From Sweden to New Orleans and from blues to jazz, Andersson knows diversity

Sometimes people take great risks when chasing their dreams.

For Theresa Andersson, that meant moving from a small farm in Gotling, Sweden to New Orleans at the age of 18. That was in 1990, and it has taken until now for her to grow an audience as a singer, songwriter and one-woman band.

Initially, she moved to perform as a violinist for fellow Swedish singer-songwriter Anders Osborne, but after falling in love with the music and culture of New Orleans, her career took a turn of its own. She managed to scrape by as a performer, and after attracting the interest of several record labels, Andersson released a New Orleans jazz album. Then a bluesier album in the vein of Lucinda Williams. Then a pop album.

But it wasn't until her most recent release, Hummingbird, Go! that Andersson truly found music she could call her own.

“In the past I've always written songs with other people, and I had never felt like I had really found my true personal statement on my past records, but I did with this one!” she said during a phone conversation last week.

Some people call it soul, others say indie-pop; Andersson even once described it herself as “Mary Poppins meets Bigfoot taking a bubble bath,” whatever that means. Either way, there's no denying that she has created something both unique and wonderful. Rolling Stone called her a “more sultry Feist”, and she's won the praise of indie giant Pitchfork Media.

Perhaps more interesting than the album, though, is Andersson's live show, in which she plays every instrument live, herself. Drums, violin, guitar, dulcimer, vocals — it's all there. She uses two ‘loopers' to do it, and the result is extraordinary. There are even a few videos floating around Youtube, recorded in her kitchen — the same kitchen, in fact, that the album was completed in.

It all started by fluke, too.

“The first time I went [back to Sweden] in 2007, I was invited by a promoter, but I could only afford to take me,” she explained. “I couldn't afford to take a band, so I started with the looping pedal, and it was a huge success.”

She takes a lot of influence from New Orleans music, and one of her songs “Birds Fly Away” even samples an old jazz recording. But instead of playing a pre-recorded version, Andersson brings her record player on stage and incorporates it into her music.

There are lots of sounds on Hummingbird, Go! that can't be replicated live, though. For instance, when Andersson couldn't find a keyboard nearby, she filled kitchen glasses with water, and tapped out a melody with them instead.

Indeed, finding unique ways to express ideas seems to be Andersson's specialty, and that's in fact what separates Hummingbird, Go! from her previous work.

“I peeled away any sort of idea of trying to be anything else, or anybody else, or trying to appease a certain fanbase... I was more interested in digging deep into me and finding the music I wanted to make.”

And though things keep getting bigger and bigger for her, every step has still felt like a triumph.

“When I started Hummingbird, Go! I didn't have any expectations,” Andersson said. “My only goal was to make a record that I felt good about… So every little thing that has come to me has felt like success in itself… But at the same time I'm not ready to stop. I'm not ready to rest. I'm already working on my next record and I'm just really excited that I've been awarded the opportunity to do this!”

Andersson will be performing at the London Music Club on Thursday, November 6.