Anne Lille Berge Strand, better known by her stage name Annie, is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and DJ.
Emerging on the Norwegian club scene with the Madonna-sampling “The Greatest Hit” in 1999, a burgeoning recording career was sidetracked by the untimely death of the single’s producer and her then-boyfriend, Tore Kroknes. Eventually gaining the strength to start performing again in 2003, she signed a recording contract with UK label 679 and began working on her debut album. Anniemal was helmed primarily by Timo Kaukolampi, with Richard X contributing the set’s lead single (and perhaps best-known track), “Chewing Gum”, and several other songs. Garnering acclaim from music publications worldwide before even receiving a proper release in many regions, it performed modestly commercially but won the hearts of critics: Pitchfork gave the album an 8.8 score and branded the single “Heartbeat” the best song of 2004.
Annie returned to the studio by 2006 to commence work on a follow-up album, which was not without its many obstacles. Despite signing to Island Records for the album’s release, the label only managed to release a junked lead single (“I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me”) before dropping her. After resigning to indie label Smalltown Supersound and recording new tracks for a revised album–the original iteration leaked as copies were already issued to the press before its cancellation–Don’t Stop was eventually released towards the end of 2009.
2013 and 2015 saw the release of two EPs produced by Richard X: the aptly-titled A&R EP and Endless Vacation. After an 11-year wait, Annie is set to release her long-awaited third studio album, Dark Hearts, in October; “American Cars” was released with the announcement of the album on June 19.