Karin Elisabeth Dreijer is a Swedish singer-songwriter and record producer. Dreijer was one half of the electronic music duo the Knife, formed with their brother Olof Dreijer. The Knife released their eponymous debut album in 2001. The duo gained a wider international recognition following the release of “Heartbeats”, the lead single of their second studio album, Deep Cuts (2003). The duo performed live for the first time in 2006, when they went on the Silent Shout Tour in support of their third album of the same name (2006). The duo disbanded in November 2014, after completing the Shaking the Habitual Tour.
While the Knife were on hiatus, Dreijer released their self-titled solo debut album under the alias Fever Ray. It was released digitally in January 2009 and physically in March. The album was preceded by its lead single “If I Had A Heart” (2008), which was used in numerous television series, including, as well as the opening theme song for the Canadian-Irish historical drama television series Vikings. Dreijer performed as Fever Ray at the 2010 Coachella Festival and received positive reviews. In September of the same year, they performed at Electric PIcnic in Ireland.
Dreijer’s vocal style is notable for both shrill and deep tones, and also the use of multitracked vocals with the use of pitch-shifting technology. Visually, they use masks, face and body paint, intricate costumes, and other theatrical elements in photo shoots, videos and live performances, during which they often perform behind a gauze screen that partially obscures the audience’s view.
Dreijer wrote the music for the theatrical adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s 1968 horror film Hour of the Wolf, which premiered at Stockholm’s Royal Dramatic Theatre in March 2011. One of these tracks, “No Face”, appeared in demo form on the 2012 compilation album We Are the Works in Progress, organised by Blonde Redhead to benefit victims of the 2011 Japanese tsunami. In February 2016, Dreijer announced they had written and produced music for a theatre play called Vahák (English: Violence), which plays on themes of colonial and homophobic violence. That same month, Dreijer revealed in an interview with The Fader that they were working on solo music, though they were unsure whether it will be under the Fever Ray moniker.
In October 2017, Dreijer released the single “To the Moon and Back” and its accompanying music video. It served as the lead single to their second studio album, Plunge. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics upon release and appeared on numerous year-end lists. In support of the album, Dreijer embarked on an international tour throughout 2018, with the first leg of which was held in Europe and began in February, followed by a North American leg held in May. In the 2018 Swedish Grammys, Dreijer and the producers they collaborated with on Plunge won the award for “Producer of the Year”. Plunge was also nominated for Best European Independent Album at the IMPALA awards. In March 2023 Fever Ray released their third album, Radical Romantics.
