Johanna Lillvik
Theatrical singing is framed by ornate piano loops, buzzing drums and a singing bass.
Johanna Lillvik
In January 2017, Johanna Lillvik's first, official EP was released on the Borås-based record company Paraply Records. The praise has hailed from reviewers, but the music Johanna writes has also caused some confusion. It can not be placed in a special compartment! There are influences of rock, pop, jazz and folk music and the music has a tendency to constantly surprise and get the listener out of balance. Johanna's main characteristics are her skill as a singer, her stage presence and her songs performed on piano, alone or with her fellow musicians.
Johanna was born and raised in Dalsjöfors, but now lives in Borås. She has studied folk music, worked as a singer at Cirque du Soleil and holds a bachelor's degree in World Music. In 2018, she was the company Gamla Boråsare's cultural scholarship holder and she is also active as a singer in the jazz and blues band Blues Escape. Together with them, she released an internationally acclaimed EP in May 2020 called Blues Escape featuring Johanna Lillvik.
"The coolest scandi-boogie-woogie-jazz-blues you'll ever hear". - Cery Matthews "The Blues Show" on BBC
“Sometimes an artist you have never heard before shows up, who has that little extra and odd, that makes her stand out from the amount, which is the reason why you listen through thousands of new records every year. Johanna Lillvik is such an opinionated person Artist. Her new EP gives me the same solid kicks as when I first heard Frida Hyvönen, Laleh or Jenny Wilson." ~
Robban Ryttman, Zero Magazine
Johanna Lillvik: vocals, piano
Anders Wall: Trumpet
Kim Gunneriusson: drums
Joakim Saarenpaa: electric bass
Johanna Lillvik & The Christmas Holiday Band
Like a warming blanket and a steaming cup of hot chocolate after a skating trip on the ice - yes, the audience is embraced by the music played by Johanna Lillvik & The Christmas Holiday Band. With dazzling vocals and playful accompaniment, this group spreads the Christmas spirit with their interpretations of The Real American Christmas Songbook. A sense of joy and community is brought to life just like when American jazz music poured out of old televisions and gramophone players.
Timeless classics are mixed with known and unknown Christmas carols in both Swedish and English. A bunch of soul, a splash of blues, a scoop of jazz, a bunch of traditional Swedish Christmas carols together create a musical Christmas table where there is something for all tastes. One moment you sit devoutly and listen, the next you can hardly sit still to the captivating notes.
Johanna Lillvik from Borås has been called everything from song poet to musical superhero. She is a singer and songwriter and moves with playful ease between jazz, blues, folk music and her own creations. Her self-produced album "The love hate syndrome" from 2022 is described as a musical catharsis, but at Christmas time the focus is on warming frozen hearts with her beautiful singing.
When pianist Madelene Birgenius is not one half of the soul duo "Log Lady", she leads pop choirs in Gothenburg and holds the baton as conductor in both theaters and cabarets.
Janne Manninen is one of Borås' best kept secrets when it comes to world artists. This nimble electric bass player has toured with Robyn, Miss Li and Sofia Jannok. In this ensemble, however, he brings out his slightly more fine-tuned side when he takes up the double bass.
Johan Birgenius is one of western Sweden's most frequently employed jazz drummers. His versatile playing has earned him success in many different constellations and he tours all year round both nationally and internationally.