Three years after her noteworthy debut, Frida Ånnevik is finally releasing her long-awaited second album. Ville ord is, like its predecessor, a typical autumn album: atmospheric, intimate and thoughtful. But its soundscape is bigger and more electric. Although its pulse rate is higher and Ånnevik is somewhat sharper around the edges this time around, the music still flows smoothly. Quickly and at the same time slowly. A little like when you awaken from a deep sleep, and the dreams start to accelerate, while at the same time waking reality gradually begins to seep in.
Frida Ånnevik immediately became a name to take note of when her debut album, Synlige hjerteslag, was released in 2010. Her low-key "pop in an open landscape", her unique voice and her original lyrics garnered critical acclaim and a broad audience. Synlige hjerteslag was named the best Norwegian-language album of the year by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation"s programme "Norsk på Norsk" on the radio station P1, and was featured on lists of the year"s best albums by the TV show "Lydverket" and the newspaper Vårt Land, among others. Ånnevik was nominated for a Spellemannspris, the Norwegian Grammy, both as newcomer of the year and in the folk category. She also received the Vidar Sandbeck Cultural Award, "Regnbågåbrua", and the Norwegian Lyricist Fund"s "Lyspunkt" award.
The lyrics always come first for Ånnevik. "The lyrics define the form and the rhythm, and so they get a head start in front of the music, " she says. With Ville ord, Ånnevik solidifies her position as one of the most interesting lyricists of her generation. She has a unique way of expressing herself, and needs only a few well-chosen words to depict stories and moods that stick in the listener"s mind. Her lyrics take shape over a period of time. "I usually start writing without knowing what I"m going to write about. I might get some specific ideas, and can even call it inspiration, but then I write them down and let them rest for a while, frying in their own fat..." she says about her work process.
Ville ord was, like her first record, formed together with producer Andreas Mjøs. "Working in the studio means being allowed to really get down to business, " says Ånnevik. "At the same time, I know that I won"t be in control any longer. Both my music and I are pulled and stretched, and my points of view are shaken up. It"s not what I would call a gentle process, but I think the music turns out best that way." She collaborated with Andreas Mjøs on the song "Magefølelsen" for the documentary Beretninger om begynnelser, which was aired on TV2 in the spring of 2012.
Recently Frida Ånnevik received glowing reviews for a joint concert tour throughout south-eastern Norway together with the group Narum, among others, called "Trassviser og Tordenskrell", a sort of Norwegian dialect version of the Rolling Thunder Revue of the 1970s. She has also participated in a project based on the works of poet Hans Børli together with the band "In the Country" and the duet "Akurat hær, akurat nå" together with the artist Ravi, and has contributed the song "Revevise" on a tribute album to Thorbjørn Egner, Vi har den ære.
Ville ord is a strong follow-up album that will bring Frida Ånnevik to a new and larger audience.