Liv Kristine, born Liv Kristine Espenæs on February 14, 1976, in Stavanger, Norway, is a Norwegian soprano, singer, and songwriter. In 1994, she joined the gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy as co-lead vocalist, debuting on their self-titled 1995 album Theatre of Tragedy, which pioneered the female operatic and male growled vocal pairing in gothic metal, followed by Velvet Darkness They Fear in 1996 and Aégis in 1998. She released her debut solo studio album, Deus Ex Machina, in 1998. In August 2003, following her departure from Theatre of Tragedy, she co-founded the symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes alongside members of Atrocity, releasing studio albums including Lovelorn in 2004, Vinland Saga in 2005, and Symphonies of the Night in 2013, before departing the band in April 2016. In 2004, she earned a Grammy Award nomination for her guest vocals on Cradle of Filth's single “Nymphetamine”. Her subsequent solo studio albums include Enter My Religion in 2006, Skintight in 2010, Libertine in 2012, Vervain in 2014 featuring the single “Love Decay”, Have Courage Dear Heart in 2021, River of Diamonds in 2023, and Amor Vincit Omnia in 2025. In December 2017, she joined the folk metal band Midnattsol alongside her sister Carmen Elise Espenæs.
