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Bon or Bön^[1] (Tibetan: བོན་, Wylie: bon [pʰø̃̀(n)]) is a branch of Tibetan Vajrayana.

The history of Bon is difficult to clearly ascertain because the earliest surviving documents referring to the religion come from the 9th and 10th centuries, well after Buddhists began the suppression of indigenous beliefs and practices.^[2] Moreover, historian Per Kværne^[2] notes that "Bon" is used to describe three distinct traditions:

• the pre-Buddhist religious practices of Tibetans that are "imperfectly reconstructed [yet] essentially different from Buddhism" and were focused on the personage of a divine king;
• a syncretic religion that arose in Tibet during the 10th and 11th centuries, with strong shamanistic and animistic traditions, that is often regarded by scholars as "an unorthodox form of Buddhism;"
• "a vast and amorphous body of popular beliefs" including fortune telling.

However, other scholars do not accept the tradition that separates Bon from Buddhism; Christopher Beckwith calls Bon "one of the two types of Tibetan Buddhism"^[3] and writes that "despite continuing popular belief in the existence of a non-Buddhist religion known as Bon during the Tibetan Empire period, there is not a shred of evidence to support the idea... Although different in some respects from the other sects, it was already very definitely a form of Buddhism."^[4]

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, recognizes the Bon tradition as the sixth principal spiritual school of Tibet,^[5] along with the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, Gelug and Jonang schools of Buddhism, despite the long historical competition between the Bon tradition and Buddhism in Tibet.

The syllable -po or -pa is appended to a noun in Tibetan to designate a person who is from that place or performs that action; "Bonpo" thus means a follower of the Bon tradition, "Nyingmapa" a follower of the Nyingma tradition, and so on. (The feminine parallels are -mo and -ma, but these are not generally appended to the names of the Tibetan religious traditions.)^[6]

History[link]

Foundation[link]

Traditionally, Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche is believed to have established the Bon religion. He is traditionally held to have been born in the land of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring, considered an axis mundi, which is traditionally identified as Mount Yung-drung Gu-tzeg ("Edifice of Nine Sauvastikas"), possibly Mount Kailash, in western Tibet. Due to the sacredness of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring and the Mount Kailash, both the sauvastika and the number nine are of great significance and considered auspicious by the Bonpo as well as Hindus.

Competition with Buddhism[link]

After the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet during the 7th century, there was often fierce competition between the two traditions, especially during the reign of Langdarma. Over time, Bon has been losing influence and has been marginalized by the Tibetan political elite.

"A Cavern of Treasures" (mdzod phug)[link]

"A Cavern of Treasures" (Tibetan: མཛོད་ཕུག, Wylie: mdzod phug) is a Bonpo terma uncovered by 'Shenchen Luga' (Tibetan: གཤེན་ཆེན་ཀླུ་དགའ, Wylie: gshen chen klu dga') in the early 11th century.^[7] Martin^[8] identifies the importance of this scripture for studies of the Zhang-Zhung language:

For students of Tibetan culture in general, the mDzod phug is one of the most intriguing of all Bon scriptures, since it is the only lengthy bilingual work in Zhang-zhung and Tibetan. (Some of the shorter but still significant sources for Zhang-zhung are signalled in Orofino 1990.)^[9]

18th century[link]

The Dzungars invaded Tibet in 1717 and deposed and killed a pretender to the position of Dalai Lama who had been promoted by Lhabzang, the titular King of Tibet. This met with widespread approval. However, they soon began to loot the holy places of Lhasa which brought a swift response from Emperor Kangxi in 1718, but his military expedition was annihilated by the Dzungars not far from Lhasa.^[10][11]

Many Nyingmapas and Bonpos were executed and Tibetans visiting Dzungar officials were forced to stick their tongues out so the Dzungars could tell if the person recited constant mantras, which was said to make the tongue black or brown. This allowed them to pick the Nyingmapas and Bonpos, who recited many magic-mantras.^[12] A habit of sticking one's tongue out as a mark of respect on greeting someone has remained a Tibetan custom into modern times.^{[citation needed]}

19th century[link]

In the 19th century, Sharza Tashi Gyeltsen, a Bon master whose collected writings comprise eighteen volumes significantly rejuvenated the tradition. His disciple Kagya Khyungtrul Jigmey Namkha trained many practitioners to be learned in not only the Bon religion, but in all Tibetan schools. In modern times, Bon has encountered significant cultural loss.^{[clarification needed]} Lately, it has been rejuvenated by the terma tradition.

According to the Bonpo, eighteen enlightened entities will manifest in this æon and Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche, the founder of Bon, is considered the enlightened Buddha of this age (compare yuga and kalpa). The 33rd lineage holder of Menri Monastery, HH the Menri Trizin Lungtog Tenpei Nyima Rinpoche, and Lopön Tenzin Namdak are important current lineage holders of Bon.

More than three hundred Bon monasteries had been established in Tibet prior to Chinese annexation. Of these, Menri Monastery and Yungdrung Monastery were the two principal monastic universities for the study and practice of the Bon knowledge and science-arts.

Bon today[link]

A complex appreciation of Bon is emerging by scholars. Bon, prior to the Tibetan diaspora, existed within a web of ancient indigenous animism, Hinduism, sympathetic magic, Buddhism, folk religion, shamanism, Vajrayana, asceticism and mysticism; complexes prevalent throughout the Himalaya and intermingling throughout the Inner Asian region. Pegg (2006) relates that these

"[c]omplexes include mosaics of performing practices and discourses rather than discrete or fixed sets of practices or beliefs. They are syncretic and overlapping. The power of sound to communicate with spirits is recognized…" and a recurrent motif throughout the region.

Leading Bon scholar Per Kværne writes:^{[citation needed]}

Both Buddhists and Bonpos agree that when Buddhism succeeded in gaining royal patronage in Tibet in the eighth and ninth centuries, Bon suffered a serious setback. By the 11th century, however, an organized religious tradition, styling itself Bon and claiming continuity with the earlier, pre-Buddhist religion, appeared in central Tibet. It is this religion of Bon that has persisted to our own times, absorbing doctrines from the dominant Buddhist religion but always adapting what it learned to its own needs and perspectives. This is ...not just plagiarism, but a dynamic and flexible strategy that has ensured the survival, indeed the vitality, of a religious minority.

Purpose[link]

Among the important aims of Bon are cultivating heartmind. This is to purify and silence the noise of the mindstream within the bodymind, and so reveal rigpa — a transcendent natural bodymind. In rigpa, the obscurations of dualism and dukkha no longer entrance the Bonpo and sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya are aligned in a sympathetic resonance.^{[citation needed]}

Geography[link]

The Bonpa monastery of Narshi Gonpa at Ngawa, Sichuan Province, China.

Ethnic Tibet is not confined culturally to modern political Tibet. The broader area of ethnic Tibet also includes to the east, parts of the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan; to the west, the Indian regions of Ladakh, Lahul and Spiti and the Baltistan region of Pakistan; to the south, Bhutan, Sikkim, parts of northern Nepal, the Mustang, Dolpo, Sherpa and Tamang regions of eastern Nepal and the extreme north-west of Assam.

The altitude and vastness of the Tibetan Region is striking landscape uncompromisingly dominated by mountains and sky, where the starkness of the human condition relentlessly tests the mettle of its peoples. The lofty Tibetan Plateau and Geography of Tibet has had a profound effect on the Bonpo and the shaping of Vajrayana in general.^{[citation needed]} Many of the local deities (jiktenpa) pre-dating the arrival of Buddhism, were co-opted and made 'protectors' of the Vajrayana^{[citation needed]} and various teachings.

Gods of home and hearth[link]

Bonpos cultivate household gods in addition to other deities:

Traditionally in Tibet divine presences or deities would be incorporated into the very construction of the house making it in effect a castle (dzongka) against the malevolent forces outside it. The average Tibetan house would have a number of houses or seats (poe-khang) for the male god (pho-lha) that protects the house. Everyday [sic] the man of the house would invoke this god and burn juniper wood and leaves to placate him. In addition the woman of the house would also have a protecting deity (phuk-lha) whose seat could be found within the kitchen usually at the top of the pole that supported the roof.^[13]

Historical phases[link]

According to the Bonpos themselves,^[14] the Bon religion has actually gone through three distinct phases: Animistic Bon, Yungdrung or Eternal Bon, and New Bon.

Animistic Bon[link]

The first phase of Bon was grounded in animistic and shamanistic practices and corresponds to the general characterization of Bon as described by western scholars.

Initiation rituals and rites closely correlate to the indigenous shamanic traditions of Siberia. Many Bonpo shamans were members of a clan-guild. Shamans were of either gender. A shamanic aspirant was often visited and possessed by an ancestral shaman and/or one or more of any number of entities such as gods, elementals, dæmons, and spirits. The possession typically resulted in a divine madness and a temporary retreat into the wilderness, where the shaman lived like an animal and experienced visions of his own death at the hands of spirits.

After the newly possessed shaman returned, they were taught by senior practitioners and members of the clan-guild how to exert power over the spirits that visited them, as well as incantation of mantra.^[15]

Yungdrung Bon[link]

The religion's second era is a contentious phase. It rests on the assertions of the Bonpo texts and traditions, which are extensive and only now being analyzed in the West.

These texts assert that Yungdrung Bon was founded by the Buddha Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche. He discovered the methods of attaining enlightenment and is considered to be a figure analogous to Gautama Buddha. He was said to have lived 18,000 years ago in the land of Olmo Lung Ring, part of the land of Tagzig (see Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring), to the west of present day Tibet (which some scholars identify with the Persian Tajik).

According to Buddhist legend, prior to the manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha there were numerous other historical Buddhas. Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche transmitted the lore, which was similar in many regards to Buddhism, to the people of Zhangzhung of western Tibet. They had previously been practicing animistic Bon, thus establishing Yungdrung ("eternal") Bon.

Abbot of a Bon Monastery in Nepal - Lopön Tenzin Namdak

One proposition, countered by most Himalayan scholars,^[16] is that Buddhism may have arrived in Tibet by a path other than directly from northwest India. A transmission through Persia prior to the 7th century is not improbable as Alexander the Great had connected Greece with India almost a millennium earlier, resulting in a flourishing Greco-Buddhist culture in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Additionally, the 6th century Khosrau I of Persia is known to have ordered the translation of the Buddhist jataka tales into the Persian language. The Silk Road, the path by which Buddhism traveled to China in 67 CE., lies entirely to the west of Tibet and passed through the Persian city of Hamadan. Buddhist structures discovered in far western Tibet have been dated to the 3rd century CE.^{[citation needed]} Bonpo stupas have also been discovered as far west as Afghanistan.

Nonetheless, no scholars have yet identified a major center of Buddhist learning in Persia which corresponds to the Bonpos' land of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring. Alternative proposed sites^{[citation needed]} have included the ancient cities of Merv, Khotan or Balkh, all of which had thriving Buddhist communities active in the correct timeframe and are located to the west of Tibet.

The existence of the Zhangzhung culture is supported by many lines of evidence, including the existence of a remnant of living Zhangzhung speakers still found in Himachal Pradesh. The claim that Lord Shenrab was born 180 centuries ago is generally not taken literally,^[16] but is rather understood as an allusion to a master born in the very distant past.

The elements in Bon that strongly resemble Buddhism became apparent with the codification of the yungdrung Bon canon by the first abbot of Menri Monastery, Nyame Sherab Gyaltsen in the 14th century, but a trend towards this probably began earlier. At the same time, the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya orders of Buddhism were also reorganizing themselves in order to be able to compete effectively with the dominant Gelug order.

Some other events in Tibetan history may mark points at which Buddhist ideas became integrated into Bon.

• In the first half of the 7th century, the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo assassinated King Ligmicha of the Zhangzhung and annexed the Zhangzhung kingdom. The same Songtsen Gampo was also the first Tibetan king to marry a Buddhist (or, in his case, two): in 632, Nepalese princess Bhrikuti, and in 641, Princess Wencheng, daughter of Emperor Tang Taizong of the Tang Dynasty of China where Buddhism was approaching its zenith. The Jokhang Temple, the first Buddhist temple in Tibet, was built in the 7th century to house a Buddhist statue brought by princess Wencheng and to celebrate the marriage.

• Approximately 130 years later, King Trisong Detsen (742-797) held a debate contest between Bon priests and Buddhists, and decided to convert to Buddhism; in 779, he invited the great Indian saint Padmasambhava to bring Tantric Buddhism to Tibet. According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the arrival of Padmasambhava represents the first transmission of the faith. Tantric Buddhism became important in Tibet at this point.

• As tantric Buddhism became the state religion of Tibet, Bon faced persecution, forcing Bonpo masters such as Drenpa Namkha underground. It is possible, however, that several decades later, with the collapse of the Tibetan Empire into civil war in 842, Bon may have experienced a partial revival in some districts, especially in western Tibet.

• In the 11th century, approximately coincident with the second transmission of tantric Buddhism into Tibet associated with Indian saints such as Atisha and Naropa, we start to find more Bonpo texts, discovered as terma.

New Bon[link]

The "New Bon" phase began in the 14th century, when some Bon teachers discovered termas related to Padmasambhava. New Bon is primarily practiced in the eastern regions of Amdo and Kham. Although the practices of New Bon vary to some extent from Yungdrung Bon, the practitioners of New Bon still honor the Abbot of Menri Monastery as the leader of their tradition.

Present situation[link]

According to a recent Chinese census^[when?], an estimated 10 percent of Tibetans follow Bon. At the time of the communist takeover in Tibet, there were approximately 300 Bon monasteries in Tibet and the rest of western China. According to a recent^[when?] survey, there are 264 active Bon monasteries, convents, and hermitages.

The present spiritual head of the Bon is Lungtok Tenpa'i Nyima (b. 1929), the thirty-third Abbot of Menri Monastery (destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, but now rebuilt), who now presides over Pal Shen-ten Menri Ling in Dolanji in Himachal Pradesh, India, for the abbacy of which monastery he was selected in 1969.

A number of Bon establishments also exist in Nepal; Triten Norbutse Bonpo Monastery is one on the western outskirts of Kathmandu. Bon's leading monastery is the Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India (Himachal Pradesh).

Much Bon elements are in the Hangui (韩规) religion of Pumi people.^[17]

A Taiwan Fengshui master Linyin (林雲) found the Black Sect Tantric Buddhism (密宗黑教) Syncretic Bon with Taoist beliefs.

Recognition[link]

Lobsang Yeshe, recognised as the fifth Panchen Lama by the fifth Dalai Lama Lozang Gyatso, was a member of the Dru family, an important family of the Bon religion. Under Lozang Gyatso Bon became respected both philosophically and politically.^[18] However, the Bonpo remained stigmatised and marginalised until 1977, when they sent representatives to Dharamsala and Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, who advised the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies, to accept Bon members.

Since then, Bon has had official recognition of its status as a religious group, with the same rights as the Buddhist schools. This was re-stated in 1987 by the Dalai Lama, who also forbade discrimination against the Bonpos, stating that it was both undemocratic and self-defeating. He even donned Bon ritual paraphernalia, emphasizing "the religious equality of the Bon faith."^[19]

However, Tibetans still differentiate between Bon and Buddhism, referring to members of the Nyingma, Shakya, Kagyu and Gelug schools as nangpa, meaning "insiders," but to practitioners of Bon as "Bonpo," or even chipa ("outsiders").^[20][21]

Spiritual practices[link]

Bon, while now very similar to schools of Tibetan Buddhism, may be distinguished by certain characteristics:

1. The origin of the Bonpo lineage is traced to Buddha Tönpa Shenrab (sTon-pa gShen-rab), rather than to Buddha Shakyamuni.
2. Bonpos circumambulate chortens or other venerated structures counter-clockwise (i.e., with the left shoulder toward the object), rather than clockwise (as Buddhists do).
3. Bonpos use the yungdrung (g.yung-drung or sauvastika) instead of the dorje (rdo-rje, vajra) as a symbol and ritual implement.
4. Instead of a bell, in their rituals Bonpos use the shang, a cymbal-like instrument with a "clapper" usually made of animal horn.
5. A nine-way path is described in Bon. It is distinct from the nine-yana (-vehicle) system of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Bonpos consider Bon to be a superset of Buddhist paths. (The Bonpos divide their teachings in a mostly familiar way: a Causal Vehicle, Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen).
6. The Bonpo textual canon includes rites to pacify spirits, influence the weather, heal people through spiritual means and other shamanic practices. While many of these practices are also common in some form to Tibetan Buddhism (and mark a distinction between Tibetan and other forms of Buddhism), they are actually included within the recognized Bon canon (under the causal vehicle), rather than in Buddhist texts.
7. Bonpos have some sacred texts, of neither Sanskrit nor Tibetan origin, which include some sections written in the ancient Zhangzhung language.
8. The Bonpo mythic universe includes the Mountain of Nine sauvastikas and the Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring paradise.

The Bonpo school is said by some to now resemble most closely the Nyingma school, the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism, which traces its lineage to the first transmission of Buddhism into Tibet, while other researchers say many practices of Bonpos resemble folk Taoism.^{[citation needed]} Svabhava (Sanskrit; Wylie: rang bzhin) is very important in the nontheistic theology of the Bonpo Dzogchen 'Great Perfection' tradition where it is part of a technical language to render macrocosm and microcosm into nonduality.^[22]

Elements[link]

In Bon, the five elemental processes of earth, water, fire, air and space are the essential elements of all existent phenomena or skandhas (aggregates) the most subtle enumeration of which are known as the five pure lights. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche states:^[23]

[P]hysical properties are assigned to the elements: earth is solidity; water is cohesion; fire is temperature; air is motion; and space is the spatial dimension that accommodates the other four active elements. In addition, the elements are correlated to different emotions, temperaments, directions, colors, tastes, body types, illnesses, thinking styles, and character. From the five elements arise the five senses and the five fields of sensual experience; the five negative emotions and the five wisdoms; and the five extensions of the body. They are the five primary pranas or vital energies. They are the constituents of every physical, sensual, mental, and spiritual phenomenon.

The names of the elements are analogous to categorised experiential sensations of the natural world. The names are symbolic and key to their inherent qualities and/or modes of action by analogy. In Bon, the elemental processes are fundamental metaphors for working with external, internal and secret energetic forces. All five elemental processes in their essential purity are inherent in the mindstream and link the trikaya and are aspects of primordial energy.

Reality and chakras[link]

Chakras, as pranic centers of the body, according to the Tibetan Bon tradition, influence the quality of experience, because movement of prana can not be separated from experience. Each of the six major chakras is linked to experiential qualities of one of the six realms of existence.

A modern teacher, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche uses a computer analogy: main chakras are like hard drives. Each hard drive has many files. One of the files is always open in each of the chakras, no matter how "closed" that particular chakra may be. What is displayed by the file shapes experience.

The tsa lung practices such as those embodied in Trul Khor lineages open channels so that lung (prana or qi) may move without obstruction. A yogi opens chakras and evokes positive qualities associated with a particular chakra. In the computer analogy, the screen is cleared and a file is called up that contains positive, supportive qualities. A seed syllable (Sanskrit: bija) is used both as a password that evokes the positive quality and the armor that sustains the quality.^[24]

Tantric practice eventually transforms all experience into bliss.^[tone] The practice liberates from negative conditioning and leads to control over perception and cognition.^[24]

See also[link]

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

• Karmey, Samten G. (1975). A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon. Memoirs of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko, No. 33, pp. 171–218. Tokyo.

Further reading[link]

• Allen, Charles. (1999). The Search for Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan History. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London. 2000. ISBN 0-349-11142-1.
• Baumer, Christopher, Bon: Tibet’s Ancient Religion, Ilford, Wisdom, 2002. ISBN 978-974-524-011-7.
• Bellezza, John Vincent. (2010). "gShen-rab Myi-bo, His life and times according to Tibet’s earliest literary sources." Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines Number 19 October 2010, pp. 31–118.
• Jinpa, Gelek, Ramble, Charles, & Dunham, V. Carroll, Sacred Landscape and Pilgrimage in Tibet: in Search of the Lost Kingdom of Bon, New York & London: Abbeville, 2005. ISBN 0-7892-0856-3
• Martin, Dean. (1999). "'Ol-mo-lung-ring, the Original Holy Place." In: Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places In Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays. (1999) Edited by Toni Huber, pp. 125–153. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. ISBN 81-86470-22-0.
• Norbu, Namkhai. 1995. Drung, Deu and Bön: Narrations, Symbolic languages and the Bön tradition in ancient Tibet. Translated from Tibetan into Italian edited and annotated by Adriano Clemente. Translated from Italian into English by Andrew Lukianowicz. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. ISBN 81-85102-93-7.
• Pegg, Carole (2006). Inner Asia Religious Contexts: Folk-religious Practices, Shamanism, Tantric Buddhist Practices. Oxford University Press.
• Samuel, Geoffrey (1993). Civilised Shamans. Smithsonian Institution Press.
• http://www.sharpham-trust.org/centre/Tibetan_unit_01.pdf (accessed: Thursday January 18, 2007)
• Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (2002). Healing with Form, Energy, and Light. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-176-6
• Günther, Herbert V. (1996). The Teachings of Padmasambhava. Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill. Hardcover.
• Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen. (2002). Heart drops of Dharmakaya: Dzogchen practice of the Bon tradition (Lonpon Tenzin Namdak, Trans) (2nd ed). Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion.
• Rossi, D. (1999). The philosophical view of the great perfection in the Tibetan Bon religion. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion.

External links[link]

• PBS Secrets of Shangri-La: Quest for Sacred Caves (premiered November 18, 2009)
• Ligmincha Institute
• Bon Foundation
• Tibetan Bon Tradition in Belarus and Ukraine (English language)
• Yungdrung Bön
• Picture of Bon inscription
• John Reynolds' web site, including his Bonpo translation project
• Na-xi and other Hos / Bon religious texts
• History of Buddhism and Bon in Tibet (by Dr. Alexander Berzin)

Peter Jöback
Peter Jöback during Stockholm Pride 2007
Background information
Birth name	Peter Arne Jöback
Born	(1971-06-04) June 4, 1971 (age 41) Stockholm, Sweden
Origin	Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	Pop, Musical theatre
Occupations	Singer, musical artist, actor, songwriter, pianist, guitarist
Instruments	Voice, piano, guitar
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Roxy Recordings
Website	Official web site

Peter Arne Jöback (born June 4, 1971 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish singer and musical artist, and is regarded as being one of Sweden's best male vocalists^{[citation needed]}.

Biography[link]

1997–2000[link]

Cameron Mackintosh discovered Peter Jöback’s talent and offered him the lead as Chris in Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London’s West End in 1997. Three years later at the same theatre, Jöback created the role of Michael in Macintosh’s original production of The Witches of Eastwick.

Peter Jöback got his big break through his collaboration with ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. In their musical Kristina från Duvemåla (The Emigrants) at Malmö Opera and Music Theatre, Jöback created the role of Robert and his theme song, “Guldet blev till sand”, broke every record in the Swedish charts. The musical was seen by over one million Swedes and the original cast CD-box became a triple-platinum album and received several Swedish Grammy awards. Jöback received his first Golden Mask for his role as Robert.

2000–2005[link]

His many stage performances and albums have been met with critical acclaim^{[citation needed]}. Jöback’s very personal Christmas album, which was released in 2002 is regarded as “The Ultimate Christmas album of all times…”^{[citation needed]} On this album Jöback teamed up with Norwegian singer Ms Sissel Kyrkjebö in a duet of the Irish folk song “Be thou my vision” in a Swedish translation. The duo have since been frequent guests at each other’s concerts.

In 2004 Jöback collaborated with the internationally renowned Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nick Davies in a project called Storybook where he performed classic songs in brand new arrangements. GSO and Jöback released a CD which became a Gold Disc and also performed two concerts in the Globe Arena and Scandinavium Arena in Sweden. The album also brought Jöback to a superstar status in Norway. His first solo tour there in 2005 was a success both with audience and media.

2006–2009[link]

During 2006–2007 Peter Jöback starred as the MC in a production of Cabaret in Stockholm and Gothenburg. He received critical praise as well as his second Golden Mask Tony Award. He already in 2003 performed as the MC at Gladsaxe Theatre in Copenhagen.

Jöback ended 2008 with a sold-out Christmas tour in arenas in Scandinavia following the release of a new 4x platinum-selling Christmas album. In 2007 he also toured Scandinavia with his platinum-selling studio album with original songs co-written by himself. In January 2009 Jöback moved to New York to get new inspiration and make new acquaintances. This has resulted in an album entitled East Side Stories, recorded in Woodstock, featuring prominent guests such as Kate Pierson from the The B52's, Sia Furler, Gail Ann Dorsey and the group Betty.

2010–present[link]

Peter Jöback entered Melodifestivalen 2010 the Swedish Pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010) he received a wildcard from SVT. His song, "Hollow", reached the final of the competition, ultimately finishing in 9th position. In 2012 Jöback starred as the Phantom in the London production of The Phantom of the Opera.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2011: Livet, kärleken och döden - La vie, l'amour, la mort
• 2010: En kväll med Peter Jöback (Live Album)
• 2009: East Side stories
• 2008: Himlen är inget tak (A live CD with Eva Dahlgren)
• 2007: Människor som du och jag
• 2006: Flera sidor av samma man (double CD compilation)
• 2004: Storybook
• 2004: Det här är platsen
• 2003: Jag kommer hem igen till jul (new version with extra song)
• 2002: Jag kommer hem igen till jul
• 2002: I Feel Good And I'm Worth It
• 2000: Only When I Breathe
• 1997: Personliga val
• 1993: Peter Jöback

Singles[link]

• 2011: "Jag kommer hem igen till jul"
• 2009: "Sing", with Kate Pierson
• 2008: "Himlen är inget tak", with Eva Dahlgren
• 2007: "Han är med mig nu", featuring Annika Norlin [Säkert]
• 2007: "Stockholm i natt"
• 2007: "Italy vs Helsinki", together with the band Laakso
• 2007: "Jag står för allt jag gjort"
• 2006: "Jag blundar i solens sken"
• 2004: "Sommarens sista sång"
• 2004: "Du har förlorat mer än jag"
• 2003: "Gå inte förbi", duet with Sissel Kyrkjebø
• 2002: "She's Like A Butterfly"
• 2002: "Sinner"
• 2001: "Under My Skin"
• 2000: "Tonight"
• 2000: "Higher"
• 1999: "Hon ser inte mig"
• 1998: "Vem ser ett barn"
• 1997: "En sång om oss"
• 1996: "Guldet blev till sand"
• 1993: "Nu när jag funnit dig"
• 1993: "Det ingen annan vet"
• 1993: "Du är min längtan"
• 1992: "More Than A Game"
• 1991: "This Time"
• 1990: "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)"
• 1990: "En sensation"

Cast recordings/soundtracks[link]

• 2007: Cabaret
• 2000: The Witches Of Eastwick
• 1999: 16 Favoriter ur Kristina från Duvemåla
• 1996: Kristina från Duvemåla
• 1994: Aladdin Jafars Återkomst
• 1993: Fame - The Musical
• 1993: Aladdin
• 1992: Rockmusikalen Grease

Musicals and other shows[link]

• 2012: The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty's Theatre, London
• 2009: En Julkonsert
• 2008: En Julkonsert
• 2007: Cabaret, in Gothenburg
• 2006: Cabaret, in Stockholm
• 2005: Rhapsody in rock, Sweden tour
• 2005: Concert tour in Norway
• 2003: Cabaret, in Copenhagen
• 2000: Stuart Little
• 2000: The Witches of Eastwick, in London
• 1999: Där Regnbågen Slutar
• 1998: Jesus Christ Superstar
• 1998: Personliga Val - Live
• 1998: Peter Jöback Show
• 1997: Miss Saigon, in London
• 1997: Peter Jöback - A Musical Voyage
• 1995-98: Kristina Från Duvemåla
• 1994-95: Musical Express 1 & 2
• 1994: Djungelboken
• 1993-94: Fame
• 1993: Aladdin
• 1991-92: Grease
• 1990: West Side Story
• 1990: Melodifestivalen
• 1988: Här & Nu
• 1984-85: Kavallerijungfrun
• 1983-84: Snövit (Snow white)
• 1982-84: Sound Of Music
• 1982-83: Mio Min Mio

External links[link]

• Peter Jöback's official site (English and Swedish)
• Official myspace (English)
• Unofficial site (English)
• Label official site (Swedish)
• Management official site (Swedish)

Sarah Dawn Finer
Finer at the Melodifestivalen 2009.
Background information
Born	(1981-09-14) 14 September 1981 (age 30)
Origin	Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	Soul, pop
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Labels	Roxy
Website	Official website

Sarah Dawn Finer, born 14 September 1981 in Stockholm, Sweden, is a singer, songwriter and actress. Her father is from the United Kingdom (London), and her mother from USA (New York), but she is born and raised in Sweden. Dawn is her middle name, and Finer her surname.

Solo music career[link]

Finer's first EP "Sarah Dawn Finer" with 6 songs, was released in 2006. Her first full-length debut album A Finer Dawn, released 30 May 2007, debuted at number two on the Swedish album charts.

Her next album Moving On was released on 26 August 2009. The album included the title single "Moving On" and "Does She Know You?".The album Moving On debut #1 on iTunes in its digital release on 17 August 2009. The CD version was released on 26 August 2009, debuting at number one in the Swedish Charts. Her next album "Winterland" also sold gold and debuted no 2 on the Swedish charts.

She has recorded duets with Moneybrother, Peter Jöback, Fatboy, Samuel Ljungbladh and Patrik Isaksson.

Melodifestivalen participations[link]

• Finer entered Melodifestivalen 2007 with the ballad "I Remember Love", which she co-wrote with Peter Hallström. The song qualified to the final in Globen, Stockholm from the semi final in Gävle. In the final, the song placed fourth and became a big chart success in Sweden (Moste played song on Swedish Radio 2007), as well as sold gold.^[1]
• She competed once again in Melodifestivalen 2009 for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. Her song "Moving On" qualified to the final through the Andra Chansen round at Norrköping, placed 6th in the Final in Globen. Finer instead got the opportunity to present the Swedish votes in the Eurovision final on 16 May as a spokesperson. Her single "Moving On" reached #3 on the Swedish single charts. The single has also been released with remixes and an acoustic version and was the most played song on Swedish Radio 2009.

Finer hosted Melodifestivalen 2012 along with Helena Bergström and Gina Dirawi. In a sketch recorded for the finale, Finer played "Lynda Woodruff", an EBU spokeswoman who speaks with an Estuary-like dialect and can't pronounce Azerbaijan. She reprised her role for a European audience when delivering Sweden's vote in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2007: A Finer Dawn - #2 SWE
• 2009: Moving On - #1 SWE
• 2010: Winterland - #2 SWE

EPs[link]

• 2005: Sarah Dawn Finer

Singles[link]

• 2007: I Remember Love
• 2007: A Way Back To Love
• 2007: Stockholm By Morning

2008 "Du som tog mitt hjärta"

• 2008: Does She Know You
• 2009: Moving On
• 2009: Standing Strong
• 2010: Kärleksvisan
• 2010: I'll Be Your Wish Tonight

2011: "Is Anybody There"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sarah Finer Official Website
• Sarah Finer MySpace

Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel in 2011
Background information
Also known as	Sissel
Born	(1969-06-24) 24 June 1969 (age 43)
Origin	Bergen, Norway
Genres	Pop, Folk, Classical music, Operatic pop
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Denon, Universal
Website	www.sissel.net

Sissel Kyrkjebø (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈsɪsəl ˈçʏʁçəˌbʷøː], /ˈsisel ˈçyrçeˌbø/; born 24 June 1969 in Bergen), also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.

Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias. She possesses a "crystalline" voice^[1] and wide vocal range, sweeping down from mezzo-soprano notes, in arias such as Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix from Saint-Saëns's opera Samson et Dalila, to the F natural above soprano C.^[2] She sings mainly in English and Norwegian, and has also sung songs in Swedish, Danish, Irish, Italian, French, Russian, Icelandic, Faeroese, German, Neapolitan, Māori, Japanese and Latin.

She is well known for singing the Olympic Hymn (Hymne Olympique) at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway; for duets with Plácido Domingo, Charles Aznavour, José Carreras, Neil Sedaka, Warren G, Brian May, Bryn Terfel, Josh Groban, Diana Krall, Russell Watson and The Chieftains; and her participation on the Titanic film soundtrack.

Sissel received her first U.S. Grammy nominations on December 6, 2007 for a collaboration with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Spirit of the Season, a collection of songs from the choir’s 2006 Christmas concert featuring Sissel and the Orchestra at Temple Square, was nominated for the Best Classical Crossover Album of the Year, as well as Best Engineered Classical Album.^[3]

Sissel's combined solo record sales (not including soundtracks and other albums to which she contributed) amount to 10 million albums sold, most of them in Norway, a country with 4.7 million people. Her albums have also sold well in Sweden, Denmark and Japan. Together with Odd Nordstoga, they are the only Norwegian artists to have an album go 11 times platinum in album sales for Strålande jul" (Glorious Christmas).^[4]

The first name 'Sissel' is a Norwegian variant of 'Cecilia'.^[5] This is a popular first name from Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of church music.^[6][7]

Biography[link]

When Sissel was nine, she sang in a children's choir, under the direction of New Zealand-born conductor Felicity Laurence. Sissel stayed with the choir for seven years. She said, "That was my musical education. We sang everything: classical and jazz, folk and even Māori songs. People said we sounded like an angel choir because we had this very clean pure sound, almost like an English boys’ choir." ^[8] Sissel won her first local talent competition when she was ten.^[9] She was influenced by various musical genres; her parents were interested in country music and classical music, and her brothers' interest in rock also influenced her. Later, Sissel said Barbra Streisand and Kate Bush were inspirations.

In 1983, she appeared for the first time on Norwegian TV with the song Evergreen in the children's program Halvsju.^[10] In 1984 Sissel appeared in the sing-along program Syng med Oss ('Sing with us') together with a children's choir. The first Norwegian song she sang with this choir was the Norwegian folk tune Ung Åslaug.

Sissel sang solo on TV several times in 1984. She also appeared in several TV programs, and met Rune Larsen, who later became her first manager.

1986–1994: Rise to prominence in Norway[link]

In May 1986, Sissel performed during the intermission of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Grieg Hall in her home town of Bergen.^[11] That same year, her first album, Sissel, was released and sold more than 500,000 copies, making it the best selling album in Norway at that time.^[12]

In 1987, her Christmas album Glade Jul was released. It contained several traditional Christmas carols and it broke her previous record for best-selling album in Norway. This album still holds the record. Upon its release, it sold more than 600,000 copies in a country with a population of less than five million: to date, it has sold approximately 1 million copies.^[13][14] In Sweden, a Swedish language version was released, called Stilla Natt. That year Sissel was invited to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, but she declined.

In the fall of 1988, Sissel moved to Oslo for a short period to play the role of Maria von Trapp in the Norwegian version of The Sound of Music. This production set box office records and was seen by over 110,000 people.

Sissel recorded the singing parts of the character Princess Ariel for the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish versions of the 1989 Disney movie The Little Mermaid, and was the speaking role of Ariel in the Norwegian and Swedish versions.

In 1989, she released her third album, Soria Moria, and on a Swedish TV-concert taped in Göteborg she met the man whom she would later marry, Danish comedian and singer Eddie Skoller. They sang "Vårvise" by Sebastian. The couple were engaged during the Christmas season of 1991 and married in Mariakirken in Bergen on 21 August 1993. This was a big event in Norway that year. They had two daughters, Ingrid and Sarah, before they divorced in 2004.^[15]

In February 1994, Sissel performed during the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.^[16] During the Olympics, legendary Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo visited Norway, where he came across one of her earlier albums. He contacted Sissel and the next day they recorded Fire In Your Heart, an English version of Se ilden lyse, the official theme song of the Lillehammer Olympics. These two versions of the song were released in February 1994 on Sissel's solo album Innerst i sjelen (Deep Within My Soul), a collection of Nordic folk songs. Domingo invited Sissel, along with world-renowned French singer Charles Aznavour, to partake in his annual Christmas in Vienna concert later that year. The concert was broadcast around the world and released as an album internationally.^[17]

1995–2001: Climb to international recognition[link]

In 1995, Sissel was invited to perform at the annual Royal Variety Show in London. There she performed the renowned aria O Mio Babbino Caro from the opera Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini and the Norwegian classic Vitae Lux with the choir Gli Scapoli.

In 1997, Sissel toured the USA with the Irish group The Chieftains. They appeared, among other places, on the Late Show with David Letterman and in Carnegie Hall.

Later that summer Sissel was involved in recording the soundtrack to the film Titanic. The soundtrack reached #1 on the Billboard charts and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. James Horner, the composer of the film's music, knew Sissel from her album Innerst I Sjelen and he particularly liked how she sang Eg veit i himmerik ei borg (I Know in Heaven There Is a Castle). Horner had tried 25 or 30 singers before deciding on Sissel.^[18]

Sissel had a #1 hit across Europe in 1998 with Prince Igor, a duet with an American rapper Warren G on the concept album The Rapsody Overture which combined American rappers with European opera singers. Sissel sang an aria from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor during the chorus, while Warren G rapped. When the song was recorded, Sissel had just a half-hour to learn the Russian lyrics and she got help from a Russian, who drove a cab in New York City: the driver's name, coincidentally, was Igor.^[18]

In 1999, she sang the Gaelic song Siúil a Rún on The Chieftains' 1999 album Tears of Stone.

In November 2000, Sissel released (in Norway only) her album, All Good Things, which was her first solo album in nearly seven years. Following high sales, the album was released throughout Europe and Asia the following year. The album included the duet "Where the Lost Ones Go" with fellow Norwegian singer Espen Lind, which was also released on his album This is Pop Music in 2001.

In December 2000, she was invited to represent Norway at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, where she sang "One Day" and "Weightless", both songs from All Good Things. She was introduced by Jane Seymour as "the Norwegian star Sissel."^[19]

In 2000, Sissel also released a greatest hits collection in Japan that included two new songs from the Japanese TV show Summer Snow, one of which was the show's theme song. Sissel is enormously popular in Japan and has released several Japanese versions of her albums there.

In 2001, she was asked to sing a duet with the Danish goth rockers Sort Sol. Sissel sang with them on the track "Elia Rising" from their album Snakecharmer, released in May 2001. They also performed together at the Roskilde Festival that year.

2002 to present: Global stardom[link]

On 1 October 2002, Sissel released her first album in the USA: it sold over 100,000 copies in its first three months of release with almost no advertising or marketing.^[20] The album sold better than Decca record executives expected, their initial goal having been to sell 100,000 copies in the first nine months. The album, titled Sissel, was largely a re-recording of songs from her Norwegian album, All Good Things, with the addition of two songs, "Solitaire" and "Shenandoah".

On 24 May 2002, dressed in traditional Norwegian costume, Sissel performed her hit "Lær meg å kjenne" at the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn.

In late 2002, one of Sissel's concerts was filmed at the Oslo Spectrum and later broadcast in March 2003 on PBS in the United States. The British Singer Russell Watson was one of her guests. The production was subsequently released as the DVD Sissel in Concert.

In December 2002, Sissel was again invited to represent Norway at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, for which she sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz and "The Prayer" in a duet with Josh Groban.^[21]

Sissel released her second USA album, My Heart, in March 2004. It was a classical crossover album and included two pop songs written by Richard Marx and one ballad, "Wait A While", written by Jon Lord of Deep Purple. "My Heart" reached #3 on the Billboard Classical Album Chart after debuting at #7 and spent 31 weeks on the chart.^[22]

In the summer and fall of 2004, Sissel went on tour with The Lord of the Rings Symphony.^[23] She was a featured soloist for an orchestral performance dedicated to the music from the The Lord of the Rings films. At each performance, Sissel performed with a symphony orchestra and choirs with 200 musicians on stage. Howard Shore stated, "Ancient Norwegian mythology and culture had a great influence on Tolkien's work. It is very thrilling to have the Norwegian singer Sissel perform as a soloist in The Lord of the Rings Symphony. Sissel's radiant voice illuminates this work." When asked about the tour in an interview, Sissel raved, "I love the music. It's such a wonderful feeling to be sitting in the middle of a symphony orchestra, surrounded by the beautiful voices of the choir and all those gorgeous melodies."

In May 2005, Sissel performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City, Utah, on their radio and TV broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word, which is featured on nearly 2,000 stations across the USA and around the world. Sissel joined the choir to commemorate the Centennial of Norwegian Independence from Sweden, which was being celebrated that year. Sissel sang the ABBA song "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room," "Vitae Lux," the traditional Norwegian hymn "Herre gud, ditt dyre navn og ære," and the Norwegian national anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (Yes, we love this country!), with the choir.

In October 2005, Sissel was invited to perform on the well-known temple-concert, Ninna-ji Otobutai, in Osaka, Japan.^[24] She sang "Pie Jesu", "Sancta Maria" (intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni's opera Cavalleria Rusticana), "You Raise Me Up", and several other songs. This concert was aired on television in Japan.

In December 2006, Sissel again joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as the featured soloist for their annual Christmas concerts. In four performances, she sang for more than 80,000 people in the 21,000-seat Conference Center in Salt Lake City. The concerts were videotaped for PBS television and aired in December 2007.

Sissel celebrated more than 20 years in the music industry with the release of a greatest hits album presenting 40 of her best and most well-known songs.

In March 2007, a statistically representative sample of the Norwegian population chose her as the best female Norwegian musical artist in competition with 15 other big names, including Lene Marlin, Wenche Myhre, Kari Bremnes, and Bertine Zetlitz. In the summer of 2007, Sissel toured Norway, Sweden, France, and the USA with a band. According to Sissel, this is a new concert format for her, without a choir.

For the 2007 holiday season, PBS stations aired two concerts starring Sissel as part of the December pledge drive, one with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir titled Spirit of the Season, released on CD and DVD in late September 2007, the other with operatic legend and good friend José Carreras titled Northern Lights, released on CD and DVD in early November 2007. The albums of these concerts have proven to be extremely popular, with Northern Lights reaching #10 in the Billboard Classical Crossover list,^[25] and Spirit of the Season staying firmly planted at #1 on the Billboard Classical charts^[26] for nine consecutive weeks.^[27]

The album Northern Lights is a live recording of a concert at Bergstadens Ziir ("Jewel of the mountain town" in German), a church from the 17th Century in Røros, Norway (a 17th-Century Germany mining town). It was inspired by Norway’s winter, the Blue Hour, and the mystical Northern Lights. The concert featured the tenor José Carreras and music arranged by Kjetil Bjerkestrand. The musicians sharing the stage with Sissel were the Trondheim Soloists, the Nidaros Cathedral Girls Choir, and Sissel’s own band.^[8]

Sissel conducted an eight-city U.S. tour in February 2008, singing selections from Northern Lights.^[28] A second leg of the tour covered more cities in the central and southern United States and lasted through April.^[28]

On 9 November 2009, Sissel released a new Christmas album called Strålande Jul (Glorious Christmas), a project with Odd Nordstoga, another popular Norwegian singer. This album presents mostly lesser-known Christmas carols from Scandinavia. Sissel toured in both Norway and Sweden with Odd Nordstoga, The Real Group, Orsa Spelmänn, and Krister Henrikson. This album and their sold-out Christmas concerts received much critical acclaim in Norway and Sweden. The record company Universal Music anticipated sales of about 100,000 CDs, but ultimately sold more than 400,000 in Norway in the first two months.^[29]

In May 2010, Sissel visited China with Trondheimsolistene.

On 20 September 2010, an unauthorized biography of Sissel, named Sissel, by Stig Nilsson, was released in Norway. Nilsson had written several songs for Sissel earlier in her career. In the book, Nilsson claims—among other things—that Sissel never became a worldwide superstar because she did not want to be. The book has only been released in Norwegian.^[30]

On 15 November 2010, Sissel released a new album in Scandinavia called Til deg (For You), recorded in ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Nidaros Studios in Trondheim, and in Nashville. This album shows a new direction in music and is heavily influenced by the style of country, roots and folk. The album includes five songs sung in Swedish, three in Norwegian and two in English, including a Norwegian translation of Victoria Shaw's song "Never Alone", titled "Velkommen hjem", and a Swedish cover of Alisson Krauss' song "Ghost In This House", called "Levande död". Sissel has collaborated with Mikael Wiehe, Espen Lind, and Py Bäckman on the new album.^[31]

On 21 August 2011, Sissel performed the Norwegian hymn "Til ungdommen" by Nordahl Grieg at the National Memorial Ceremony for the victims of the 22nd of July 2011 terrorist attacks. This ceremony took place in Oslo Spectrum and was broadcast live nationally to all the Nordic countries. H.M. King Harald and H.M. Queen Sonja of Norway were there with members from all the Nordic Royal Houses. The prime ministers from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and also the presidents of Iceland and Finland were at this ceremony.

Personal life[link]

Sissel was married from 1993 to 2004 to Danish-American comedian and singer Eddie Skoller. They have two daughters.^[32]

Discography[link]

Awards and recognition[link]

• 1986 - Årets navn (Person of the Year) by Norwegian national newspaper VG.^[33]
• 1986 - Årets spellemann (Musician of the Year) in the Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy).^[34]
• 2005 - UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador^[35]
• 2006 - Knight of the 1st Class in the Order of St. Olav. On 2 February 2006, The King of Norway knighted Sissel for her contributions to music and as an ambassador for Norway. She was the youngest ever recipient of this honor.^[36][37]
• 2006 - Juryens hederspris (Most Distinguished Artist—akin to a lifetime achievement award) in Spellemannprisen 2006. She is the youngest Norwegian performer ever to receive this award.^[38]
• A rose developed by Poulsen Roses is named after Sissel and she baptized the rose in Baroniet Rosendal on 4 Aug 2009.^[39][40]
• 2011 - On 16 September, a set of stamps of four Norwegian female performers (Wenche Myhre, Mari Boine, Inger Lise Rypdal and Sissel Kyrkjebø) was issued.^[41]
• 2011 - Rolf Gammleng Prize (Open category)^[42]

See also[link]

• Sissel & Odd

References[link]

External links[link]

Official Websites

• Official website
• Sissel's official Facebook
• Sissel's official Twitter account

Other Webpages

• The Sissel Website : Online Since 1997
• Sissel Lyrics - Lyric Wiki
• Sissel Kyrkjebø at the Internet Movie Database