D'Sound

D'Sound (stylized as d'sound) is a Norwegian neo soul band based in Oslo, Norway. The band was formed in 1993 with a line-up composed of lead vocalist Simone Eriksrud, bassist Jonny Sjo and drummer Kim Ofstad.[1][2] In 2018, Eriksrud announced her departure from the band and was replaced by Mirjam Omdal.[3][4]

D'Sound
Also known as	Sweet & Sour (1993-94)
Origin	Oslo, Norway
Genres	Neo soul, funk, acid jazz
Years active	1993–present
Labels	daWorks Polydor Sony Music Virgin
Website	dsound.com
Members	Jonny Sjo Kim Ofstad Mirjam Omdal
Past members	Simone Eriksrud

Band history

Jonny Sjo in 2017

Drummer Kim Ofstad (born 25 November 1969) and bassist Jonny Sjo (born 7 April 1969) met while both attending Berklee College of Music. D'Sound was formed back in 1993 in Oslo with vocalist Simone Eriksrud (nee Larsen; born 21 August 1970) at a coincident rehearsal-meeting. Their debut album, Spice of Life, was released in 1997, followed by the successful single "Real Name", and was nominated for two "Spellemannpriser", the Norwegian equivalent of the Brits (United Kingdom) and the Grammys (United States). D'Sound's blend of jazz and pop with funky elements was well received, and they also gained recognition as a live act. Their second album, Beauty Is a Blessing, was released in 1998 and won the "Spellemannpris" for Best Norwegian Pop Group. It received platinum certification in Norway; however, the album was never released internationally. The second single, "Down on the Street" (originally a hit for British jazz-funk band Shakatak[5]) also entered the UK club chart.[6] The single "Tattooed on My Mind" was released with favorable reception in Southeast Asia.

In 2000, the band resumed working together on their next album in Jonny Sjo's home studio. After a long period of writing material, Talkin' Talk was recorded. For the first time, the band also produced the album, along with their long-time keyboardist Stein Austrud. In the production of their third album, D'Sound was heavily influenced by modern R&B American artists such as Angie Stone, D'Angelo, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. The album Talkin' Talk was mixed in Virginia Beach, United States by Serban Ghenea, whose credits include work for Janet Jackson and Prince. For the subsequent tour, D'Sound joined with numerous national and international musicians and toured Norway with the songs from their three albums. Several international musicians like DJ Kemit from American hip-hop group Arrested Development also joined the band in touring.[1][2]

In 2003, the group released Doublehearted, which featured the hit single "Do I Need a Reason". In 2004, their first greatest hits album was released, entitled Smooth Escapes - The Very Best of D'Sound. The album was followed by the release of their fifth studio album My Today, the following year. The band took a break after the release of their fourth album. Kim Ofstad left D'Sound in 2010, paring the band down to a duo of Eriksrud and Sjo, but returned in 2013.[2][7]

In June 2018, Simone Eriksrud announced her departure from D'Sound and was replaced by Mirjam Omdal[3][4] because the former wanted to spend more time with the rest of her family.[8]

In March 2019, D’Sound participated in the Norwegian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 (the Melodi Grand Prix), with their new song "Mr. Unicorn" and finished in third place.[9] In September 2019, D’Sound released their eighth studio album, Unicorn.

Line-up

Current members

• Jonny Sjo - bass, occasional guitar, vocals (1993–present)
• Kim Ofstad - drums, percussion (1993–2010, 2013–present)
• Mirjam Omdal - vocals (2018–present)

Former members

• Simone Eriksrud - vocals, piano, guitar (1993–2018)

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Year	Album details
1997	Spice of Life Label: PolyGram Formats: Cassette, CD
1998	Beauty Is a Blessing Label: Polygram Formats: Cassette, CD
2001	Talkin' Talk Label: Virgin Records Formats: Cassette CD,
2003	Doublehearted Label: daWorks Records
2005	My Today Label: daWorks Records, Edel Records, FarGo Music Formats: CD, digital download
2010	Starts and Ends Label: FarGo Musc, Mountain Music AS Formats: CD, digital download
2014	Signs Label: RCA/Sony
2019	Unicorn Label: daWorks

Compilation albums

Year	Album details
2004	Smooth Escapes - The Very Best of D'Sound Label: Da Works Formats: CD

Live albums

Year	Album details
2001	D'Sound - Live at Rockefeller Music Hall 2001 Label: Virgin Records Formats: CD

Singles

• "Lose Control" (2013)
• "Love Like Rain" (2014)
• "Dance with Me" (2015)
• "If You Don't Know" (2017)
• "Only One" (2017)
• "It's Just Me" (2018)
• "Join Me in My Head" (2018)
• "Lykkelig" featuring Armi Millare (2018)
• "Mr. Unicorn" (2019)
• "This Island is Mine" (2019)
• "Somewhere in Between" featuring Armi Millare (2019)
• "Aftershock" (2019)

References

1. "D'Sound Biography" (in Norwegian). MIC.no. 2006-08-06. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
2. Bergan, Jon Vidar (2012-04-05). "D'Sound Biography". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
3. "The Voice-Mirjam overtar for Simone i D'Sound". tv2.no (in Norwegian). 4 June 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
4. "Simone slutter i D'Sound – Mirjam stepper inn - VG". vg.no (in Norwegian). 4 June 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
5. "Shakatak Down on the Street Review". Retrieved 2013-10-20.
6. "Shakatak Down on the Street Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
7. "Tilbake etter bittert brudd - VG". vg.no (in Norwegian). 8 November 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
8. https://www.radiocremebrulee.com/reviews/good-intentions-by-dsound-just-might-be-the-song-of-the-summer
9. "D'Sound ute av Melodi Grand Prix - KEiiNO vant den norske finalen". h-a.no (in Norwegian). 2 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.

External links

• Official website
• D'Sound on Facebook

Awards
Preceded by Velvet Belly	Recipient of the Pop Band Spellemannprisen 1998	Succeeded by Savoy