Sylvaine
{{Short description|Norwegian metal solo project}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Sylvaine
| image = Sylvaine Full Force 2023 38.jpg
| landscape = yes
| caption = Sylvaine performing at Full Force in 2023
| birth_name =
| origin = Oslo, Norway
| genre = {{flatlist|*Black metal,{{cite web | url=https://hmmagazine.com/feature/sylvaine/ | title=Sylvaine | access-date=2023-01-24 | archive-date=2023-01-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234721/https://hmmagazine.com/feature/sylvaine/ | url-status=live }} blackgaze{{cite web | url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/sylvaine-nova | title=Sylvaine spirits us away to share the guitar secrets behind her dreamy, shoegaze-inspired atmospheric metal sound | date=22 June 2022 | access-date=24 January 2023 | archive-date=24 January 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234719/https://www.guitarworld.com/features/sylvaine-nova | url-status=live }}}}
| years_active = 2013-present
| label = Season of Mist
| current_members = Kathrine Shepard
| website = {{URL|sylvainemusic.com}}
}}
Sylvaine is the solo music project of Norwegian metal multi-instrumentalist Kathrine Shepard. The project began in Oslo in 2013 and has released four albums to date. In 2019, Shepard became the first woman to earn a nomination for best metal album at the Spellemannprisen, for her third album, Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone (2018).
History
Shepard was born in San Diego, California, in the United States in 1991 to a Norwegian mother and an American father before her family moved to Oslo at a young age.{{Cite web |last=Shepard |first=Katherine |date=April 20, 2016 |title=On Being a Musician in Oslo vs. Paris |url=https://www.invisibleoranges.com/on-being-a-musician-in-oslo-vs-paris/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422020617/https://www.invisibleoranges.com/on-being-a-musician-in-oslo-vs-paris/ |archive-date=April 22, 2016 |access-date=January 24, 2023 |website=Invisible Oranges |language=en}} She is a classically-trained vocalist and received a bachelor's degree in musicology from the University of Oslo.{{Cite web |title=Sylvaine |url=https://hmmagazine.com/feature/sylvaine/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=HM Magazine |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234721/https://hmmagazine.com/feature/sylvaine/ |url-status=live }} The project's name Sylvaine was inspired by the word "sylvan" (meaning forest, woods) and the surname of French poet Paul Verlaine.
Shepard self-released her first album Silent Chamber, Noisy Heart in 2014 after writing it in Oslo from late 2012 to early 2013. She moved to Paris, France to write her second album Wistful, which was released in 2016 on the label Season of Mist. Alcest bandleader Neige played the drums on Wistful.{{Cite web |title=Alcest: "Man soll meine Texte gar nicht verstehen" – laut.de – Interview |url=http://www.laut.de/alcest/interviews/man-soll-meine-texte-gar-nicht-verstehen-02-11-2016-1396 |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=laut.de |language=de}} Shepard met Neige after an Alcest concert in 2012 and toured with Alcest in 2014.{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Ryan |date=2016-05-27 |title=An Interview with Sylvaine |url=https://dreamingmetalmuseblog.com/2016/05/27/an-interview-with-sylvaine/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=The Dreaming Metal Muse |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234720/https://dreamingmetalmuseblog.com/2016/05/27/an-interview-with-sylvaine/ |url-status=live }}
The third Sylvaine album Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone was released on 2 November 2018 and was preceded by the singles "Abeyance", "Mørklagt" and "L’Appel Du Vide". Neige also played the drums on the record.{{Cite web |date=2018-08-08 |title=Sylvaine Gets at Mankind's Internal Struggles with "Abeyance" (premiere), PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/sylvaine-abeyance-premiere-2593780843.html |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=PopMatters |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234719/https://www.popmatters.com/sylvaine-abeyance-premiere-2593780843.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Mortonpublished |first=Luke |date=2018-09-04 |title=Post-black metal visionary Sylvaine releases new song Mørklagt |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/post-black-metal-visionary-sylvaine-releases-new-song-morklagt |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=loudersound |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234721/https://www.loudersound.com/news/post-black-metal-visionary-sylvaine-releases-new-song-morklagt |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Injection |first=Metal |date=2018-10-01 |title=SYLVAINE Wonderfully Captures "L'Appel Du Vide" Through Heart-Wrenching Post Rock |url=https://metalinjection.net/new-music/sylvaine-wonderfully-captures-lappel-du-vide-through-heart-wrenching-post-rock |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=Metal Injection |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316093719/https://metalinjection.net/new-music/sylvaine-wonderfully-captures-lappel-du-vide-through-heart-wrenching-post-rock |url-status=live }} Atoms aligned, coming undone was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy Award for best metal album, with Shepard becoming the first female musician to earn a nomination in that category.{{Cite web |date=2019-02-26 |title=SYLVAINE: Ambient Multi-Instrumentalist Becomes First Ever Female Artist Nominated For Norwegian Grammy Award In The Metal Category; Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone Full-Length Out NOW And Streaming Via Season Of Mist - Earsplit Compound |url=https://www.earsplitcompound.com/sylvaine-ambient-multi-instrumentalist-becomes-first-ever-female-artist-nominated-for-norwegian-grammy-award-in-the-metal-category-atoms-aligned-coming-undone-full-length-out-now-and-streaming-via/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234719/https://www.earsplitcompound.com/sylvaine-ambient-multi-instrumentalist-becomes-first-ever-female-artist-nominated-for-norwegian-grammy-award-in-the-metal-category-atoms-aligned-coming-undone-full-length-out-now-and-streaming-via/ |url-status=live }}
In 2019, Shepard provided guest vocals on the song "L’île des morts" from Alcest's sixth album Spiritual Instinct.{{Cite magazine |last1=Shteamer |first1=Suzy Exposito, Kory Grow, Hank |last2=Exposito |first2=Suzy |last3=Grow |first3=Kory |last4=Shteamer |first4=Hank |date=2019-12-11 |title=The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2019 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-metal-albums-2019-919140/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608050057/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-metal-albums-2019-919140/ |url-status=live }} In 2020, she released the split EP Time Without End in collaboration with post-black metal artist Unreqvited.{{Cite web |last=Wolfsbrunn |first=Stefan |date=2020-02-26 |title=Review: Unreqvited / Sylvaine - Time Without End |url=https://www.metal.de/reviews/unreqvited-sylvaine-time-without-end-403246/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=metal.de |language=de}} Sylvaine's fourth album Nova was released in 2022.{{Cite web |author1=Mark McStea |date=2022-06-22 |title=Sylvaine spirits us away to share the guitar secrets behind her dreamy, shoegaze-inspired atmospheric metal sound |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/sylvaine-nova |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=guitarworld |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234719/https://www.guitarworld.com/features/sylvaine-nova |url-status=live }} In autumn 2024, she toured Europe, supporting Faroese musician Eivør.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-20 |title=Sylvaine - European Tour Dates Announced, Supporting Eivør |url=https://metalstorm.net/events/news_comments.php?news_id=52540 |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=metalstorm.net |language=en |archive-date=2024-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316151129/https://metalstorm.net/events/news_comments.php?news_id=52540 |url-status=live }} Her debut album Silent Chamber, Noisy Heart was released as an anniversary version on the German label Eisenwald in November 2024, 10 years after its first release in 2014.{{Cite web |author1=Alexandra Michels |date=2024-10-01 |title=SYLVAINE - Jubiläumsversion zu "Silent Chamber, Noisy Heart" kommt im November |url=https://www.rockhard.de/news/sylvaine-jubilaumsversion-zu-silent-chamber-noisy-heart-kommt-im-november |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=RockHard |language=de}}
Shepard is a multi-instrumentalist who can play guitar, bass, piano and synthesiser.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-19 |title=Songs to Live by: Sylvaine's Katherine Shepard |url=https://www.wearethepit.com/2019/06/songs-to-live-by-sylvaines-katherine-shepard/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=The Pit |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124234719/https://www.wearethepit.com/2019/06/songs-to-live-by-sylvaines-katherine-shepard/ |url-status=live }} Her influences as a guitarist include Slowdive's Neil Halstead and Explosions in the Sky.
In February 2025, Sylvaine once again toured with Eivør, this time in Canada and the United States.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-25 |title=Sylvaine - European Tour Dates Announced, Supporting Eivør |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2024/09/25/news/eivor-announces-winter-2025-u-s-tour-dates-with-sylvaine/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=metalstorm.net |language=en |url-status=live }}
Discography
= Studio albums =
- Silent Chamber, noisy Heart (2014)
- Wistful (2016)
- Atoms aligned, coming undone (2018)
- Nova (2022)
= EPs =
- Time without End (with Unreqvited) (2020){{Cite web |title=Time Without End on bandcamp.com |url=https://unreqvited.bandcamp.com/album/time-without-end |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=bandcamp.com |language=en}}
- Eg Er Framand (2024)
= Singles =
- Abeyance (2018)
- Mørklagt (2018)
- Nowhere, still somewhere (2022)
- Mono no aware (2022)
- Nova (2022)
- Dagsens Auga Sloknar Ut (2024)
- Eg Er Framand (2024)
= As a guest =
- Background vocals on Alcest's Kodama (2016){{Cite web |title=Alcest's Kodama on discogs.com |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/9133412-Alcest-Kodama |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=discogs.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125203004/https://www.discogs.com/release/9133412-Alcest-Kodama |url-status=live }} and L’île des morts (2019){{Cite web |title=Alcest's Spiritual Instinct on discogs.com |url=https://www.discogs.com/de/release/14311707-Alcest-Spiritual-Instinct |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=discogs.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125202821/https://www.discogs.com/de/release/14311707-Alcest-Spiritual-Instinct |url-status=live }}
- Vocals on ISON's Meridian (2021){{Cite web |title=ISON's Meridian on bandcamp.com |url=https://ison444.bandcamp.com/track/meridian-ft-sylvaine |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=bandcamp.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125202816/https://ison444.bandcamp.com/track/meridian-ft-sylvaine |url-status=live }}
- Vocals on MØL's Diorama (2021){{Cite web |title=Møl's Diorama on discogs.com |url=https://www.discogs.com/de/release/20895829-M%C3%B8l-Diorama |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=discogs.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125203006/https://www.discogs.com/de/release/20895829-M%C3%B8l-Diorama |url-status=live }}
- Vocals on Carpenter Brut's Stabat Mater (2022){{Cite web |title=Carpenter Brut's Leathal Terror on discogs.com |url=https://www.discogs.com/de/release/22719176-Carpenter-Brut-Leather-Terror |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=discogs.com |language=en}}
- Background vocals on Schammasch's The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean (2024)
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylvaine}}
Category:Norwegian black metal musical groups
Category:Musical groups established in 2013