Emilíana Torrini
{{short description|Icelandic singer and songwriter}}
{{BLP sources|date=April 2012}}
{{Icelandic name|Emilíana|surname}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Emilíana Torrini
| image = File:Emiliana Torrini 02.jpg
| image_size = 220px
| caption = Emilíana Torrini, Glastonbury 2005
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1977|5|16}}
| birth_place = Iceland
| instrument = Vocals
| genre = {{hlist|Indie pop|alternative rock|trip hop|electronica}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter}}
| years_active = 1994–present
| label = Rough Trade Records
| associated_acts = {{hlist|Spoon|Slowblow|GusGus|Sneaker Pimps|Paul Oakenfold|Slovo|Thievery Corporation|Kylie Minogue|Albin de la Simone|Olivier Libaux|The Colorist Orchestra|Kid Koala|Marketa Irglova}}
| website = {{URL|emilianatorrini.com|EmilianaTorrini.com}}
}}
Emilíana Torrini (born 16 May 1977) is an Icelandic singer and songwriter. Her works include the 2009 single "Jungle Drum" and the 1999 album Love in the Time of Science. She performed "Gollum's Song" for the 2002 film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Early life
Emilíana was born in Iceland, where she grew up in Kópavogur. Her father, Salvatore Torrini, is Italian (from Naples), while her mother, Anna Stella Snorradóttir, is Icelandic.
Because of name regulations in Iceland when she was born, her father had to change his name to "Davíð Eiríksson", and she had to use the corresponding patronymic in her full name, Emilíana Davíðsdóttir. A few years later{{when|date=February 2025}}, the name regulations were changed,{{cite web |url=http://eng.domsmalaraduneyti.is/information/nr/125 |title=Information |work=Ministry of the Interior |access-date=2009-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505091032/http://eng.domsmalaraduneyti.is/information/nr/125 |archive-date=2010-05-05 |url-status=dead }} and she took the surname Torrini.[http://forum.emiliana.nu/viewtopic.php?p=3339#p3339 Excerpt in fan forum from an interview by Mark Radcliffe] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724190403/http://forum.emiliana.nu/viewtopic.php?p=3339 |date=2011-07-24 }} at BBC, 17 January 2005Icelandic names
At the age of seven, she joined a choir as a soprano, until she went to opera school at the age of 15. After being discovered singing in a restaurant in Iceland by Derek Birkett, the owner of One Little Indian Records, Emilíana was asked to visit London to record a song. She decided to stay in London.{{Citation needed|date=November 2016}}
Career
File:Emiliana Torrini Orange Music Haifa 2005 03.jpg]]
Emilíana has been a member of Icelandic artist group GusGus, and contributed vocals to several songs on their debut Polydistortion (1997), most notably "Why". She co-wrote Kylie Minogue's "Slow" and "Someday" from her Body Language album in 2003. She also produced "Slow" along with Dan Carey; the two were nominated for a Best Dance Recording Grammy Award in 2005 for their work on the track. Prior to these, Emilíana contributed vocals to songs on Thievery Corporation's 2002 album The Richest Man in Babylon and was credited with composing the songs "Resolution", "Until The Morning", and "Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes" from that album. Also in 2002, she sang vocals on Paul Oakenfold's song "Hold Your Hand" taken from his Bunkka album.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/dUSuPe0Kcbg Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20090927191014/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUSuPe0Kcbg Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUSuPe0Kcbg |title=Paul Oakenfold Feat. Emiliana Torrini – Hold Your Hand |publisher=YouTube |date=2007-09-21 |access-date=2012-04-01}}{{cbignore}}
Her version of Jefferson Airplane's 1967 song "White Rabbit" was used in multiple action and fight scenes in the action film Sucker Punch directed by Zack Snyder.
On 3 June 2013,{{cite web |url=http://www.emilianafans.com/en/news/news-2013-06-14-we-have-listened-to-tookah-new-emiliana-torrini-album-574.html |title=We have listened to Tookah! | emilianafans.com |access-date=2013-06-14 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618234328/http://www.emilianafans.com/en/news/news-2013-06-14-we-have-listened-to-tookah-new-emiliana-torrini-album-574.html |archive-date=2013-06-18 }} she revealed to fans that she would release her new album on 9 September 2013 in the UK. The album was released in Ireland,{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/ie/album/tookah/669116796?affId=2051895&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 |title=Tookah |work=iTunes|date=6 September 2013 }} Iceland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on 6 September 2013. The new LP is titled Tookah. Emilíana played a number of music festivals in the lead up to the album's release in Russia and Budapest.
On 29 July 2013, Emilíana revealed the radio edition of a new track "Speed of Dark".Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ytqvkWCpZf4 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130716172328/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytqvkWCpZf4&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytqvkWCpZf4 |title=Emilíana Torrini – Speed Of Dark (radio edit) |date=16 July 2013 |work=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} Three additional tracks were also revealed allowing fans to stream,{{cite web |url=https://soundcloud.com/emilianatorrini/sets/tookah-clips |title=Tookah Clips |work=SoundCloud}} including "Autumn Sun", "Animal Games", and "Tookah".
Emilíana was featured on Kid Koala's 2017 album Music to Draw To: Satellite, where she sang on seven tracks. In 2024, she said that she had not released any album under her name between 2013 and 2023 due to a disagreement and dissatisfaction with her then label Rough Trade.[https://www.ruv.is/frettir/menning-og-daegurmal/2024-11-20-emiliana-torrini-var-fost-i-vondum-samningi-og-akvad-ad-gefa-ekkert-ut-i-tiu-ar-427917 Emíliana Torrini var föst í vondum samningi og ákvað að gefa ekkert út í tíu ár] Ruv.is, retrieved on 20th of November, 2024
Discography
{{Main|Emilíana Torrini discography}}
- Crouçie d'où là (1995)
- Merman (1996)
- Love in the Time of Science (1999)
- Fisherman's Woman (2005)
- Me and Armini (2008)
- Tookah (2013)
- Racing the Storm with the Colorist Orchestra (2023)
- Miss Flower (2024)
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
{{Commons category|Emilíana Torrini}}
{{wikiquote}}
- {{Official website|www.emilianatorrini.com}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20140124120616/http://www.emilianatorrinitv.com/ Unofficial Emilíana Torrini video archive]
- [http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/music/sugar-and-spice-with-a-touch-of-bitter-ice/2008/09/19/1221331162542.html Interview] in the Sydney Morning Herald
{{Emilíana Torrini}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torrini, Emiliana}}
Category:Virgin Records artists
Category:One Little Independent Records artists
Category:People of Campanian descent
Category:Rough Trade Records artists
Category:Icelandic women in electronic music
Category:21st-century Icelandic singers
Category:20th-century Icelandic women singers
Category:21st-century Icelandic women singers