Meja

Biography

Meja Anna Pernilla Kullersten (formerly Beckman; born Anna Pernilla Torndahl, 12 February 1969) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Among her best known songs are "Happy×Happy26 April 1993 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Happy (Dr. Alban Remix)4:552Happy (Hi-Nrg Remix)6:443Happy (Garage Remix)6:374Happy (Smooth Out Mixx)6:585Happy (Sound Of Legacy Mixx)8:42" (with Legacy of Sound), "Private Emotion", a duet with Ricky Martin from his album Ricky Martin (1999), and "All 'Bout the Money", which was nominated for a Swedish Grammy Award in 1998.

Biography

Meja was born Anna Pernilla Torndahl in Nynäshamn, Stockholm County. She had her stage debut at "Ystads City theatre" at the age of 7. She was brought up in a musical family, her grandfather, Per Lundkvist, was a composer of both classical and contemporary music and her mother, a recording artist as a child before choosing a path as a painter.
In 1986, at the age of 16, she moved to Mallorca, Spain, to study. She was introduced to American jazz trumpet player/singer Stephen Frankevich and started to take vocal lessons with singer Deborah Carter.
Meja went to Stockholm in 1990. She sang in different bands there before getting out on tour as a backup singer for the Swedish group Rob n Raz DLC in 1991. In 1992 Meja moved to Los Angeles to continue her studies at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. She graduated from the vocal program in late 1992 then returned to Sweden.

Legacy of Sound (1993–1995)

In 1993, Meja worked with the dance project Legacy of Sound. She co-wrote with Anders Bagge the first single, "Happy×Happy26 April 1993 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Happy (Dr. Alban Remix)4:552Happy (Hi-Nrg Remix)6:443Happy (Garage Remix)6:374Happy (Smooth Out Mixx)6:585Happy (Sound Of Legacy Mixx)8:42", from the album Holy Groove. The song reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and it peaked at number 68 on the Top 100 during a 12-week stay on the chart. "Happy" was released in over 20 countries. Meja recorded one more album with Legacy of Sound in 1994, Tour de Force.

Solo artist

Meja teamed in 1995 with Swedish manager Lasse Karlsson, manager of Ace of Base, and writer/producer Douglas Carr to provide the vocals for the demo The Juvenile titled The Goldeneye.
The first solo album Meja, was released in 1996, with songs co-written by Billy Steinberg. In 1997 Meja had her first concert tour in Japan: The Flower Girl Jam Tour.
Meja released the album Seven Sisters×Seven Sisters2 May 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Daughter of Mornin'2:312Luxury3:243Pop & Television3:254All 'bout the Money2:525Beautiful Girl3:346Lay Me Down2:547Intimacy3:548Too Many Nights Late3:089Do the Angels Have a Home?4:0110Caught Up in the Middle3:5011Lullaby Song2:3912Seven Sisters Road3:32 in 1998. Later that year Columbia (Sony) launched the album in the U.S with the single "How Crazy Are You?×How Crazy Are You?16 September 1997 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1How Crazy Are You? (single version)3:532How Crazy Are You? (single remix version)4:083How Crazy Are You? (remix version)6:394How Crazy Are You? (Hallelujah dub version)6:395How Crazy Are You? (Riff dub version)6:386How Crazy Are You? (Turn Off da Music dub version)6:437How Crazy Are You? (Tribal Beats version)2:57" That song would later be notable for its use as the theme song for Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

Realitales (2000)

Meja went to Miami in 1999 to record "Private Emotion", a duet with Ricky Martin for his debut album Ricky Martin. After shooting a video for the song, Meja stayed in Los Angeles to work on her next album Realitales×Realitales31 January 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Hippies in the 60's4:042Present Delay4:213Spirits4:104Land of Makebelieve4:085Ready3:426Babysteps4:117Under the Sun4:158Scum Like Me3:579Runnin' Hiding4:3010Hippies in the 60's (acoustic version)3:2111Spirits (acoustic version)4:1112If (You Weren't There)4:5513Awakening3:5514Atlantis Outro14:57 (2000) with Steinberg. She also co-wrote two tracks for the album in London with Stephen Lipson. The artwork for this album was shot by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund.

Mellow (2004)

In 2003 Meja started to work with her former Sony Music boss, Richard Ogden. The album Mellow×Mellow18 February 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Life Is a River4:022Água de Beber3:583Kiss Me Again3:464O Leãozinho (Little Lion)3:455Red Light3:446Wake Up Call3:477Too Late4:428The One4:119Dindi4:0910The Circle Game5:0611Hippies in the 60's (Mellow version)4:32 was released in 2004, with songs in Portuguese ("Água de Beber", "Dindi") and Spanish. She covered a Caetano Veloso song "O Leãozinho" that she named "Little Lion." The album was produced by Hamish Stuart. One song, "Simple Days-Walking the Distance", was used in the Japanese film Lakeside Murder Case.

NU Essential (2005)

Sony Music Japan released Meja's album NU Essential in 2005.

Urban Gypsy (2009)

In 2006 Meja went back to Los Angeles to collaborate again with Steinberg on a new album, also working with writers Jeff Barry, Billy Gibbons, Jed Leiber and Boz Boorer.
The first single "At the Rainbow's End" was released in June 2009, the second single "Regrets (I Have None)" in August, and the album Urban Gypsy×Urban Gypsy2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1At the Rainbows End4:182Chasing Butterflies3:533Space and Time3:324Regrets3:295Don’t Look Down4:086Last Hours3:09730 Seconds2:598Roses in December4:159I Don’t Recognize You3:2910Manic Star3:4711Waiting for the Rain4:1112Ayla (outro)1:48 was released on her own label Seven Sisters×Seven Sisters2 May 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Daughter of Mornin'2:312Luxury3:243Pop & Television3:254All 'bout the Money2:525Beautiful Girl3:346Lay Me Down2:547Intimacy3:548Too Many Nights Late3:089Do the Angels Have a Home?4:0110Caught Up in the Middle3:5011Lullaby Song2:3912Seven Sisters Road3:32 Network in October on a license deal with Sony Music. A remix of Mando Diao's "Dance with Somebody" was released early 2010.

AniMeja (2010)

As a tribute to the Japanese Studio Ghibli, Meja released an album on which she covered soundtrack songs from Japanese films.

Stroboscope Sky (2015)

The first release from the album Stroboscope Sky×Stroboscope Sky12 May 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Blame It On the Shadows3:532Yellow Ribbon3:203Concrete Flower3:064Bohemian Behaviour3:145I Would Have Bought a Dog (Bill)2:506Crying Shame3:517Sleepless (Acoustic Version)4:548What Have You Done?3:559Ayla (feat. Tiokasin Ghosthorse)4:4510Blame It on the Shadows (Single Version)3:5411Concrete Flower (Acoustic Version)3:20 was the single "Blame it on the Shadows" (2013) produced by Ebbot Lundberg. Meja teamed with producer Nicolas Gunthardt and together with his sister Alessandra they wrote "Yellow Ribbon" which served as the theme song for the album. "Yellow Ribbon" was released as a single in collaboration with Amnesty International/Free the Angola 3 to help raise awareness of the case of Albert Woodfox. A remix EP was released with remixes by Deep Forest, Dj Swami, Gota Yashiki, DF Tram, NORD and more.

Compilation and live albums

Live in Japan-The Flower Girl Jam (1997)
My Best (2002) (Certifications #JPN:Gold)
The Nu Essential (2005)
Original Album Collection (2010)
Kozmic Surfer: Flower Girl 25th Anniversary (2019)
Kozmic Surfer: Live in Japan (Acoustic) (2020)