Malene Mortensen

Malene Mortensen
Malene Mortensen - born 23th May 1982 -
www.malenemortensen.com
www.soundcloud.com/malenemortensen
2002. A virtually unknown high-school student, Malene sang her way into Danish hearts when she won the Danish song Contest February 2002 with the song,"Tell Me Who You Are". By that time, however, she had already drawn a lot of attention on the Danish Broadcasting Corp's song contest, "Stjerne For En Aften," (akin to the British "Pop Idol") in December 2001 when she was first runner-up with the song, "Sing It Back."
She was continuously exposed in the Danish media. She participated in The Eurovision Song Contest in Tallinn, her MGK and high-school exams had to be passed, and there were concerts and a CD project. September 2002 jazzpianist and -producer Niels Lan Doky heard Malene sing at their common old school, SAG, and immediately he approached her.
2003-2012 ALBUMS.
2003 "Paradise". Medio January Malene rehearsed a couple of days with some of Denmark's finest musicians, Niels Lan Doky, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Alex Riel at NHØP's. Ultimo January and Primo February the recordings took place in Focus-studio. Malene's debut solo album, "Paradise", was released September 1th 2003.
Niels Lan Doky:
"... I feel that we've managedto create an album that shows and confirms the fact that Malene is a vocalist of international class and a talent of the highest order."
"Beforehand, Malene had already demonstrated (via extensive media exposure in connection with the Eurovision Song Contest) that her personality has natural mass- appeal."
"I think that these qualities compliment each other incredibly well and that their combination equals more than their sum, and it will therefore be very exciting to follow Malene's career from now on. "
...." NLD 2003
Thus Malene has a strong voice and output allowing her to penetrate over and above e.g. a bigband, as well as she can throw the mike away and fill up a room acoustically ad libitum.
Since the song contests in the winter 2002-03 Malene has contributed to quite a few album-releases, starting with the actual competitors and subsequently compilations.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Malene-Mortensen/163208657070538 www.malenemortensen.com

January 2004 Malene and Kasper Villaume Trio contributed to the Danish jazz- gala- success at Midem in Cannes. Peter Littauer, general manager of record company "Sundance", heard Malene sing at this event, and in the light of this experience he had - as a provisional plan - a standard-jazz-album, when he signed Malene and Kasper August 2004.
"Date With A Dream", Malenes second soloalbum, is also a jazzalbum.
With Kasper Villaume p and Morten Lund dr, the level once again is high
Danish jazz top élite, here with a lower average age than concerning
"Paradise" , and once again with a famous bassist: here the Israel/American Avishai Cohen, especially known from Chick Corea's "New Trio".
The recordongs took place January-February 2005. With "Date With A Dream" released April 2005, distributed to 20 countries and with 30 000 sold albums Malene is reaching her international breakthrough.
"MALENE" - the third soloalbum. Released on the 16. of November 2006. Malene wrote some personal songs as well as adding some cover songs. Jhon Mayers irresistible ”City Love”, Brandford Marsalis jazz classic ”Another Day” and the famous ”Desperado” by The Eagles. Producer Chris Minh Doky, musicians: Chris Potter, Mike Stern, Adam Rogers, Kasper Villaume, Jacob Christoffersen, Rasmus Khielberg.
”To all of You” Malenes Christmas Album, released in November 2007, also released in Europe. The album contains some of the good old classic Christmas songs like; Last Christmas, Warm December, Silnet Night, Santa Claus and many others.
“ Malene Live in Paris, Chante Noël ”, a double CD containing the live performance from Al Hambre in Paris, www.alhambra-paris.com with her quintet plus a string quartet in 2008, plus the Christmas album “To All Of You” with a duo version of “Petit Papa Noël” Malene Mortensen on vocal and Carl Mörner Ringström on guitar.
” Agony And Ecstacy ”, her sixth solo album was recorded in 2009. This album is very special because all the songs are written by Malene herself, and some songs are co written with the musicians in her band. The genre of the music is a fusion between pop, rock and jazz. The musicians on the album are young extremely talented boys from sweden. Carl Mörner Ringström - guitar, Petter Eldh – bass, Magnus Hjorth – piano and Snorre Kirk - drums. New members in band from 2010: Paul Hinz - bass, Oscar Johansson - piano, Daniel Johansson - drums.
The band has been playing over 300 concerts in Germany, France, Italy, Polen, Thailand, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Austin (Texas), New York, England, Russia, Spain, Holland....
That is a lot of concerts in various countries for a solo vocalist in the jazz genre.
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In 2011 Malene and her band recorded her seventh album “You Go To My Head” which was released May 2012.
Malene's new album "You Go To My Head" contains a wonderful mixture
of jazz standards, which are close to her heart, such as "Misty" by Erroll Garner, "My Shining Hour" by Harold Arlen and the title track "You Go To My Head" by J. Fred Coots. In addition to these, Malene has written seven original compositions in collaboration with Carl Mörner Ringström, who is the guitarist in the band and also Malene’s co-producer on the production.
“Still In Love With You” Malene’s eighth album was released in Thailand in 2012 by Hitman Jazz. The album contains only cover songs which was arranged by Carl Mörner Ringström in a jazz/bossa nova kind of style. Some of the songs on the album: Al lovers Concerto, Just the way you are, Eternal Flame and Que Sera. www.hitmanjazz.com
“CAN’T HELP IT” is Malene’s ninth album, Stunt Records, and the first to be recorded outside of Scandinavia. Recorded in New York in March 2014 with an elite American trio, the album started at a jam session at the Montmartre jazz club in Copenhagen in the summer of 2013, when Malene found herself on stage with the young American pianist Christian Sands. The two of them found common ground in his virtu- osity and swinging approach and her voice, musicality and huge improvisational abilities. The chance meeting during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival developed, and later that year Malene visited New York to co-write with the piano star in Christian McBride’s famous trio. Tunes flowed, lyrics materialized, and they continued communicating across the Atlantic on choices of standards and arrangements for the planned recording session. Line-up on album: Malene Mortensen (voc, g), Christian Sands (p, keys), Burniss Earl Travis II (b), Terreon Gully (d) + Paul Banks (g).
Malene likes to combine jazz with elements of pop, rock, soul and R’n’B. She has an ability to reach a broad audience while she is increasingly recognized as one of the new Danish jazz divas. Malene is an exclusive artist at the famous agency in Denmark: Annetta Elmo Management. Since 2004 Malene has been touring in her own name in countries like: France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, Austin (Texas), New York, Austria, England, Russia, Italy, Spain, Poland, Thailand, Australia, Belgium. Since September 2011 Malene was appointed as testimonial for Giro D’Italia. That year the routes started in Denmark and with the song “Beautiful Italy” she was the front figure at all major events during Giro D’Italia 2012. For the past two years Malene has been a part of the famous Kid Creole and the Coconut’s band. Travelling to Australia, Italy, Belgium, England, Spain. In the band she is the background singer, and in the middle of the show, she has two solo songs with the band.