Cæcilie Norby was born on September 9, 1964 in Frederiksberg into a musical family. Her father, Erik Norby, was a composer, and her mother, Solveig Lumholt, was a Royal Opera singer. She attended Sankt Annæ Gymnasium, known for nurturing musical talents, and Norby quickly became one of them herself.
1982 - 1993 | Frontline and One Two
In 1982, she formed the rock/funk band Street Beat with Nina Forsberg and recorded her first single for the Icelandic label Steinar Records. That same year, she debuted as a soloist in the DR program "Smil, du er på!"
She had her breakthrough with the jazz/rock group Frontline, which released two critically acclaimed albums in 1985 and 1986. Norby received the award as Soloist of the Year from the music magazine MM.
In 1986, she switched to the pop/rock group One Two, where she achieved great popularity together with Forsberg and guitarist Søren Bentzen. The group released three albums and sold around 250,000 copies in Denmark before disbanding in 1993.
1995 | Solo career and international breakthrough
In 1995, Cæcilie Norby became the first Scandinavian vocalist signed by Blue Note Records in New York. Her first four solo albums were praised in both Denmark and internationally and each sold over 75,000 copies - unprecedented for jazz records.
She toured extensively in Europe, the USA and Japan with her own quartet and appeared as a soloist with, among others, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and the Dutch Metropole Orchestra.
2009 - 2015 | ACT Music and new musical paths
In 2009 she switched to the German label ACT Music. The album Arabesque (2010), created with Katrine Gislinge, Lars Danielsson and Xavier Desandre Navarre, won the DMA Honorary Award and was followed by extensive tours in Europe.
In May 2012, Cæcilie wrote theatre music for Bastards together with Lars Danielsson. A Danish/Icelandic/Swedish project, premiered in Reykjavik.
In the autumn of 2012, Cæcilie united the Danish Entertainment Orchestra and the DR Big Band in a large-scale symphonic work on David Bowie's music, where she, as the idea woman and together with arranger Peter Jensen, was responsible for the unorthodox arrangements, which were approved by David Bowie himself before they could be performed.
In 2013, she wrote big band music for, among others, Norbotten Big Band and later that year toured with Bohuslän Big Band and Rigmor Gustafsson.
2015 - 2020 | Duo success and new works
In 2015, she premiered her organ work Nat Hinde in Copenhagen Cathedral. In the same year, she released the duo album Just the Two of Us with Lars Danielsson. The album and the subsequent 150 concerts in Europe were a great success.
In 2017, she premiered her 90-minute choral work Hybrid Klang under the direction of Andreas Vetö. The work was composed entirely of classical music for mixed choir, strings and winds and a rhythm section.
This was followed by the Stjernestøv concerts with, among others, astrophysicist Anja C. Andersen. Later in the year, Cæcilie toured as a soloist with a tribute to Erik Satie with, among others, Benjamin Koppel and Marilyn Mazur.
In 2018, she started her exclusive and still sought-after annual Christmas concerts with Ulf Wakenius, Lars Danielsson and Magnus Öström.
She also wrote the text for Benjamin Koppel's work Anna's Dollhouse on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Jews' flight to Sweden.
2019 - 2022 | Sisters in Jazz and Loud Lady Music
The album Sisters in Jazz (2019) brought together top female musicians from the European jazz scene. The same year, she released Portraying, which became the best-selling jazz vinyl of 2020.
In 2022, she founded the record label Loud Lady Music and released Earthenya, which was followed by a Scandinavian tour with her Danish All Star band.
2024 | SIXTY
On the occasion of her 60th birthday, Cæcilie Norby released the album SIXTY on her own label. The album was met with enthusiastic reviews and followed up by an exclusive Danish tour.
2025 | La Belle Époque
In 2025, Cæcilie Norby performed the ambitious concert work La Belle Époque to sold-out audiences in collaboration with the Danish Entertainment Orchestra and arranger Peter Jensen. The work is a musical journey through Paris in the early 1900s, where Norby is the lyricist, soloist and idea woman.
Later in 2025, she returns to the studio to record her 16th solo album - this time again for ACT Music.
Awards and recognitions
2019 - Frederiksberg Artist of the Year
2010 - IFPI's Honorary Award
2000 - Wilhelm Hansen Music Award
1997 - Simon Spies Soloist Award
1986 - Best Studio Album in Japan (Cæcilie Norby)
1986 - New Artist of the Year (with One Two)
1985 - Ben Webster Award (with Frontline)
Discography (in own name)
2024 - Sixty (Loud Lady Music)
2022 - Earthenya (Loud Lady Music)
2020 - Portraying (ACT)
2019 - Sisters in Jazz (ACT)
2015 - Just the Two of Us (ACT)
2013 - Silent Ways (ACT)
2010 - Arabesque (ACT)
2007 - I Had A Ball (Copenhagen Records)
2007 - Slow Fruit (Enja - Germany, Poland, Italy)
2005 - Slow Fruit (Copenhagen Records)
2004 - London/Paris (Copenhagen Records)
2002 - First Conversation (Blue Note)
1999 - Queen of Bad Excuses (Blue Note)
1996 - My Corner of the Sky (Blue Note)
1995 - Cæcilie Norby (Blue Note)
Discography | One Two
2005 - Greatest (Copenhagen Records)
1997 - Best Of (Den Bedste Tid) (EMI/Medley)
1993 - Getting Better (EMI/Medley)
1990 - Hvide Løgne (EMI/Medley)
1986 - OneTwo (EMI/Medley)
Discography | Frontline
1986 - Frontlife (TUBA)
1985 - Frontline (TUBA)
Bio
Awards/Accolades
Norby has been nominated for 16 DMA awards and received the IFPI's Honorary Award in 2010.
Collaborations
She has performed with artists such as Curtis Stigers, NHØP, Ray Brown, Al Foster, Peter Erskine, Billy Hart, Dianne Reeves, Michael Brecker, Kurt Elling and John Scofield as well as several European orchestras and big bands.
Artwork
Painting is another of Cæcilie's creative outlets. A passion she enjoys as often as time allows.
One of her paintings was also used as cover art on the album "Slow Fruit".
