Annie (From Norway)

"They gave me this very long script, to say how Norwegian hip hop is so amazing. But I can't say that, because I don't think it is," she says. "So I've chopped it down to one sentence: "And the winner is…!"

I'm so disappointed Annie hasn't blown up while a shit fucking travesty of Kate Bush is in the charts. Fuck it all.

Vice is putting this out? And the Boredoms E.P. too??

“Madonna could make another great record but she’s stuck with [producer] Mirwais. She should get with someone new. Like me.”

.. be careful what you wish for ..

so.

answer Annie answers BBC Collective q's but not mine.

the pecking order is well defined.

one day though ..

ha.

either way he's given ANNIEMAL a
major big up in this month's UNCUT
-*****/***** too.

Also, this:

I also think she's quite short. According to Richard, I'm a bit taller, so I don't think we have much in common.

Her thing with Rachel S is pretty funny considering who walked away with the better Richard X-ness (and chart placing).

Anniemal is available on import at Amoeba for $24.98

Rachel S is shorter than Annie? Is she some sort of dwarf?!

Feature: Annie

Glittery, poptastic starlet Annie first Vogue-d her way onto the British scene with THE pop record of last year, Chewing Gum – penned by the “Long Live The New Synth!” duo of Richard X and Hannah Robinson, responsible for Rachel Stevens’ Some Girls. “I really liked her song,” says Annie. “But I think that it had more to do with Richard X than Rachel Stevens.”

Now we at Planetpop aren’t saying that Mother Nature has left an IOU note where Rachel’s personality should be (no, we’re IMPLYING it), but imagine a track as good as Some Girls fronted by somebody that doesn’t have the dead, remorseless eyes of a shark. That dream is realised with Chewing Gum, which has the girl power (feel free to make the V-for-victory sign now, readers) message of chewing up boys and spitting them out, featuring the insouciant lyric: “I don’t wanna settle down, I just wanna have fun/I don’t wanna settle down, I just wanna chew gum.”

It’s the best thing involving both pop and confectionary ever – at least until oldie Madonna records a Cadbury’s Flake commercial (“Chocolate as crumbly as…my body!”)

In her native Norway, Annie’s already a household name – and is followed by a retinue of fans. “Some guy used to write to me all the time”, she says. “He said he and his wife got together because of the song, Chewing Gum. Which I thought was a bit weird, because it’s all about promiscuity. I had to change my number a few months ago when I started getting all these sleazy messages on my phone.” The flaxon-haired Madonna-lover is faced with the daily occurrence of having twelve-year old girls scream at her in the street.

Somehow you can’t imagine Norway’s last export, World Idol Goblin Kurt Nielson causing children to scream uncontrollably. Unless they’re wielding flaming torches or he’s holding up a sign saying: “I’M YOUR REAL DAD”.

But then Annie’s an altogether different proposition. “There’s a shame in saying you like pop music”, she concedes. “But my album is a bit more challenging than what else is around. There’s so much boring music around – I’m the Britney Spears you can admit you enjoy.”

Despite her buoyant sunny dance-pop, Annie’s life hasn’t been all DoubleMint ’n’ double drops. Her tremendous debut album – called Anniemal – was recorded in the wake of severe personal tragedy. In 1999, she hooked up with a young producer, Tore Andreas Kroknes who was making inventive, cutting-edge electronic dance tracks under the name Erot. A leading light in Bergen’s thriving music scene (which spawned the Kings Of Convenience and Royksopp), he became her boyfriend, and together they penned the Madonna Everybody-sampling party anthem, The Greatest Hit. Tragically, at the peak of his powers, Tore was struck down with a rare heart complaint.

“Tore had a heart defect that he was born with. He went into hospital, and I was just visiting him every day for about a year.”

He passed away, with Annie at his bedside, aged 23.

“After he died, I didn’t want to do anything; I was so depressed. I stayed at home, away from everybody, just existing in my own world. After a while, I knew I had to go back to music; I knew that I had to finish the album. I wasn’t going to be beaten. Plus, I knew that Tore would be p***d off with me if I threw it all away.”

Eventually, she recruited Finnish producer Timo Kaukolampi of Op:l B*****ds and Royksopp (who’ve famously spurred offers to work with the lines of The Pet Shop Boys and Britney) to complete the album. There was a shadow cast over the recording sessions. “Sometimes when I was in the studio, I’d be there thinking what would Tore do?” she recalls. “Would he be happy with these drums? Would he do this differently? But I think deep down, he’d love it.”

The pop version of the Angel of Gabriel, Richard X, of course, completed the jigsaw. Aside from Chewing Gum, he contributes another track, Me Plus One to Anniemal.

“I’ve DJ-ed with so many of his tracks (at her own night, Pop ‘Til You Drop, a “pun on the Ramones song.”). He phoned me about two years ago and asked if I’d sing on his debut album. I ended up doing the vocals for one of his tracks…actually, I wasn’t singing but talking over the phone! But it turned out to be a great song. I love all the bootleg stuff he did as Girls On Top.”

As Annie prepares to unleash second single, the ace Heartbeat on these shores, she’s already “full of ideas” for album nummer to. Plus, she makes a rare appearance in Mcr on Tuesday when she supports LCD Soundsystem at their Academy gig. Really, there should be on-the-spot Asbos for those not attending.

So finally, Annie Lilia Berge Strand – to use her full name – who would you least like to be trapped in a lift with?

“Oh, there are so many pop people I dislike…give me 10 minutes, and I could reel off a list. Wait, it would have to be Dannii Minogue! I hate her. EVERYTHING about her.”

Annie supports LCD Soundsystem, Tuesday, the Academy. Heartbeat is released on February 21. Anniemal (679) is out in March.

Now we at Planetpop aren’t saying that Mother Nature has left an IOU note where Rachel’s personality should be (no, we’re IMPLYING it), but imagine a track as good as Some Girls fronted by somebody that doesn’t have the dead, remorseless eyes of a shark. That dream is realised with Chewing Gum

Gaz, old buddy, FUCK OFF.

(My thing here is that Rach has a lot more to do/do with the success of 'Some Girls' as a song than she did with 'Sweet Dreams'. RX gave her a role, Rach executed it PERFECTLY. Haters need to get over themselves)

This, though: Somehow you can’t imagine Norway’s last export, World Idol Goblin Kurt Nielson causing children to scream uncontrollably. Unless they’re wielding flaming torches or he’s holding up a sign saying: “I’M YOUR REAL DAD”.

The latter is possible if he's covering Richard X and Tiga.

But anyway, do I really need to trot out the TS: Neon Nights vs Anniemal again?

'Negotiate With Love' is a dlightful little ditty - a lot like 'Wake Me Up' without relying on its "witty" lyrics and rock riff to coast it along. Solo Rachel's increasingly resembling a League without Phil O's vocals (she may yet do an electro ballad that scales the heights of 'One Man In My Heart').