Sofia Karlsson

Biography

Johanna Sofia Blåsippa Karlsson (born 25 March 1975 in Enskede, Sweden) is a classically-trained Swedish folk singer and songwriter. Her breakthrough album was of poems from a book by the Swedish proletarian poet Dan Andersson, Svarta ballader. She is known for her interpretations of poems and songs by authors as varied as Baudelaire, Mikael Wiehe, Inger Hagerup, Carl Michael Bellman, Peps Persson, Evert Taube, and Boris Vian. She has won both Swedish and Danish Grammys.

Biography

Sofia Karlsson grew up in Enskede, Stockholm. She attended the folk music department of the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. From 1998 to 2002 she was a full-time member in Swedish folk music act Groupa. In 2002 she released her debut solo album Folk songs×Folk Songs2002 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Allt vad vi på jorden äge3:022Brudsång (Kärleksvisa)3:043Leffes polska3:024Sion klagar5:345Solleröpolska3:176I denna ljuva sommartid5:417Den blomstertid1:038Den störste sorg3:1992. brudestykke2:1710Som fågelen5:4911Polska från Äppelbo2:5312Vallåtar1:0413I denna ljuva sommartid (från Leksand)1:5014Om dagen4:44.
In 2005 she made her public breakthrough with her second album Svarta ballader×Svarta ballader2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Jag väntar...4:062Vaggvisa4:183Jag har drömt...3:284Omkring tiggarn från Luossa...4:165Julvisa i Finnmarken3:156Vaknatt2:127Du liv...4:458Till min syster2:479Helgdagskväll i timmerkojan6:0810Mot ljuset3:4711Minnet3:04 (Black Ballads).
The album contains her interpretations of the Swedish poet Dan Andersson, named for his 1917 book. The album was in the charts for more than a year and has to date sold 60,000 copies. It was rewarded with Swedish as well as Danish Grammys.
After touring the country for two years she released her third album Visor från vinden×Visor från vinden11 April 2007 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Le Vin des Amants3:462Milrök2:413Frukostrast på en liten syfabrik på landet3:474Flickan och kråkan3:185Näckaspel3:026Spelar för livet3:167Jag längtar...2:058Balladen om briggen Blue Bird av Hull5:219Två tungor2:3510Jag står här på ett torg5:0211Hemlängtan3:4612Resan till Österlandet2:5113Valsen till mig2:4814Märk hur vår skugga (Fredmans epistel nr 81)4:5315Moesta et errabunda4:42 (Songs from the loft) with its collection of classical songs sung in Swedish, but written by poets and musicians such as Baudelaire, Dan Andersson, Marianne Flodin, Mikael Wiehe, Alf Hambe, Inger Hagerup, Carl Michael Bellman, Peps Persson, and Evert Taube. The album also contains Lars Forssell's free version of Boris Vian's "Le Déserteur".

Reception

Folk Songs
Peggy Latkovich, writing on Rootsworld, describes Karlsson as "an artist who deals in nuance and delicate shadings", adding that her voice "has the smoky overlay of Sandy Denny and the expressive phrasing of Niamh Parsons". Rootsworld describes Folk Songs as understated, with "exquisitely subtle performance". Rather than being traditional Swedish folk music, Karlsson and her band produce "meticulously wrought, emotionally satisfying works of art".

Svarta ballader
Göran Holmquist wrote in Helsingborgs Dagblad that "With its fingertip-light arrangement, she manages to bring Dan Andersson's poetry about dreams, breakup and longing into the present."
The review site Dagensskiva.com gave the album 10/10, writing that "Sofia Karlsson has built a bridge to my childhood experience of Dan Andersson. The romantic, primaeval forest's loneliness and longing for closeness."
The review site Rootsy.nu ended its review with the words "Svarta ballader is hereby designated as 2005's best Swedish ballad and folk music album."