Born on November 21, 1977 in Trondheim, Norway, electropop singer, songwriter and DJ Annie Lilia Berge Strand is better known by her first name, Annie. She co-founded the indie rock band Suitcase at the age of 16, eventually leaving once the band decided that they wanted to go in a trip-hop direction. She began to DJ around Bergen, Norway and eventually friended house producer Tore Andreas Kroknes AKA DJ Erot. Annie and DJ Erot recorded her first single, “Greatest Hit”, which became a surprise hit outside of Norway, reaching Number 100 on the British charts. Because of the success of the single, she received several offers from record labels. While working on her debut album in 2001, her musical partner DJ Erot died of a heart condition in April. Annie took a step back in order to grieve for her friend and refocus. She released one more single, “I Will Get On” (2002), before resuming work on her first album. She signed with British label 679 Records in 2003 and released her debut album, Anniemal, the following year. The album – produced by DJ Timo Kaukolampi - featured the earlier single, “Greatest Hit”, plus the worldwide hits “Chewing Gum” and “Heartbeat”. The album climbed to Number 6 on the Norwegian charts and Number 13 on the U.S. Dance chart. Annie won awards for Best Pop Album and Best Newcomer at the Norwegian Alarm Awards in 2005. Annie then released her entry in the popular DJ-Kicks compilation series, which spotlighted her DJ roots. Signing with Island Records, she released her second album, Don’t Stop, in 2009. The album featured four singles including “I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me” and “Songs Remind Me of You”. In 2013, Annie released The A&R EP. She followed that up with the Endless Vacation EP in 2015. In June of 2020, she announced the release of her long-awaited third full-length, Dark Hearts. The album, produced by Stefan Storm (The Sound of Arrows), included the single “American Cars”.
