Sissel Kirkjebo was born on June 24, 1969 in Bergen (Norway).
At the age of 9, she began to sing in the children's choir, and at 11 she won the national competition of young talents. At the age of 14, Sissell first appeared on television. She sings with the choir in the children's program Syng med Oss. At 15, she performed solo in various TV programs. At the same time, he met Renee Larsen, he later became her producer.
1984-1986. Sissel is becoming popular in Norway.
In October 1986, at the age of 17, Sissel released her first album, Sissel. 700 were sold. There were thousands of copies of this album, which was a record for Norway. Her second album, Glade Jul, a Norwegian Christmas album, was released a year after the first and broke the previous record for the number of albums sold.
In the spring of 1988, Sissell entered the Institute in Bergen, although she knew that her future profession would not be associated with any of the subjects studied. But she felt that studying was a good way to distract from music and connect with peers.
In 1988, Sissell appeared in the Norwegian version of The Sound of Music as Maria von Trapp. The production with her participation was a great success in Scandinavia, and the performances were visited by about one and a half thousand spectators.
In 1989 she released her third album Soria Moria. In the same year in Sweden, she met the Danish pop artist Eddie Skoler. In January 1990, their novel became official.
In the same year, Sissel recorded the part of Ariel in the Scandinavian version of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”.
In 1992 he recorded the album "Gift of Love", which includes songs in English.
1993. Solveig plays in "Pere Gunte" as part of the International Festival in Bergen. In August 93, Sissel and Eddie got married. Their wedding aroused extraordinary interest in the Scandinavian press.
The 1994 Winter Olympics were held in Norway. Sissell performed at the opening and closing ceremonies and recorded the official Olympic anthem, Se ilden Lyse. By chance, the great tenor Placido Domingo was in Norway at the time and listened to Sissel's album, which undoubtedly impressed him. The next day (February 13th) they recorded the song "Fire in your heart", an English version of "Se ilden lyse".
In February 1994, the album "Innerst i Sjelen" (Deep Within My Soul) was released, which featured many old Norwegian motifs and church hymns. The album was a success in the United States, even though Sissel sang in Norwegian. In the same year, Placido Domingo invited Sissel to take part in his annual Christmas concert in Vienna.
In 1995, Sissel sings twice for Prince Charles. She is also heard by Celine Dion, Pierce Brosnan, and Sting. On July 23, he performs with Jose Carreras at the opening ceremony of the stadium in Denmark. The concert is attended by the Danish Queen. Norwegian Christmas concerts are becoming a high-profile event throughout Scandinavia.
1996. On February 16, her daughter Sissel was born, named Ingrid. Sissel takes a year off to give more time to the child.
In 1997, James Homer invited Sissell to record her voice on the soundtrack of the film Titanic. The film was an extraordinary success, and Sissel, previously almost unknown in the United States, is gaining fame. Although Sissel did not perform the main theme on the soundtrack, the American press pays much attention to her, calling her a "singing bird from Norway."
In the same year, Sissel participated in the Hip Hop Meets Classics project. Sissel and Warren G record a duet based on Borodin’s opera Prince Igor. The song was included on the album The Rapsody Ouverture and became a hit in Europe.
2000. Solo album "All Gods Things", 6 years after the release of the previous one.
In April 2002, Sissel recorded two songs (Ave Maria, Bist du bei mir) with Plácido Domingo for his new album Sacred Songs.
2002 year of absolute international recognition of the singer. The schedule of concert performances is extremely busy: Sissel performs concerts and in various TV shows throughout Europe and the United States. In December 2002, Sissell took part in the Christmas Concert in Moscow with Jose Kareros, Placido Domingo and Emma Sheplin. The concert received various reviews in the press, but Sissel was praised.
The album "Sissel in Symphony" was released in 2003. In April, Sissel gives a concert in Tokyo, as part of the release of this album.
A new species of rose was named after Sissel. Her beautiful voice brings us joy like a rose that gives us its fragrance.
In December, the album “My Heart” was released in Scandinavia. In 2004, the American version of the album "My Heart" was released.
In the summer and fall of 2004, Sissell toured with Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings Symphony. She was the main soloist, at each performance Sissel performed with a symphony orchestra and choir, 200 musicians on stage. Howard Shore states that Norwegian mythology and culture have influenced Tolkien’s work, and it is incredible and remarkable that a Norwegian singer is soloing in the Lord of the Rings Symphony. Sissel's brilliant voice illuminates this work.” When asked about the symphony in an interview, Sissell replied, I love music. It is a delightful feeling to be at the centre of the symphony orchestra, surrounded by the beautiful voices of the choir and these superb melodies.