Sissel Kyrkjebø

Born in Bergen, Norway, in 1969, Sissel had appeared on Norwegian television several times as a child, but came into the public eye with her stellar vocal performances at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. She sings in her native tongue, in addition to English and Latin, similar in style and substance as the Irish ethereal vocalist Enya. Two albums in the mid-'90s, Innerst I Sjelen and Deep Within My Soul, found a small but dedicated audience and led to a prominent place as the voice of James Horner's maritime muse in the smash 1997 film Titanic. 1997 also brought about a project with rapper Warren G on an unusual compilation of hip-hop and classical recordings on Mercury/Def Jam, which became a hit in Europe. Recording under her full name, Sissel Kyrkjebø, she recorded Gift of Love for Polygram in 1999. ~ Michael Ofjord and Zac Johnson, All Music Guide