Angelina Jordan

Angelina Jordan
Jordan in 2018
Jordan in 2018
Background information
Birth nameAngelina Jordan Astar
Born (2006-01-10) 10 January 2006 (age 18)
Oslo, Norway
OccupationSinger
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active2014–present
LabelsRepublic Records
Websiteangelinajordanofficial.com

Angelina Jordan Astar (born 10 January 2006) is a Norwegian singer whose audition for the 2014 season of Norway's Got Talent at the age of seven, singing "Gloomy Sunday" in the style of Billie Holiday, became a viral video online and brought her worldwide press coverage.[1] She went on to win the competition at the age of eight with her performance of George Gershwin's "Summertime". Since then, she has worked to raise money on behalf of environmental causes and various children's charities. She always performs barefoot, after befriending a young shoeless girl and giving her shoes to her. Jordan later wrote a book about the experience, Mellom to hjerter (Between Two Hearts).

Jordan has released multiple digital singles and EPs, and one full-length album called It's Magic. She appeared on the first season of Little Big Shots in 2016, and the second season of America's Got Talent: The Champions in 2020, where her cover version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" brought her much attention.

Jordan has lived in the United States since 2018. In August 2020, it was announced that she has signed with Republic Records.[2] Her first single under that label, "Million Miles", was released in November 2020.[3]

Career

[edit]
Jordan at Kongsberg Jazzfestival in 2018.

2014: From Norway's Got Talent to My Christmas

[edit]

After Jordan's performances of two Billie Holiday songs, "Gloomy Sunday" and "I'm a Fool to Want You", on Norway's Got Talent, as well as "Fly Me to the Moon" on a TV talk show, all went viral online in March 2014, she was featured in Time,[1] Daily Mirror,[4] People,[5] and other news outlets around the world.[6] She continued in the competition singing Nancy Sinatra's version of "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" live in the semi-finals,[7] and won with her performance of George Gershwin's "Summertime", in the style of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's 1958 recording of the song.

In September 2014, she performed "Fly Me to the Moon" on the US television show The View,[8] bringing her wider fame in the United States. She also performed on several TV 2 programs in Norway over the next few years, including multiple appearances on Allsang på Grensen (Singalong at the Border, referring to the border fortress of Fredriksten where outdoor concerts are held) and on TV4 in Sweden.

Jordan had a small guest role in the final episode of the Netflix series Lilyhammer, playing a girl who sings in a bar.[9]

In December 2014, she partly realized a personal ambition of singing at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert by performing for Peace Prize recipients Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi at the Save the Children's Peace Prize Celebration.[10]

Jordan's recording debut, the three-song maxi-single My Christmas, was released in December 2014.[11] To support the release, Jordan performed the songs on multiple TV shows, including an appearance on Christmas Day.

2015–2019: YouTube channels, The EP, It's Magic

[edit]

In 2015, Jordan began recording music that would eventually be collected on the six-song Angelina Jordan – The EP, released on 27 November 2017.[12] Many of the tracks were posted to her official YouTube channel[13] well in advance of the EP release, in the form of music videos and lyric videos. These included her covers of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You", the music video for which was directed by Per Heimly, and Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black", in which Jordan sang her own original lyrics. These two music videos became the most popular videos on her official YouTube channel, surpassing 5 million views each by 2020. In 2017, she created a second YouTube channel specifically to present performances of cover songs.[14]

In November 2015, Jordan published the book Mellom to hjerter (Between Two Hearts), which was illustrated by her grandmother, Iranian artist Mery Zamani.[15] The book tells the story of her meeting a poor motherless girl in the Middle East who has no shoes. After a long conversation in which they discuss their dreams in life, she gives the girl her shoes and the girl promises to pray for Jordan to fulfill her dream to become a successful singer. According to Jordan the book is based on a real incident that happened when she was six, which she cites as the reason for always performing barefoot.[16]

In April 2016, Jordan performed "Fly Me to the Moon" on the first season of the noncompetitive children's talent show Little Big Shots.[17] A year later she performed "What a Difference a Day Makes" on the UK version of the show. She also performed "I Put a Spell on You" on the German edition of the show, Little Big Stars, in 2017.

In December 2016, she performed on Alan Walker is Heading Home, a live concert broadcast from Bergen, Norway, where she sang Walker's songs "Sing Me to Sleep" and "Faded".[18]

On 15 June 2018, a full album of recordings with Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvarets stabsmusikkorps), called It's Magic, was released.[19] The next day, Jordan and the band performed the full album live in a concert attended by Norway's Prime Minister.

On 27 June 2018, Jordan performed "Fly Me to the Moon" for Quincy Jones in The O2 Arena in London, as part of his 85th birthday celebration, and also joined with other singers to perform "Man in the Mirror" to close the show.[20][21]

2019–2023: America's Got Talent, "Bohemian Rhapsody", Republic Records

[edit]

In 2019, Jordan performed for former president Barack Obama and other public figures at the Brilliant Minds conference in Stockholm.[22]

In October 2019, she competed in the second season of America's Got Talent: The Champions, which was aired in January and February 2020.[23] Her first appearance on the show, singing an original arrangement of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", received a "golden buzzer" from judge Heidi Klum (meaning that Jordan would pass directly into the finals). A video of Jordan's performance began to go viral on YouTube.[24] The performance also garnered praise from Queen's official Twitter account.[25] Jordan later released a studio version of the same arrangement under her own copyright.[26] Jordan's second performance (in the finals), a similarly reworked "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" based largely on a version by Sara Bareilles, was also well received,[citation needed] but she was not among the top 5 acts.

In August 2020, Jordan's manager (her uncle), announced that she had signed with Republic Records.[2] Her first single on the label, "Million Miles", was released on 6 November 2020, on all major digital platforms.[3] An official lyric video was posted to her official YouTube channel the same day.[27] The track was produced by the Norwegian duo Stargate, who also co-wrote the song with Jordan.[28] She has since released two additional music videos for the song: one showing her singing the song "live" in a recording studio, the other an "official music video" featuring her younger sister.[29][30]

In June 2022, after a two-year hiatus brought on by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan resumed singing in front of live audiences with an appearance in the first episode of the final season of Allsang på Grensen.[31][32]

In February 2023, Jordan together with a Moroccan-Swedish record producer Red One, performed 2022 FIFA anthem titled "We Are the Best"[33] in front of a worldwide audience at the Best FIFA Football Awards 2022.

Personal life

[edit]

Jordan was born in Oslo, Norway, and has lived for extended periods both there and in Los Angeles. She also lived for a time in the Middle East. She has a younger sister who has been featured in some of her music videos. Her father, Gerry Christian Slättman, is Swedish.[34] Her Norwegian mother, Sara Astar, is the daughter of Iranian artist and poet Mery Zamani and a Japanese father.[35][16]

Jordan attended the Oslo Waldorf School and participated in the Oslo School of Music and Performing Arts after-school program, where she received vocal training and piano lessons. In addition to singing and playing the piano, she plays violin, guitar and flute, and also paints.[36]

Since 2018, she has been living and going to school in Los Angeles.[citation needed]

In November 2023, she was presented as a debutante at Le Bal des débutantes in Paris.[37]

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]
Title Release date Track listing
My Christmas[11]
(maxi-single) 		14 December 2014
  1. "White Christmas"
  2. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"
  3. "Silent Night"
Angelina Jordan – The EP[12] 27 November 2017
  1. "I Put a Spell on You"
  2. "Our Day Will Come"
  3. "When You're Smiling"
  4. "Fly Me to the Moon"
  5. "What a Difference a Day Makes"
  6. "Back to Black"
It's Magic[19]
(with Forsvarets stabsmusikkorps) 		15 June 2018
  1. "It's Magic" (Cahn, Styne)
  2. "What is Life" (Jordan)
  3. "Cheek to Cheek" (Berlin)
  4. "Waltz for Debbie" (Evans) [instrumental]
  5. "Oslo" (Jordan)
  6. "Crazy" (Nelson)
  7. "Fly Me to the Moon" (Howard)
  8. "Cry Me a River" (Hamilton)
  9. "Line for Lyons" (Mulligan) [instrumental]
  10. "I'm a Fool to Want You" (Herron, Sinatra, Wolf)
  11. "La Bohème" (Aznavour, Plante)
  12. "It's a Man's World" (Brown, Newsone)
  13. "Answer Me, My Love" (Rauch, Winkler) [instrumental]
  14. "Mr. Lonely" (Vinton, Allan)
  15. "Speak Softly Love" (Rota)
  16. "Can't Help Falling in Love" (Weiss, Greatore, Peretti)
Old Enough[38] 21 July 2023
  1. "Love Don't Let Me Go"
  2. "Now I'm the Fool"
  3. "Fire and Rain"
  4. "All My Fault"
  5. "Good In Goodbyes"
  6. "Diamond"
Driving Home For Christmas[39] 8 December 2023
  1. "Driving Home For Christmas"
  2. "Let It Snow"
  3. "Jingle Bell Rock"
  4. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"
  5. "The Christmas Song"

Singles

[edit]
List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing album name and year released
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
ROM
Air.
[40] 		ROM
TV
[41] 		TUR
Air.
[42]
"I Put a Spell on You"[43] 2016 — — * Angelina Jordan
"What a Difference a Day Makes"[44] — —
"Fly Me to the Moon" (Acoustic)[45] 2017 — —
"Back to Black"[46][47]
(with lyrics by Jordan) 		— —
"What is Life"[48]
(with Forsvarets Stabsmusikkorps) 		2018 — — It's Magic
"Shield"[49] — — Non-album singles
"Bohemian Rhapsody"[50][51] 2020 — — —
"Million Miles"[3] — — —
"7th Heaven"[52] 2021 — — —
"Mercy"[53] — — — The Hating Game
"Love Don't Let Me Go"[54] 2023 1 5 1 Non-album singles
"Our Time"[55] — — —
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.
"*" denotes the chart did not exist at that time.

Featured in

Title Year Album
"Song for A"[1]
Nico Cartosio featuring Angelina Jordan 		2019 Melting
"Above the Water"[56]
TRXD featuring Angelina Jordan 		2020
"We are the Best"[2]
Red One featuring Angelina Jordan 		2023
"If I were A Boy"[3]
Toby Gad featuring Angelina Jordan 		2024 Piano Diaries - The Hits

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Locker, Melissa (10 March 2014). "This 7-Year Old's Incredible Voice Will Give You Chills as She Channels Billie Holiday". Time. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b Brodal, Tina (26 August 2020). "Industry Talk: Michael Astar". Music Norway. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Aswad, Jem (5 November 2020). "Republic Records Signs 14-Year-Old Norwegian Singer Angelina Jordan (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  4. ^ Keegan, Simon (10 March 2014). "WATCH: Girl sings Billie Holiday classic and wows talent show judges with soulful Gloomy Monday cover". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  5. ^ Jones, Nate (7 May 2014). "See This 8-Year-Old Norwegian Girl Sing Frank Sinatra Perfectly". People. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  6. ^ Storhaug, Sofia; Johansen, Øystein David (25 May 2014). "Angelina vant 'Norske talenter': – Jeg vil hjelpe barn som ikke har det bra" [Angelina won 'Norwegian talents': 'I want to help children who are not doing well']. VG.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  7. ^ Pettersen, Jørn; Erikssen, Heidi Østhus (12 April 2014). "Norske Talenter-Angelina til finalen". VG.no. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Nå har norske Angelina endelig debutert på amerikansk TV" [Now Norwegian Angelina finally debuted on American television]. TV2.no (in Norwegian). 19 September 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  9. ^ Miljeteig, Margrethe (17 December 2012). "Se Angelina Jordan (8) debutere som skuespiller" [See Angelina Jordan (8) debut as an actor]. TV2.no (in Norwegian).
  10. ^ "Angelina Jordan – Nobel Peace Prize Live performance". NobelWeb.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  11. ^ a b My Christmas at Discogs
  12. ^ a b Angelina Jordan – The EP at Discogs
  13. ^ "Angelina Jordan Official". Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Angelina Jordan CoverChannel / About". Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "Between Two Hearts / Angelina Jordan Astar". Cappelen Damm. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Når man våger å møtes" [When one dares to meet]. vl.no (in Norwegian). 3 December 2015.
  17. ^ "Fly to the Moon with Angelina Jordan". Little Big Shots – via YouTube.
  18. ^ "Alan Walker - Sunday & Sing Me To Sleep (Live Performance)". Alan Walker on YouTube.
  19. ^ a b It's Magic at Discogs
  20. ^ "Angelina sjarmerte musikk-legenden" [Angelina charmed the music legend]. VG.no. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Angelina Jordan Opening Concert for Quincy Jones". Angelina Jordan Fanclub Mosarz on YouTube. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  22. ^ Ekker, Bjørn (14 June 2019). "Norske Angelina Jordan (13) sang for Barack Obama". VG. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  23. ^ Aniftos, Rania (12 February 2020). "5 Things to Know About 'AGT: The Champions' Star Angelina Jordan". Billboard. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  24. ^ "10 Facts You Didn't Know About Angelina Jordan On @America's Got Talent Champions | What's Hot?". Talent Recap on YouTube. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  25. ^ Lifton, Dave (8 January 2020). "Queen Wowed by 13-Year-Old 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Singer". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  26. ^ "Bohemian Rhapsody". Angelina Jordan Official on YouTube. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  27. ^ "Angelina Jordan – Million Miles (Official Lyric Video)". Angelina Jordan Official on YouTube. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  28. ^ "Million Miles". Universal Music Group (through Angelina Jordan Official) on YouTube. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  29. ^ "Angelina Jordan – Million Miles (Live in Studio)". Angelina Jordan Official on YouTube. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  30. ^ "Angelina Jordan – Million Miles (Official Music Video)". Angelina Jordan Official on YouTube. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  31. ^ Ødegård, Stine Solli (3 May 2022). "Stjernespekket "Allsang på grensen" – disse artistene skal opptre" [Star-studded Allsang på grensen – these artists will perform] (in Norwegian). TV 2. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  32. ^ Reinhall, Lori Ann (6 July 2022). "Allsang på Grensen". The Norwegian American. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  33. ^ The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2022 | Live Stream, retrieved 10 March 2023
  34. ^ Brandvol, Ivar (18 February 2020). "Fra barnestjerne til superstjerne" [From child star to superstar]. VG.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  35. ^ "Høstens sminketrender". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  36. ^ Maaland, Borghild (28 March 2014). "Enorm interesse for sangtalentet" [Tremendous interest in singing talent]. VG.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  37. ^ "Titles and Tiaras: Paris's le Bal des Débutantes Dripped in Old Word Glamour". 27 November 2023.
  38. ^ "Angelina Jordan - Old Enough Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  39. ^ Driving Home For Christmas, retrieved 10 December 2023
  40. ^ "Media Forest – Weekly Charts" (Note: Select 'Songs – Songs'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.). Media Forest. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  41. ^ "Media Forest – Weekly Charts" (Note: Select 'Songs – TV'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.). Media Forest. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  42. ^ @RadiomonitorTR (15 December 2023). "Radiomonitor Türkiye Uluslararası Listesi Dinlenme Adedi bazında...!! 50. Hafta Top10" [Radiomonitor Turkey International Chart based on number of listens...!!! Week 50 Top10] (Tweet). Retrieved 24 August 2024 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ "I Put a Spell on You" at Discogs
  44. ^ "What a Difference a Day Makes" at Discogs
  45. ^ "Fly Me to the Moon (Acoustic)" at Discogs
  46. ^ "Back to Black by Angelina Jordan". Amazon. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  47. ^ "Back to Black – Single by Angelina Jordan". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  48. ^ "What is Life" at Discogs
  49. ^ "Shield" at Discogs
  50. ^ "Bohemian Rhapsody by Angelina Jordan". Amazon. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  51. ^ "Bohemian Rhapsody – Single by Angelina Jordan". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  52. ^ "Angelina Jordan – 7th Heaven (Official Video)". Angelina Jordan Official on YouTube. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  53. ^ "Angelina Jordan - Mercy (from The Hating Game Soundtrack)". Angelina Jordan Official on YouTube. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  54. ^ Angelina Jordan - Love Don't Let Me Go (Visualizer), retrieved 28 May 2023
  55. ^ Angelina Jordan - Our Time, retrieved 19 November 2023
  56. ^ "Above the Water" at Discogs
[edit]
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