Anna Pauline is a jazz vocalist and songwriter who sings straight from the heart. Born in Kalmar but raised in Höganäs, she grew up in a musical family, with a father who is a well-known trumpet player and a Danish mother familiar with the wealth of Denmark’s rich musical tradition. Anna Pauline’s multicultural identity has enriched her artistry, and her linguistic abilities have made her something of a world citizen in the jazz sphere.
As a vocalist, Anna Pauline’s early inspiration came from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee, Doris Day and Marilyn Monroe, as well as from singer/songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris. Her debut as a singer came at the tender age of four, and she went on to perform in a number of amateur musicals and reviews.
Anna lived and studied for a time in Copenhagen, and in 2012 she completed her master’s degree at the Malmö Conservatory. Anna sees it as her mission not only to preserve the rich heritage of vocal jazz, but to contribute to it with her own compositions and lyrics, a process she began during an extended stay in France in 1996. Her debut album, “Meant to Be”, was recorded live at Dunker’s Auditorium in Helsingborg in 2011, followed by a series of concerts in Scandinavia, as well as the US. The album was nominated that same year for the prestigious Golden Record award by Orkester Journalen, and became the readers’ choice.
Anna Pauline has performed with a number of artists over the years including Peps Persson, Viktoria Tolstoy, Nils Landgren, Siw Malmqvist, Gösta Linderholm, John Pohlman, Papa Bue’s Viking Jazzband, Jesper Thilo, Gunhild Carling, Jazzin’ Jacks, Peter Asplund, Magnus Lindgren, Claes Jansson, Andreas Öberg and Anders Bergcrantz, among others.
Anna’s latest album was released in 2015, and has garnered great reviews in DIG Jazz, Lira, Sydsvenskan and Orkesterjournalen, to name just a few.
What the Critics Say
“Once again, Anna proves that she is one
of our nation’s most listenable vocalists ...
She has a wonderful voice, her intonation
is spot-on, and she combines her very
personal use of phrasing and dynamics
with a warmly vibrant presence ...”
- Jan Olsson, Skånska Dagbladet
“Anna Pauline live is like a shot of vitamins,
charismatic and linguistically gifted ... a
totally successful debut album ... Anna’s
voice - natural, mature, and self-assured -
is the perfect vehicle for her very personal
and sensitive compositions ...”
- Lasse Seger, Orkesterjournalen
“Still, my favourite during this concert was Anna Pauline Andersson,
a new discovery for me. And the way in which she sang: with so much personal integrity -
as herself and nobody else. She borrowed Billie Holiday's ‘Good morning heartache’
to reveal her own heart, her own pain...”
- Bengt Eriksson, Ystad Allehanda
“... I am especially impressed by her
warm presence when she sings ... a young
Rebecka Törnqvist comes to mind, and in
my book, that’s a very positive analogy ... a
singularly promising debut!”
- Ralph Bretzer, Skånska Dagbladet
“... Thank you for Anna Pauline! She
is a very good singer, very relaxed and
resting in her way of phrasing as well as
rhythmically assured and confident... does
not force herself on anything... ‘No diva-
shit’ as one of my friends would say. Not to
mention ‘Lights are Out’ is a grand piece.
It would be interesting to hear her try out
some [jazz] standards too...”
- Thorbjørn Sjøgren, Politiken
“A clear, pleasant singing voice and
winning, right attitude makes Anna Pauline
difficult to resist. In every moment you
hear the sparkling eyes and warm smile.”
- Sven Bjerstedt, Ystad Allehanda
“Anna Pauline has a completely different,
slightly more modern sound and
expression... Her original composition
‘Someone like you’ has a slight touch of
Joni Mitchell and is enriched by a lingering
soprano sax solo with arranger Claus
Sörensen.”
- Dan Backman, Svenska Dagbladet
“Seriously: I never praise where I don’t
mean it, so it’s TRUE rather than SWEET...
Anna sings wonderfully... one of the best
videos I’ve ever shot... I wish for a concert
tour!”
- Michael Steinman, Jazz Lives, New Jersey, NYC
“Anna Pauline Andersson delivers
standards, movie themes and originals in
her own vibrantly pure, straight-ahead
style...Anna Pauline interprets her lyrics
with authority and maturity ...”
- Anna Löfgren, Ystads Allehanda
“... It might seem odd to find a jazz vocalist
in a blues tent, but Anna Pauline was
definitely in the right place. She has a solid
blues base in her music, and a voice that
ranged from beautifully tender to raw in
a jazzed-up version of the blues standard
‘Got my mojo workin’’. All in all, a great
way to start the day: sunshine outside,
great music inside ...”
- Ralph Bretzer, Malmö Festival 2014