About

"I’m all about energy, passion and contrasts," says Silya, whose music blends the the best of modern pop, soul, funk and cabaret with her unique powerhouse vocals and quirky lyrical point of view. "I have a tendency to get myself into strange situations. So I just write about what I know and make use of all my experiences."

Born and raised in Oslo, Norway, Silya sang in the school choir and played classical piano from the age of 8. Being a warm blooded Norwegian she was also fascinated with rhythm. At 15, she started dancing, worked hard and majored in jazz and contemporary dance at The Oslo National Academy of Art while simultaneously being a member of several street dance companies doing shows for television and stage.

"I had the biggest crush on Gene Kelly when I was younger. My friends would have posters of boy bands, I had Gene on my wall. He made me want to be an entertainer. There's something so naive, romantic and amazing about those old Hollywood movies."

Silya first found music success as lead singer in the successful groundbreaking Norwegian hip hop/pop group Multicyde. Signed to Warner Music, they released 2 albums and had 3 #1 hits in Norway between 1999 and 2002. They also toured Scandinavia and Germany. While she was in Multicyde, she was also doing musical theater, performing in shows like Cabaret, Chicago and West Side Story as a triple threat.

After Multicyde, she went to Stockholm, Sweden and started working with the production house Murlyn Music, honing her songwriting skills. In 2005 she caught the attention of Columbia Records and Island/Def Jam Records in New York. She signed with Columbia in 2006 as a solo artist, moved to NYC and worked hard making an album writing with producers and musicians in NYC, LA, London and Atlanta including dueting with Cee Lo Green.

The ups and downs of the music industry have lead to creating new paths. Her talents as a chameleon songwriter has caught the attention of other artists wanting to do her songs. She's had her songs covered by US, Australian and European artists that have gone gold internationally. Among them were two songs, including the lead single, for Disney Starlet Vanessa Hudgens's sophomore album. August this year she digitally released her semi live album "Peel Away" on indie label Eusonia in NYC after doing a stint of residencies in downtown Manhattan. 2011 has been a busy year writing and starting new musical projects in LA and NYC which are coming in to fruition very soon.