Seinabo Sey
{{short description|Swedish singer (born 1990)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Seinabo Sey
| image = Seinabo Sey.jpg
| caption = Sey in 2014
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|10|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = Stockholm, Sweden
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Singer
- songwriter
}}
| years_active = 2013–present
| label = {{flatlist|
- Universal
- Virgin{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/virginrecords/posts/10153021674154519|title=Virgin Records - Virgin Records shared Seinabo Sey's post|work=facebook.com}}
}}
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
}}
| website = {{URL|seinabosey.com}}
}}
Seinabo Sey (born 7 October 1990) is a Swedish soul and pop singer, best known for her international hit song "Younger".
Early life
Seinabo Sey was born in Södermalm, Stockholm,{{cite web|title=Seinabo Sey |url=http://www.svt.se/allsang/gaster/seinabo-sey |publisher=Sveriges Television |accessdate=9 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703042610/http://www.svt.se/allsang/gaster/seinabo-sey |archivedate=3 July 2014}} on 7 October 1990. She is of both Swedish and Gambian ancestry.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2014/11/12/seinabo-sey-interview|title=Seinabo Sey Is Singing Herself Into A Better Person|first=RUTH|last=SAXELBY|work=The FADER}} She moved to Halmstad, Sweden, at the age of eight, and attended Östergårdsskolans music program for musically gifted teenagers.{{cite web|url=http://www.halmstad.se/forskolaskola/grundskola616ar/kommunalagrundskolor/skolomradecentrum/ostergardsskolan/halmstadsmusikklasser.5133.html|title=Halmstads Musikklasser - Halmstads kommun|work=halmstad.se|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227181011/http://www.halmstad.se/forskolaskola/grundskola616ar/kommunalagrundskolor/skolomradecentrum/ostergardsskolan/halmstadsmusikklasser.5133.html|archivedate=27 December 2014}}
Sey was inspired musically by artists such as Alicia Keys and Beyoncé early in life. She grew up in Halmstad, Sweden, surrounded by artistry and creativity. Her father Maudo Sey was a renowned musician in The Gambia and Senegal, West Africa. Her mother, Madeleine Sundqvist, is Swedish. Seinabo Sey has two siblings; a younger brother Maudo Sey jr and sister Seidato Sey, she is also half-sister to the artist Fatima Bramme Sey{{cite web|url=https://scandinaviansoul.com/news-2/seinabo-sey-wins-three-awards-in-three-days|title=Seinabo Seinabo Sey wins three awards in three days|date=2 March 2015}} and the radio host Amie Bramme Sey. In an interview, Sey recalled being nine years old and watching MTV, which led her to become obsessed with music and singing. Sey wanted to study at Yale as an adolescent, being inspired by the character Rory Gilmore on the television show Gilmore Girls. She took academic steps towards that dream, enrolling in an International Baccalaureate program in Halmstad, Sweden, although at the age of 16 she ended up changing course, moving to Stockholm to attend and later graduate from Fryshusets esthetics program with a concentration in soul music.{{cite web|url=http://fryshuset.se/nyheter/seinabo-sey-utvecklades-och-hittade-scensjalvsakerhet-pa-fryshuset/|title=Seinabo Sey utvecklades och hittade scensjälvsäkerhet på Fryshuset Fryshuset|work=Fryshuset|access-date=27 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219220030/http://fryshuset.se/nyheter/seinabo-sey-utvecklades-och-hittade-scensjalvsakerhet-pa-fryshuset/|archive-date=19 February 2016|url-status=dead}}
In an interview Sey noted: "I was really academically tracked... I loved to sing but I could never fathom singing by myself. I tried to push away the whole music dream and thought I had to do something more in line with that, like becoming a lawyer or something, until I was around sixteen. But then I realised I couldn't really live in that small town so I moved to Stockholm and started music school".{{cite web|url=http://elle.se/stjarnskottet-seinabo-sey-om-sitt-stora-modeintresse/|title=Seinabo Sey om att vara modeintresserad i en småstad|work=elle.se|date=24 November 2014}}{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/musik/hellre-primalskrik-an-fint-polerat/|title=Hellre primalskrik än fint polerat|work=Dagens Nyheter|date=16 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.scandinaviansoul.com/artists-bio/item/seinabo-sey|title=Seinabo Sey|first=Andy|last=Collins|work=scandinaviansoul.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/who-is-seinabo-sey-introducing-the-swedishgambian-singer-inspired-by-her-dual-identity-9600349.html|title=Who is Seinabo Sey? Introducing the Swedish-Gambian singer inspired by her dual identity|first=Jenn|last=Selby|date=11 July 2014|work=The Independent}}
Career
File:Seinabo Sey in Kärrtorp Dec 2013.jpg
After Sey started working with producer Magnus Lidehäll she released her debut single "Younger", followed by "Hard Time" and "Pistols at Dawn".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6289218/seinabo-sey-premiere-pistols-at-dawn-video-madeline-2014|title=Seinabo Sey|magazine=Billboard}} The singles, which were described as soul pop, received much attention and accolades in Sweden and abroad.{{cite web |last=Tolentino |first=Jia |date=7 May 2014 |title=Seinabo Sey, 'Hard Time' |url=http://thehairpin.com/2014/05/seinabo-sey-hard-time |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812095746/https://www.thehairpin.com/2014/05/seinabo-sey-hard-time/ |archive-date=12 August 2022 |work=The Hairpin}} Kygo, a Norwegian musician, remixed "Younger", releasing it in Norway and the United States. This version, known as "Younger (Kygo Remix)", peaked on the Norwegian VG-lista chart (for seven consecutive weeks) and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. On 16 April 2015, "Younger" was featured on BBC Radio 1 as their Track of the Day.
In 2014, EDM duo Galantis used a sample of Sey's single "Hard Times" in a song that appears on their self-titled EP titled "Friends (Hard Times)".
Sey performed at the 2014 Swedish Grammy Awards and at Allsång på Skansen in Stockholm.{{cite web|url=https://www.google.se/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1CAHPZY_enSE611SE611&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=seinabo%20sey%20live%20grammis|title=Google|work=google.se}}{{cite web |url=http://www.svt.se/allsang/gaster/seinabo-sey |title=Seinabo Sey | SVT.se |website=www.svt.se |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703042610/http://www.svt.se/allsang/gaster/seinabo-sey |archive-date=3 July 2014 |url-status=dead}} In October 2014, Seinabo Sey released the critically acclaimed EP For Madeleine, dedicated to and named after her mother.{{cite web|url=http://nojesguiden.se/artiklar/lyssna-seinabo-sey-for-madeleine-ep|title=LYSSNA: Seinabo Sey – For Madeleine EP|work=NÖJESGUIDEN}} The EP was produced by Magnus Lidehäll and written by, among others, Salem Al Fakir, Oscar Linnros and Vincent Pontare, along with Seinabo Sey herself. That same month, she performed at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm.{{cite web|url=http://www.dramaten.se/Repertoar/Seinabo-Sey/|title=Seinabo Sey - Dramaten|work=dramaten.se|accessdate=9 March 2017}} She also performed at the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize concert.{{cite web|url=http://www.nobelpeaceprizeconcert.org/artists/seinabo-sey/|title=Seinabo Sey|work=Nobel Peace Prize Concert|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228174424/http://www.nobelpeaceprizeconcert.org/artists/seinabo-sey/|archivedate=28 December 2014}}
On 30 March 2015 Sey released her second EP, the four-track For Maudo, dedicated to and named after her father, {{Interlanguage link multi|Maudo Sey|sv}}. Repeating the success of For Madeleine, the EP received favorable reviews and widespread critical acclaim in Sweden and abroad. For Maudo was produced by Magnus Lidehäll, and one Swedish review described the EP as a "weightless and spellbinding" crossover between soul and modern pop. Another review described the EP as being composed of "exceptionally beautiful music".{{cite web|url=http://www.gp.se/kulturnoje/recensioner/skivor/skivor4fyrar/1.2667946-seinabo-sey-for-maudo|title=Seinabo Sey - For Maudo|first=Agnes|last=Arpi|date=27 March 2015|work=gp.se|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402091237/http://www.gp.se/kulturnoje/recensioner/skivor/skivor4fyrar/1.2667946-seinabo-sey-for-maudo|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://bloggar.expressen.se/andersnunstedt/2015/03/27/rec-seinabo-sey-for-madou/|title=REC / Seinabo Sey "For Maudo"|work=Expressen Bloggar}}{{cite web|url=http://nojesguiden.se/recensioner/musik/seinabo-sey-for-maudo|title=Seinabo Sey - For Maudo|work=NÖJESGUIDEN}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/recensioner/article20534625.ab|title=SKIVRECENSION: Kärnfullt, viktlöst och trollbindande av Seinabo Sey - Musik - Recensioner - Musik - Nöjesbladet - Aftonbladet|work=Aftonbladet|date=27 March 2015 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/skivrecensioner/seinabo-sey-med-for-maudo/|title=Seinabo Sey med 'For Maudo'|work=Dagens Nyheter|date=31 March 2015}}[http://kritiker.se/skivor/seinabo-sey/for-maudo/ "Seinabo Sey — For Maudo"], Kritiker.
On 23 October 2015 Sey released her first album, called Pretend. The album contains 16 tracks, including "Younger" and "Hard Time".{{cite web|title = Seinabo Sey - Pretend|url = http://www.discogs.com/Seinabo-Sey-Pretend/master/903765|website = Discogs|accessdate =6 November 2015}} In November 2016, the album's titular track "Pretend" was the featured music in the season 6 Girls trailer.{{cite web|url = http://www.umusicpub.se/sv-SE/FilmAndTv/2017/2/Seinabo-Sey-Girls.aspx|title='Pretend' featured in Girls |website = Universal Music Publishing Scandinavia |accessdate = 14 December 2016}}
Also in 2015, parts of her 2014 song, "Hard Time", was utilized as theme song for Swedish murder-mystery TV series, 100 Code (Hundred Code). The show screened in Germany and then spread to other countries; it is now on rerun on cable in the United States and elsewhere.
On 7 September 2018 she released her second album I'm a Dream.{{cite web |title=Seinabo Sey unveils new album 'I'm A Dream' |url=https://www.umusicpub.com/se/News/2018/9/Seinabo-Sey-Im-A-Dream.aspx |website=umusicpub.com |publisher=Universal Music |date=7 September 2018}}
Awards and accolades
- 2014 - Breakthrough of the year - 2014 Swedish Music Publishers Prize{{cite web|url=http://hn.se/nojekultur/musik/1.3558660-seinabo-sey-prisad-av-musikforlaggarna|title=Seinabo Sey prisad av Musikförläggarna|work=hn.se|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20150406063701/http://hn.se/nojekultur/musik/1.3558660-seinabo-sey-prisad-av-musikforlaggarna|archivedate=6 April 2015}}
- 2015 - Best Newcomer - 2014 Swedish Grammy Awards{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/musik/alla-grammisvinnarna-2015/|title=Alla Grammisvinnarna 2015|work=Dagens Nyheter|date=25 February 2015}}
- 2015 - Soul/R&B artist of the year - 2014 Kingsize Awards{{cite web|url=http://www.kingsizemagazine.se/noje/vinnarna-pa-kingsizegalan-2015-se-listan-har/|title=Vinnarna på KINGSIZEGALAN 2015 – se listan här!|work=Kingsizemagazine.se - Svensk hiphop rap musik dans kläder artister tv}}
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | SWE ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | NOR ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | SWI |
| scope="row"| Pretend
|
| 4 || 29 || 87 |
|
| scope="row"| I'm a Dream
| | 6 || — || — |
| scope="row"| The One After Me
|
| 58 || — || — | |
=Extended plays=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | US Heat. {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/seinabo-sey/chart-history/tln/|title=Seinabo Sey – Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=9 September 2018}} |
| scope="row"| For Madeleine
|
| 23 |
| scope="row"| Sweet Life
|
| — |
=Singles=
=Other charted songs=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | SWE |
| scope="row"| "Never Get Used To"
| 2018 | 57 | I'm a Dream |
| scope="row"| "Rom-Com" {{small|(with Hannes)}} | 2021 | —{{efn|group=upper-alpha|"Rom-Com" did not enter the Swedish Singellista Chart, but peaked at number three on the Swedish Heatseeker Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/215?dspy=2021&dspp=23|title=Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 23|publisher=Sverigetopplistan|access-date=11 June 2021}}}} | Sweet Life |
Notes
{{notelist-ua}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cci}}
- {{Official website|seinabosey.com}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sey, Seinabo}}
Category:Swedish women singer-songwriters
Category:English-language singers from Sweden
Category:Swedish singer-songwriters
Category:Swedish women pop singers
Category:Musicians from Stockholm
Category:Singers from Stockholm
Category:Swedish people of Gambian descent
Category:21st-century Swedish singers