I am willing to bet that most Americans are not familiar with the music of Lene Marlin. I definitely had no clue who she was when Pandora added her to one of the stations it was building for me, based on my musical tastes and all. The first song of her’s I heard was Where I’m Headed, and it was very much a Pop song, but with great breathy vocals…a bit like Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer or perhaps Allison Krauss. And of course I knew right away that I had found an artist that would be put into my regular rotation on my mp3 player. I love it when that happens; it’s just so hard to find good music nowadays.
Lene Marlin (born Lene Marlin Pedersen, 17 August 1980, Tromsø, Norway) is a Norwegian musician and singer/songwriter. She had her Norwegian debut in 1998 with the single “Unforgivable Sinner” (released October 12, 1998) and it reached number one and kept that position for 8 weeks, proving to be a major success.
She has gone on to release a total of 4 studio albums, and her singles have charted in Europe with each album. Despite this success, and her music being in English, she seems to have simply never gotten noticed by audiences in the United States, and that is a shame.
I’ve got a suitcase in my hand, Filled with stuff most precious to me
Sidewalk brings my feet, Wherever they’re headed.
There is no directions given, Just some trust in human mind to rely on, And to hold on to.
Honestly don’t know where I’ll end up at last, Won’t even count the days.
One thing I sure know I won’t move so fast, My mind in complete haze.– from Where I’m Headed by Lene Marlin
Here are a few of my favorites, but with four albums I’m sure you’ll find others.
Where I’m Headed
One Year Ago
A Place Nearby
You Weren’t There
Faces
Another Day
My Love
How Would It Be
My Lucky Day
What If
Also, there’s a fansite with a nice picture gallery and plenty of lyrics as well at Lene-Marlin.com. Definitely a great find, hope you enjoy her music as well.
And in case your wondering why I did not list “Unforgivable Sinner” above…truth is it’s just not one of my favorites from Lene. I know it’s her biggest hit, but I just like the others so much more. Go figure.
