Jade Ell - Promises And Prayers (1998)

A hit-making songwriter, teacher, solo artist and member of three bands, Swedish singer/songwriter Jade Ell developed her musical style as she moved from country to country collecting memories that inspired her songs. She grew up in Karlstad, playing piano and singing in jazz clubs and her church choir as a teenager. She then began her world travels, at one point herding sheep in Israel, and at another working in the Swedish Consulate in San Diego. During her stay in the U.S., Ell reunited with relatives from Chicago, who encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a professional musician. In 1992, she returned to Sweden and studied voice at Stockholm's Kulturama school for the performing arts. Soon after graduation, she recorded her first demo and headed back to the States. During that time, she met musician/producer Richard Péay at a party after the 1996 Grammys. Interested in her music, Péay began working with Ell, helping her develop a distinctive sound. Ready to record her debut, she returned to Sweden, where she worked with songwriter Jorgen Elofsson to create Promises and Prayers, which was released in 1999. The album featured the singles "Got to Let You Go," which received significant airplay on Swedish and Danish radio (and was also named a Record of the Week by the UK music industry publication The Tip Sheet), and "Rivers, Colors & Miles." After the 2002 single "Shallow World," Ell returned with her second album, the Mats Hedström-produced Methods (of a Hostage Negotiator), three years later. During this time, she also worked on translating Douglas Pashley's Spin: The Musical. She continued to collaborate with Hedström as a songwriter, scoring a hit with "Feliz Cumpleaños," which appeared on RBD's Latin Grammy nominated, chart-topping 2006 album Nuestro Amor. The duo also wrote songs for Mexican, Danish, Japanese and Australian artists. In 2009, Ell's art rock project Xanima -- which drew comparisons to Enigma, Evanescence and Kate Bush -- debuted with the album Inside Warrior. The group also released the 2011 single "For the Glory of the Young" and the 2014 album Prototype: Homo Sapiens. In 2010, she released the self-produced solo album Mourning This Mourning, a set of songs inspired by her biological grandmother, under the name Ellen (which was also her grandmother's name). Another project, Band of Jade, featured Ell on piano and vocals and released the single "How to Find Xmas" in 2012. She and Hedström also formed the folky pop duo Tiny Tornado, and their debut album Echoes and Rhymes appeared in 2013. Despite her busy schedule, she also finds time to give individual lessons and songwriting workshops at European music schools.