Sweden

Having put in time as a backup musician for Annika Norlin's sparkling indie pop project Hello Saferide, Swedish singer/songwriter Maia Hirasawa came into her own in the early 2000s on the strength of a few sweet-as-pie, Björk-influenced demo tracks. Encouraged by Hirasawa's strong Internet fan base, Swedish indie label Razzia signed the musician in early 2007; several much-hyped singles, including the bombastic and theatrical "And I Found This Boy" and the lilting and folky "Gothenburg," emerged soon after. Her debut long-player, Though, I'm Just Me, arrived a few months later. ~ Margaret Reges