Among her best known songs are "Private Emotion", a (duet with Ricky Martin) from his multi-Platinum album Ricky Martin (1999), and "All 'bout the Money", which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1998.
She gained much popularity in the West after her single "How Crazy are You?" was used as the main theme music for the Xbox video game Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.
Meja was born Anna Pernilla Torndahl in Nynäshamn, Stockholm County. She had her stage debut at "Ystads City theatre" at the age of 7. She was brought up in a musical family, her grandfather, Per Lundkvist, was a composer of both classical and contemporary music and her mother, a recording artist as a child before choosing a path as a painter.
In 1986, at the age of 16, she moved to Mallorca, Spain, to study. She was introduced to American jazz trumpet player/singer Stephen Frankevich and started to take vocal lessons with singer Deborah Carter.
Meja went to Stockholm in 1990. She sang in different bands there before getting out on tour as a backup singer for the Swedish group Rob n Raz DLC in 1991. In 1992 Meja moved to Los Angeles to continue her studies at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. She graduated from the vocal program in late 1992 then returned to Sweden.
n 1993, Meja worked with the dance project Legacy of Sound. She co-wrote with Anders Bagge the first single, "Happy", from the album Holy Groove. The song reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club play, and it peaked at number 68 on the Top 100 during a 12-week stay on the chart. "Happy" was released in over 20 countries. Meja recorded one more album with Legacy of Sound in 1994, Tour de Force.
Meja teamed in 1995 with Swedish manager Lasse Karlsson, manager of Ace of Base, and writer/producer Douglas Carr to provide the vocals for the demo The Juvenile titled The Goldeneye.
The first solo album Meja, was released in 1996, with songs co-written by Billy Steinberg. In 1997 Meja had her first concert tour in Japan: The Flower Girl Jam Tour.
Meja released the album Seven Sisters in 1998. Later that year Columbia (Sony) launched the album in the U.S with the single "How Crazy Are You?"
Meja went to Miami in 1999 to record "Private Emotion", a duet with Ricky Martin for his debut album Ricky Martin. After shooting a video for the song, Meja stayed in Los Angeles to work on her next album Realitales (2000) with Steinberg. She also co-wrote two tracks for the album in London with Stephen Lipson. The artwork for this album was shot by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund.
In 2003 Meja started to work with her former Sony Music boss, Richard Ogden. The album Mellow was released in 2004, with songs in Portuguese ("Água de Beber", "Dindi") and Spanish. She covered a Caetano Veloso song "O'Leaonzinho" that she named "Little Lion." The album was produced by Hamish Stuart. One song, "Simple Days-Walking the Distance", was used in the Japanese film Lakeside Murder Case.
In 2006 Meja went back to Los Angeles to collaborate again with Steinberg on a new album, also working with writers Jeff Barry, Billy Gibbons, Jed Leiber and Boz Boorer.
The first single "At the Rainbow's End" was released in June 2009, the second single "Regrets (I Have None)" in August, and the album Urban Gypsy was released on her own label Seven Sisters Network in October on a license deal with Sony Music. A remix of Mando Diao's "Dance with Somebody" was released early 2010.
The first release from the album Stroboscope Sky was the single "Blame it on the Shadows" (2013) produced by Ebbot Lundberg. Meja teamed with producer Nicolas Gunthardt and together with his sister Alessandra they wrote "Yellow Ribbon" which served as the theme song for the album. "Yellow Ribbon" was released as a single in collaboration with Amnesty International/Free the Angola 3 to help raise awareness of the case of Albert Woodfox. A remix EP was released with remixes by Deep Forest, Dj Swami, Gota Yashiki, DF Tram, NORD and more.
Caught Up In The Middle
Meja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
to live up to your dreams
If you been "n" think you've seen it all
Forgetting the laughter
and the funny things we do
Yes it's true,
it's so easy to feel blue
When it all did the same
When feelings was just a name
Oh, I was caught up in the middle
for a big surprise
The day i found you
The way that you found me
Oh I was caught up in the middle
when I realized
One look in your eyes
and it hit me deep inside
You give me the reasons
to play and purify
when you tell me
Just look up to the sky
Living is easy
when I find some sympathy
in the ones who stay close to me
When I was tired of this game
When it all did the same
When feelings was just a name
Oh, I was caught up in the middle
for a big surprise
The day i found you
The way that you found me
Oh I was caught up in the middle
when I realized
One look in your eyes
and it hit me deep inside
When I was tired of this game
it all did the same
When feelings was just a name
Oh, I was caught up in the middle
for a big surprise
The day i found you
The way that you found me
Oh I was caught up in the middle
when I realized
One look in your eyes
and it hit me deep inside
The song "Caught Up in the Middle" by Meja talks about the struggles of living up to one's dreams and the melancholy that comes with the journey. It speaks about the importance of finding solace in the company of others and emphasizes on the beauty of human connections which can lead to finding unexpected happiness amidst hardships. The song is an encouragement to keep going despite the difficulties and make the best out of the situation, with the lyrics "Living is easy when I find some sympathy in the ones who stay close to me." It also tells the story of finding love and the impact it has on one's life, giving a sense of meaning and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
I know it ain't easy
Acknowledging the hardships of life and the struggle to achieve one's dreams.
to live up to your dreams
The difficulty in realizing one's aspirations and goals in life.
If you been 'n' think you've seen it all
The feeling of being jaded and disillusioned after experiencing a lot in life.
Forgetting the laughter
The tendency to focus on the negative aspects of life and forgetting the joyous moments.
and the funny things we do
The lighthearted moments that make life enjoyable and worth living.
Yes it's true,
Confirming the previous statement about the challenges of life.
it's so easy to feel blue
How easy it is to become sad and depressed despite the positive aspects of life.
When I was tired of this game
Reflecting on the feeling of exhaustion from life's struggles.
When it all did the same
The repetitiveness of life's struggles and monotony.
When feelings was just a name
The inability to truly experience and express emotions due to the hardships of life.
Oh, I was caught up in the middle
Being stuck in the midst of life's struggles and uncertainty.
for a big surprise
Feeling unexpected joy and happiness in the midst of challenges.
The day i found you
The moment of discovering a source of joy and happiness in another person.
The way that you found me
The way in which this source of joy and happiness came into one's life.
You give me the reasons
The other person provides motivation and purpose in life.
to play and purify
Encouraging the pursuit of pure and positive actions in life.
when you tell me
The other person's words of encouragement and support.
Just look up to the sky
Finding hope and inspiration in the world around us.
Living is easy
The acknowledgement that life becomes easier with positive influences and people.
when I find some sympathy
The importance of finding compassion and support from others.
in the ones who stay close to me
The significance of close relationships and social connections in improving one's quality of life.
One look in your eyes
The realization of the impact the other person has had on one's life.
and it hit me deep inside
The profound and emotional impact the other person has had on one's life.
Contributed by Sophie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.