| Teitur Lassen | |
|---|---|
Lassen performing in a concert in Nordatlantens Brygge, Copenhagen |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Teitur Lassen |
| Born | 4 February 1977 |
| Origin | Faroe Islands |
| Genres | Pop, folk, rock |
| Occupations | Musician, Composer, Musica Arranger, Film scorer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, Piano |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Universal, Equator Records, Tutl, Cheap Lullaby, Arlo & Betty Records |
| Associated acts | Mark No Limits |
| Website | Teitur.com |
Teitur (IPA: [ˈtaitʊɹ]; born Teitur Lassen 1977 in Hoyvík) is a Faroese singer-songwriter. On 3 March 2007, he was awarded Best Male Singer at the Danish Music Awards.
The word teitur is Old Norse and means happy. In Modern Faroese, it is archaic but used as a male given name.
Teitur started out in the Faroese pop/rock band Mark No Limits as its lead singer and songwriter. After quickly gaining a reputation at home, Teitur left the Faroe Islands for Copenhagen at 17, finding both his voice and a succession of helping hands all over Europe and North America. He dedicated himself to playing and writing music in English full-time, and soon caught the attention of former BMI executive Christian Ulf-Hansen at the Danish music festival, SPOT, who quickly signed on as manager.
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After finding both a publishing deal and a record contract with Universal Records, the Faroe Islands awarded him its 2004 "Businessman of the Year" award. His first major album, Poetry & Aeroplanes, released in 2003, was recorded in Los Angeles and Spain and featured a number of prominent studio musicians and the production of Rupert Hine. Within months of its debut, the record found a following among many of popular music's inner circle. Extensive touring in the US and Canada and rave reviews and industry/musician buzz led to opening slots on tours with Suzanne Vega, Glen Phillips, Aimee Mann, and John Mayer. John Mayer later described the album in his Esquire magazine article: "it may be one of the best albums to come around in the last five years...Music like this is jet fuel on the fire of a broken heart. Even if you think the flame has died, there's at least one lyric that'll hit that last hot spot, and then you'll find yourself as fucked as you were the day you lied and said you never wanted to see her again. Enjoy."
Teitur was featured on MTV's You Heard it First program. While not picked up by mainstream radio, several of the songs on Poetry & Aeroplanes found airplay on major television and motion picture soundtracks, most recently in the 2006 films Aquamarine and My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Teitur continued to tour extensively in 20 plus countries, building a firm following and respect amongst media and the musician community, despite the lack of commercial marketing by Universal Records.
On 20 April 2006, Teitur's management issued a statement that he had dropped Universal as his record label following months of legal problems and creative differences, and from then on his records would be released on Arlo and Betty Recordings, a new label, run by his manager, and named after his two vintage Gibson guitars. His second studio record Stay Under the Stars, produced by Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, Ron Sexsmith, KT Tunstall, Train), was released in May 2006 in Scandinavia on Arlo and Betty, licensed to the indie label Playground Music. After spending several months in the Danish Top-40, the album was released in the U.S. and Canada on 5 September 2006 on the newly formed Equator Records, and on iTunes on 8 September 2006 and Edel Records in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
According to a 12 October 2006 article in the Faroese newspaper Sosialurin, Teitur's next album would be in the Faroese language, and will be released only in the Faroe Islands and Iceland. It is planned that Teitur will tour each corner of his tiny motherland in its support.[1]
The album was licensed to and released on the Faroese label Tutl on 14 May 2007 under the title Káta Hornið.[2]
On 17 September 2007, Teitur announced on his Myspace page that he is getting set to record a new album starting in October 2007.
The recording studio was set up in the barn of the famous house "Fridhem" on the island of Gotland, former home and dying place of world-renowned director Ingmar Bergman. The album was produced by Teitur and recorded and engineered by his long time live sound engineer, Jonas Bloch Danielsen.
On 21 January 2008, Teitur announced more details concerning the album through his Myspace page. The album is titled "The Singer" and will be released in Scandinavia on 11 February 2008, and in March/April 2008 in the rest of world.[3] In 2009 he was awarded Best Collection of Songs for The Singer album at the Danish Music Awards.
Teitur recorded his next album, "Let the Dog drive home" in early 2010 in Copenhagen, with some of his long time regular musicians, namely Drummer Derek Murphy (from Atlanta, Georgia), Bass Player Mikael Blak (also from The Faroe Islands), and Nikolaj Torp Larsen (Danish, lives in London), and a host of guest musicians, and backing singers. Teitur once again produced the album, which was recorded and engineered by his regular cohort Jonas Bloch Danielsen and mixed by the Norwegian, George Tandero (who also mixed Stay Under The Stars). The song title that spawned the album title, is a metaphor for relaxing and letting things just happen. The artwork for the album, is based on a series of drawings by Teitur of a dog character, reflecting some of the lyrics in the album; the graphic design being handled, as on all his albums, by London based Bob McKie with direction by Christian Ulf-Hansen.
The album was released in October 2010 in Scandinavia, reaching the top 10 in Denmark, preceded by the single "You never leave L.A."and in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Benelux and Italy in February 2011, also charting in Holland. The first single in the UK and Ireland was the track "Betty Hedges", and the album was released on the 11th April there, to great reviews.
In between these releases of the new album, Teitur sang a track as a guest on the Danish Christmas album, Fra Danske Hjerter (Translated as From Danish Hearts) put together by Danish producer, Nikolaj Norlund (who also produced Teitur's track "Syner" on the 2005 "Andersen's Dromme" album) and released in December 2010.