivalSPOT and a fulltime job as a songwriter for the Los Angeles-based publishing house Windswept Pacific."Poetry & Aeroplanes"
In the summer of 2003, Teitur released his debut major label album “Poetry & Aeroplanes” on
Universal Records . Called “one of the most accomplished and emotionally engaging albums in recent memory”, with production byRupert Hine (Suzanne Vega ,Duncan Sheik ,Tina Turner ), the album was a critical hit though suffered from limited commercial sales, and failed to receive any significant industry support. Videos were produced for the songs "I Was Just Thinking" and "Sleeping With the Lights On".Armed with a limited budget, and a small but devoted fan-base, Teitur played over 300 shows in the year following his debut. In a September 2004 article in "Esquire", fellow singer
John Mayer came to Teitur's defense, stating that "the problem with watching it get smaller and smaller in my rear-view mirror is that it may be one of the best albums to come around in the last five years." [cite web|url=http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0904-MUSIC-MAYER|title=Music Lessons with John Mayer|accessdate=2008-07-30|date=2007-01-01|publisher=Esquire Magazine] Mayer concluded that the "record company's complete lack of vision for his career, has contributed to his warming the bench at Universal Records." [cite web|url=http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0904-MUSIC-MAYER|title=Music Lessons with John Mayer|accessdate=2008-07-30|date=2007-01-01|publisher=Esquire Magazine] Yet while his record sat unplayed in most American radio stations, word of mouth fan support led to opening slots alongsideRufus Wainwright ,Aimee Mann andJohn Mayer , spots on the soundtracks to the films "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and "Aquamarine" and allowed Teitur to continue touring through 2005.Fact|date=May 2007"Stay Under the Stars"
On
April 20 ,2006 , Teitur's management issued a statement that he had dropped Universal as his record label following creative differences. Teitur then partnered up with his manager to found their own label (Arlo and Betty Recordings - so named after his beloved pair of vintage Gibson acoustic guitars) and elected this time to license his albums to like minded labels around the world that share his musical vision and philosophies.His second studio record "
Stay Under the Stars ", produced byMartin Terefe (Jason Mraz ,Ron Sexsmith ,KT Tunstall ), was released in May 2006 in Scandinavia on the Teitur's indie label and licensed toPlayground Music . After spending several months in the Danish Top-40, the album was released in the U.S. and Canada onSeptember 5 ,2006 on the newly formed Equator Records, and oniTunes onSeptember 8 ,2006 . The album's breezy wispiness underneath their melancholy chord changes -- think a happierNick Drake or a modern-dayAl Stewart -- and Teitur's sparing use of orchestration and fanciful keyboard colorations make the songs seem lighter than their lyrics suggest. Videos were produced for the songs "Louis, Louis" and "Hitchhiker" and the album's finale "All My Mistakes" was a featured track in Socheata Poeuv's multiple award winning documentary aboutCambodia , "New Year Baby" and on the worldwide releaseSongs for Tibet . In November 2006,Stay Under the Stars was certified Gold in Denmark. [cite web|url=http://www.pladebranchen.nu/?id=436
title=Denmark Certified Gold Records|accessdate=2008-07-28|date=2007-12-12|publisher=pladebranchen.com]"Káta Hornið"
In May, 2007 Teitur released his first album in his native
Faroese language. The album was published at the Faroese labelTutl onMay 14 ,2007 entitled "Káta Hornið ". [ [http://www.portal.fo/planet/?page=news&grein=38928 Káta Hornið entered the stores] Portal.fo,May 14 ,2007 (in Faroese)]"The Singer"
The Singer , Teitur's third English-language album was released worldwide in the Spring of 2008. The album was recorded on a picturesque Scandinavian island calledGotland . The title track, with its mixture of direct storytelling, subtle humor, and musical minimalism, sets the tone for the rest of the album. Teitur channels a Scandinavian vibe into slow, often dark songs that can feel like musical fragments because of their sparse instrumentation and lack of traditional pop-song structure. The album has been called quiet, beautiful, harsh and contemplative, very natural and somehow nordic sounding. There are very few syncopations in the music and the setting is minimalist and dramatical with vast colours and large empty landscapes. The songs are written over a seven year period and focus on individual events and experiences - like drinking beers on a musty hotel floor with mysterious blues musicianChris Whitley , before he died of cancer ("Legendary Afterparty"), or falling in love with a woman who brings you your drinks ("Catherine the Waitress"). The Singer entered the Danish charts at no. 6, and made its way to the no. 1 album on iTunes in Denmark. Teitur worked closely with arrangerTróndur Bogason and the album was recorded in a Swedish princess' summerhouse from 1860, which is now used as a summer hotel called "Fridhem.".Appearances
Touring
Since his debut release in 2003, Teitur has performed over 500 shows around the world, with recurring stops in Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, France, US and Canada. This included a number of high profile performances at festivals such as Les Eurokeenes Festival in France, SXSW in the United States, Benicassim in Spain where he played with a 10 piece orchestra, and most recently opening the main stage at the
Roskilde Festival . In October 2006 he had the rare honor of being invited to perform inHanoi ,Vietnam . While considered primarily a solo artist, Teitur's most recent tour in support ofThe Singer featured a back-up band that included Anna Emilsson, Unnur Jónsdóttir, Helgi Jónsson, Tróndur Bogason, and Jónas Bloch Danielsen in addition to his regular studio musicians Mikael Blak (bass) and Derek Murphy (drums).Media
Teitur has been featured on MTV's "You Hear it First,"
NPR 's Music, "Uncensored Interview",CNN , Canada'sThe Mike Bullard Show , and numerous television programs throughout Scandinavia.Discography
Studio Albums
*"
Poetry & Aeroplanes " (2003)
*"Stay Under the Stars " (2006)
*"Káta Hornið" (2007)
*"The Singer " (2008)Soundtrack Appearances
*""Aquamarine" Motion Picture Soundtrack" (2006)
*""My Super Ex-Girlfriend" Motion Picture Soundtrack" (2006)
*"Andersens Drømme (Andersen's Dream) (Denmark) (2007)
*"Songs for Tibet (2008)Collaborations
*"Choux Pastry Heart", co-writer with
Corinne Bailey Rae on the album "Corinne Bailey Rae"
*"Cloud Gazing", co-writer withGordie Sampson on the album "Sunburn"
*"Rubber & Soul", appearance withAne Brun on the album "Duets"
*"Confessions Songcycle", co-writer and appearance withNico Muhly for the "Holland Baroque Society", first performed at the CrossLinx Festival in Holland in March 2008.References
External links
* [http://www.myspace.com/teitur Teitur's official MySpace page]
* [http://www.teitur.com Teitur (official site)]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvprxYEri0I&feature=related Teitur in concert]
* [http://www.dayrobber.com/content/view/159 Dayrobber interview]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6769185 NPR's World Cafe]
* [http://www.lyricwiki.org/Teitur LyricWiki.org - Teitur] (lyrics)
* [http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/showbiz/2007/03/06/cook.teitur.tunes.affl&wm=11 CNN.com] CNN'sShanon Cook interviews Teitur (March 6 ,2007 , 8:47 min)
* [http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/teitur/artist.jhtml Teitur's VH1 Page (with music videos)]
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