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.
Daughter of Mornin'
Meja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So fresh and so brand new
I'm happy as can be,
In front of you
Daughter of mornin', rises at dawn
As the one she came to be
And nothing can change
Her natural mystery
She's sentimental at night
But soon the mornin' brings light
So don't worry 'bout today because
Tomorrow's gonna be just fine
Daughter of mornin', I'm just like you
Sometimes grey, and sometimes blue
The stars in the sky tells me
What you're up to
Daughter og mornin', light of my life
She's learning how to fight
To keep all the scary shadows
Out of sight
I know you came here to play
And we both know that someday
You won't worry 'bout a thing
Because tomorrow's gonna be OK
Daughter of mornin'
Daughter og mornin'
Finally you found a home, yes
Daughter of mornin'
You don't have to be alone.....
In Meja's song "Daughter of Mornin'," the lyrics speak of a fresh and brand new being, resembling a child, who is happy and content in the presence of the singer. As the daughter of the morning, she rises with the dawn and embodies a natural mystery that she carries throughout the day. Despite the ups and downs of life, the daughter of the morning remains strong and sentimental, ready to face whatever obstacles come her way with courage and resilience. This song serves as a reminder to look on the bright side and trust that tomorrow will be better.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Daughter of Mornin'" throughout, highlighting its significance in the song. The singer relates to the daughter of the morning, seeing similarities in their personalities and struggles. They both sometimes feel gray and blue, but they know that the stars in the sky hold a special connection to the daughter of the morning that brings the singer comfort. The daughter of the morning, like all of us, faces shadows and fears that we must learn to overcome with time.
Overall, "Daughter of Mornin'" offers a message of hope, encouragement, and reassurance that, no matter how hard life can get, we can always rely on the promise and potential of a new day.
Line by Line Meaning
Daughter of mornin', just like a child
Meja compares herself to the daughter of morning, who is like a new-born child that is pure and innocent.
So fresh and so brand new
Meja is happy and refreshed, like a new day when she is in front of the daughter of morning.
I'm happy as can be,
Meja expresses her happiness while being with the daughter of morning.
In front of you
Meja is happy and content being in the presence of the daughter of morning.
Daughter of mornin', rises at dawn
Meja describes how the daughter of morning represents the sunrise, as she awakes every day at dawn.
As the one she came to be
The daughter of morning is true to her natural self as she rises with the dawn.
And nothing can change
The daughter of morning is unique and cannot be altered by anything.
Her natural mystery
The daughter of morning is mysterious and unexplainable, yet still retains her natural beauty and identity.
She's sentimental at night
The daughter of morning is emotional as it starts getting dark.
But soon the mornin' brings light
Meja assures the daughter of morning that the morning will bring light and joy to her worries.
So don't worry 'bout today because
Meja tells the daughter of morning not to worry about the present.
Tomorrow's gonna be just fine
Meja promises the daughter of morning that tomorrow will be much better than today.
Daughter of mornin', I'm just like you
Meja compares herself to the daughter of morning, sharing her feelings of melancholy and emotional highs and lows.
Sometimes grey, and sometimes blue
Meja has days when she feels low (grey) and other days when she is content (blue).
The stars in the sky tells me
Meja looks to the stars as a sign of hope for the daughter of morning.
What you're up to
Meja wants to know how the daughter of morning is doing.
Daughter og mornin', light of my life
The daughter of morning brings light into Meja's life and is a source of joy.
She's learning how to fight
The daughter of morning is learning to deal with her fears and anxieties.
To keep all the scary shadows
The daughter of morning is trying to keep her fears in check and to not let them take over her life.
Out of sight
The daughter of morning wants to push away her fears and anxieties and keep them at bay.
I know you came here to play
Meja understands that the daughter of morning is here to enjoy life.
And we both know that someday
Meja and the daughter of morning believe that someday everything will be alright.
You won't worry 'bout a thing
Meja promises the daughter of morning that she won't worry about anything.
Because tomorrow's gonna be OK
Meja assures the daughter of morning that tomorrow will be better than today and everything will be alright.
Finally you found a home, yes
Meja is glad that the daughter of morning has found a place to call her home.
You don't have to be alone.....
Meja tells the daughter of morning that she doesn't have to be lonely anymore and that she has found a place to belong.
Contributed by Camden N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hans Selander
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