Ane Brun

Biography

Ane Brun (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈɑ̂ːnə ˈbrʉːn]; born Ane Brunvoll on 10 March 1976) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist of Sami origin who sings primarily in English. Since 2003, she has released eleven studio albums, six live albums, five compilations, one live DVD, and seven EPs. She has lived in Stockholm, Sweden, since 2001, where she writes, records, and runs her own label, Balloon Ranger Recordings.

Early life and education

Ane Brunvoll is the daughter of lawyer Knut Anker Brunvoll (b. 1945) and jazz singer and pianist Inger Johanne Brunvoll (b. 1945). She grew up in a musical family in Molde, Norway. Her younger sister is singer Mari Kvien Brunvoll (b. 1984). Her older brother is photographer Bjørn Brunvoll (b. 1973).

First album: 1999–2002

After playing a few minor shows and recording her first demos in Bergen in 1999, Brun moved to Sweden, first to Uppsala and then to Stockholm in 2001, where she started to take her musical career seriously.
She recorded her debut album, Spending Time with Morgan×Spending Time With Morgan25 May 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Humming One of Your Songs4:552Are They Saying Goodbye?3:583On Off4:364I Shot My Heart3:575Drowning in Those Eyes4:056So You Did It Again1:537One More Time4:048Headphone Silence4:059What I Want4:0810Sleeping by the Fyris River4:0711Wooden Body4:4112Humming One of Your Songs (encore)2:19, in 2002, in both Stockholm and Uppsala, with engineers and producers Katharina Nuttall, Cécile Grudet, and Kim Nelson. It was published on the DetErMine label, which she formed with Ellekari Larsson from the Swedish band the Tiny. The album was released in 11 European countries in 2003 through a licence/distribution deal with V2 Music.

Touring: 2002–2007

Brun subsequently toured across Europe, and in 2005, she released her next record, A Temporary Dive, which included a duet with Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith. The album was well received, picking up positive reviews in publications such as Time magazine and The Independent. Brun received several award nominations that year and took home the Spellemannpris, the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammies, for Best Female Artist.
Later in 2005, Brun went on to record a collaborative album titled Duets×Duets21 November 2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Little Lights4:112Lift Me4:053Rubber & Soul3:124This Road3:565Stop3:426Across the Bridge3:327Easier3:378Love & Misery3:409Such a Common Bird3:4410Song No. 63:59. Besides another song with Sexsmith, it also included input from Syd Matters, Teitur, Lars Bygdén, and Tingsek, among others. The single "Lift Me×Lift Me2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Lift Me4:062Lift Me4:06", recorded with the band Madrugada, won her another Spellemannpris.
In 2007, she released her first concert album, titled Live in Scandinavia×Live in Scandinavia5 February 2007 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Are They Saying Goodbye4:132To Let Myself Go3:213Rubber & Soul3:304This Voice2:535My Lover Will Go4:546Temporary Dive5:057Balloon Ranger3:308So You Did It Again2:319The Dancer5:0710Changing of the Seasons / Fight Song9:0511Where Friend Rhymes with End3:5912So Real1:5913Song No 64:5914Lift Me5:2315Drowning in Those Eyes3:1716On/Off4:4617Laid in Earth4:13, which featured Swedish musician Nina Kinert on "Lift Me".

Later work: 2008–2013

In 2008, Brun released her fourth studio album, Changing of the Seasons×Changing of the Seasons10 March 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1The Treehouse Song3:222The Fall3:423The Puzzle2:554My Star3:025Ten Seconds3:206Changing of the Seasons4:487Lullaby for Grown-Ups3:428Raise My Head3:059Armour3:5110Round Table Conference3:4011Gillian3:3012Don't Leave4:0513Linger With Pleasure2:52, which was produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson. It included string arrangements by American composer Nico Muhly. Later the same year, Brun issued the album Sketches×Sketches1 September 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1The Treehouse Song (Sketches version)3:172The Fall (Sketches version)3:163The Puzzle (Sketches version)1:574My Star (Sketches version)2:385Ten Seconds (Sketches version)3:156Changing of the Seasons (Sketches version)4:297Lullaby for Grown‐Ups (Sketches version)2:178Raise My Head (Sketches version)2:119Armour (Sketches version)3:5610Round Table Conference (Sketches version)1:4611Gillian (Sketches version)2:1912Don’t Leave (Sketches version)3:4813Linger With Pleasure (Sketches version)2:2314Miss Moaning (Sketches version)3:5015My Baby’s Arms (Sketches version)1:55, which included acoustic demo versions of the songs from Changing of the Seasons. The Sketches tour featured a stripped-down, sparse sound, with musicians Rebekka Karijord, Jennie Abrahamson, and Linnea Olsson.
In 2009, Brun performed at the Stockholm Concert Hall, a concert that was filmed and released as Live at Stockholm Concert Hall the same year.
Brun featured as one of the guests on Peter Gabriel's 2011 studio album, New Blood, singing Kate Bush's part on the re-recorded version of "Don't Give Up". Later that year, she released her sixth studio album, It All Starts with One×It All Starts With One7 September 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1These Days2Words3Worship4Do You Remember5What's Happening With You and Him6Lifeline7One8The Light From One9Oh Love10Undertow, produced by Tobias Fröberg.
On 11 March 2013, Brun performed her own adaptation of "Dido's Lament", from Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell, at Roundhouse in London. In May, she released a 32-track collection of songs from her first ten years in the music industry, entitled Songs 2003–2013, which included four new tracks. In October, she published a 20-track collection of covers and outtakes entitled Rarities.

2015–2021

In 2015, Brun released her seventh studio album, titled When I'm Free×When I'm Free4 September 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Hanging5:372Black Notebook3:573You Lit My Fire4:574Directions3:155Shape of a Heart3:406Miss You More3:367All We Want Is Love4:238Still Waters5:259Better Than This5:3410Signing Off5:29. This was followed in 2017 by Leave Me Breathless, a collection of covers of songs by diverse artists including Foreigner, Mariah Carey, and Radiohead.
In 2020, she issued two albums of original material in close succession. At first intended to be a double album, they were released separately as After the Great Storm×After the Great Storm30 October 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Honey6:082After the Great Storm5:113Don’t Run and Hide5:064Crumbs5:165Feeling Like I Wanna Cry4:096Take Hold of Me6:117Fingerprints7:038The Waiting4:169We Need a Mother4:27 in October and How Beauty Holds the Hand of Sorrow in November. Both received positive reviews and were nominated for IMPALA's European Independent Album of the Year Award. Brun won two awards at the 2021 Grammis, one for Composer of the Year and the other for Best Alternative Pop Album, for After the Great Storm.

2022–present

In 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brun released Nærmere, a compilation album of career-spanning tracks re-recorded with Norwegian lyrics. In 2023, she collaborated with the Gothenburg Opera Dance Company's Kenneth Kvarnström on the production of 12 Pieces, a performance combining Brun's music with contemporary dance. That same year, she released the Rarities 2 collection and the covers compilation Portrayals×Portrayals10 March 2023 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Halo3:512All My Tears2:053True Colors2:214Make You Feel My Love2:485Big In Japan3:096By Your Side2:467I Want To Know What Love Is4:098Always On My Mind3:279How To Disappear Completely3:0210From Me To You1:5611Feeling Good3:0412Into My Arms3:5213Blue Moon4:15. Alongside her solo work, Brun featured in Aurora's song "My Name" from her album What Happened to the Heart?, released on 7 June 2024.

Personal life

Brun was diagnosed with lupus erythematosus at the age of 27, and a flareup in 2012 forced her to cancel a North American tour with Peter Gabriel.
Speaking of her choice to sing in English instead of her native Norwegian or Swedish, Brun has said that she finds it easier to craft lyrics and focus on the sound of words when writing in a non-native language, adding that she finds it harder to hear words objectively in her native language, and English allows her to explore her emotions and ideas more freely.