Sophie Zelmani

Sophie Zelmani (born 12 February 1972 as Sophie Edkvist) is a Swedish singer-songwriter who debuted in 1995 with the single "Always You". Her music is quite unique in Swedish music history, since it's based on the American singer/songwriter tradition. Sophie also appears on the Dawson's Creek Soundtrack with her ballad, "I'll Remember You" and has since recorded 6 albums.

It all started when Sophie, born in a suburb to Stockholm, was 14. Her stepfather taught her some chords and so she found out she could write songs. "I wrote a song and it felt amazing. I didn't really think that much about what I was doing, really." Says Sophie with typically modest.

She recorded a few songs at a local studio and decided to send the demos to three record companies, with no special expectations. Soon Sony Sweden gave her a phone-call and offered her a record deal. By then she never had played in front of an audience. Sophie started to record her debut album in 1995. The album is produced and arranged by Lars Halapi, who also plays the guitar on all of the songs. Sophie’s music has been compared with such great artist as Neil Young, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. The shimmering acoustic guitar in "Always You" bares the spirit of Neil Young and Van Morrison-like sax riffs underlines the song "A Thousand Times". "I'll See You (In Another World)" radiates the feeling of Springsteen; the song is about her stated beliefs in destiny, wisdom of life, goodness, dreams, close relationships and love. Sophie’s music also has a lot in common with singer/songwriters as Joni Mitchell and Jewel Kilcher.
It all adds up to something unique in the history of Swedish music and Sophie’s music is liked in many of the world’s different Sophie parts. Even many Americans have taken hear music to their hearts, something that's not so strange considering that the singer/songwriter tradition originated in the US.
Swedish critics agree on that Sophie’s album is something special. She was awarded a Grammy at the Swedish Grammy awards as best newcomer in 1995, she was also nominated for Best female pop singer. Her album has sold gold both in Sweden and Japan where she is very popular.

After promoting her album in the US, she finally started to work on her new album in the autumn of 1997.

The second album entitled "Precious Burden" came out in 1998 and showed a new side of Sophie Zelmani - her songs were still as simple and convincing but pain colored the music in deep black shades. Top photographer Anton Corbijn shot the cover photos of the album and his dramatic pictures capture the black beauty that had by then become something of a Sophie Zelmani trademark. Since the turbulence of the first album release Sophie Zelmani has started saying no to interviews she doesn't feel like giving and she'll only go on tour for short periods of time. It just weren't her thing. She wanted to stay home in Stockholm and she wanted to play music, not talk about her songs or spend her time on the road.

If the third album "Time To Kill" was the last, painful phase of a drawn-out farewell, "Sing And Dance" is perhaps the musical memory of a - emotional or physical - wound. A wound about to heal, still a bit sore. The darkness and the pain are still present, but more often expressed in the past tense than in the present. The lyrics for the deeply Sophiederanging "Gone With The Madness" - where the world, it seems, falls into pieces on the tongue of Sophie Zelmani - talks about love that goes over the top. But the madness is - if not forgotten - well gone.
Sophie writes about serious matters and she always has. Her songs will remind you of trotting horses in an American Western movie as well as of Swedish frost crunching under your soles during a long walk in the chilly autumn night.
Zelmani music is country rock as simple as it can be - voice and guitar, drums and bass, the sound of a saxophone at a distance, the sounds of a flute or violin coming in close.

- When I started writing songs for the new album I thought I wanted to do something new, something different. It didn't really turn out that way and in the end things haven't really changed. One has to recognise one's limits and I just write a special kind of songs, that's my way of doing it.

On her new album you also can find her first duet. The song “Once”. She sang this song together with Freddie Wadling.
- I have never recorded a duet before so it was an interesting change. Freddie Wadling's voice is very sensitive and he can sing in a lot of different ways. To me, listening to him singing is really a pleasure so I do hope we make a good duet couple.

Sophie Zelmani does still write songs the way only she can; the basic grounds have stayed the same. Only working on “ Sing and Dance’ she said she has paid more attention to detail. Lars Halapi has also rearrangedSophie the Sophie Zelmani slightly - the rhythm section is more central and the silence, the pauses and breaks, have become important instruments for turning experience into musical expression. On the whole, this must be said, "Sing And Dance" is a most natural prolongation of her earlier work. This should be of no surprise; Sophie Zelmani follows a motto that has become as rare as it is sought for in the music world - she seeks consequence and consistency. Very few records keep this in mind to such a large an extent and with as much elegance as "Sing And Dance"

The 30-year old Sophie is seldom seen in TV shows or in other interviews. She prefers to let the magic of her music speak for itself. And maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

The fifth album, Love Affair from 2003 was like always produced by Lars Halapi and the promo photos was taken by the famous photographer Anton Corbijn.

In February 2007, Memory Loves You was released. And 2008, her latest album, The Ocean and Me.