The Journey of an artist
I was born in Sweden and lived my childhood years in the coastal town Gävle where I spent the summers on an isolated island with my close family. With only my brother as a companion to play with my imagination ran wild and one could find me constantly singing. As soon as guests arrived to the island I put on a performance. These years formed me and you can still hear me sing when I am in a happy mood.
Take me out on a boat ride or skiing in the mountains you will find me singing from my heart without myself knowing. It is an expression of happiness and freedom.
My chances to develop my singing and acting skills came along throughout my teenage years where I attended drama school and latter, music school during my college years. During adolescent years it formed me as an artist with skills and an experience to hit the scenes of performing. I was part of the west coast rock music band GANDA during my college studies in Örebro. The band even made the top of the county charts for eleven weeks. With this music experience I made the decision to move back to my hometown to study music and later started studying at Karlstad University, Sweden. My academic career got distracted with the fact that this university didn’t put up a student show so I took my chances to “put things straight” and later left my academic studies to work within the theater industry as I got head hunted to Västanåteatern. Yet another decision was made where I realized I felt I was too young to seek progression within the flamboyant performing industry at the time.
Many experiences during my youth and strong believes in integrity has made me determined to always make thoughtful decisions of my path ahead.
After living and working in Switzerland and in the French Alps I ended up in Winthorpe near Newark, England to run a successful pub and restaurant with my former life companion. Seven years of management experience, a new surname (from the maiden name Annika Holmgren to Annika Cawthorn) and an academic degree Ba Honors in Design Management at Nottingham Trent University I returned to Sweden.
The piano that could be found in my home during this chapter in life was hardly touched but I used my full time studies as an “escape” to some sort of creativity from the hard working hours at the restaurant.
“Every day for seven years I was running a show with being a Landlady upfront within the service industry. One could never have a bad day as the “show must go on!”
Finally back in Sweden an academic career took place. A working-, studying- and a mother of two plus a manor to renovate there was no time for music or art until one day where the oldest son said – “It must be your time now, mum”. With these words ringing in my head I finally put my foot down and made some real life changes.
“Heartbreaking decisions and tuff times makes you grow and realize how important your life is. But it was time for me to recollect parts of my soul that I had left behind. Most importantly, the creative part of my soul.”
With two Ba Honors, one Master Degree and a couple of research articles and teaching at university and being an Innovation coach at a science park for several years I finally decided to go for it!
The real deal music journey began at 2017. During an intense year ahead the duo The Noraccords made several songs and recorded the album Solid Ground. This album was launched in England 9th of March 2018. Creating this album was a great and fun experience and gave me the drive and ambition to go for a solo career. This is where an artist name had to be found and during a business course at university I gave a group of students my case as a solo artist to write a report about strategic planning – the students came up with the name Anni Thorn.
“A new chapter of my life started with the artist name Anni Thorn”
The last year I have devoted my life solely to music and art. I reorganized my home in order to create an artist studio where I paint. The electric piano was exchanged for a grand piano – and with this creative surrounding, time on my hand I finally blossomed as a painter and a music maker and singer.
Several solo art exhibitions has been taken place and a few planned. My album Crazy Duchess has been released in the beginning of 2019 and new songs are in the making soon to be recorded. A collaborations with an English producer are all part of the upcoming project within the music and my art has hit the New York scene. New York Art Gallery, TriBeCa, Manhattan is now representing my art on their website. In January 2020, I started a collaboration with Svenska Konstgalleriet and the gallery owner Mikaela Himmelström, where she has taken my work to an international market.
To be continued…