Since the release of his debut album It’s A Tensta Thing which became a Swedish chart topper in 2008, Adam Tensta has made dance floors from Stockholm to Dakar, from Paris to Los Angeles,sizzle with his electro/house influenced sound. By now, people on three continents know the words to his socially conscious lyrics from hits like My Cool, Dopeboy, Before U Know It and They Wanna Know from It’s A Tensta Thing. Adam Tensta gained national exposure in May 2007 with his debut single They Wanna Know, which enjoyed heavy rotation on all major radio stations along music television stations, including ZTV, The
Voice TV and MTV. The big breakthrough came a few months later, as he dropped the single My Cool. It became an instant hit and parked itself in the Swedish Dance charts for eight consecutive weeks, reaching fourth place on the Swedish single chart. My Cool has been viewed more than 3.3 million times on YouTube.
Perhaps the biggest sign of appreciation came when the album It’s a Tensta Thing was awarded the 2008 Swedish Grammis (The Swedish equivalent to a Grammy) for best Dance/Hip Hop/Soul album.
Past
Born Adam Momodou Eriksson Taal, on August 1, 1983, Adam grew up the son of a single mother and an absent, heroin-addicted father in a project in the outskirts of Stockholm called Tensta. Despite his upbringing in a project where violence and crime is the norm, Adam Tensta refused to take the path of many of his peers. Instead of stealing, smoking weed and skipping school he found
a mental sanctuary in music. Artists like Bob Marley and hiphop acts like Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and Nas became the source of inspiration for his first rhymes. To honor his roots, Adam took Tensta as his artist name, and soon negative media headlines about crime, segregation and welfare, shifted to those of a promising career and an interest in the rising star. Though not pushing his beliefs on others, Adam Tensta excludes alcohol, cigarettes and drugs from his lifestyle. He is a representative for the Swedish chapter of Save the Children and an ambassador for Alla Olika Alla Lika, a youth campaign against prejudice and discrimination in Sweden. Adam Tensta has opened for artists like Jay-Z, Youssou N’Dour, Akon, Dead Prez and Rihanna. He also appeared in numerous online music forums, urban magazines and blogs, including last year, when celebrity gossip blogger, Perez Hilton, handpicked They Wanna Know to feature in a Levi’s campaign. Present
With the Scandinavian release of his 2009 Video Grammis nominated single, Area Turns Red ft. Eboi & Infinite Mass, Adam Tensta is now turning his focus on an international career. In September 2008, Adam Tensta performed with Yung Berg and Rick Ross in California, his very first US gig. In January 2009, he was flown to LA by a major record label, to discuss a future working relationship.
In April he was back in LA again, this time participating in Musexpo and performing at various clubs, including The Viper Room, The Roxy Theatre and Cinespace. That opened the door to an 10 day club tour in NY, Hardfest in LA and a slot at SXSW. At this very moment, Adam Tensta and producer Nils Ears Lundberg are putting the final touches to an international and updated version of It’s a Tensta Thing. Not only has the recognition of Adam Tensta’s music opened international doors for Respect My Hustle, but also for the Swedish hiphop industry as a whole. Every once in a while, an artist comes along that completely changes the game.
Keep your eyes and ears open, he might be kickin’ down your door in 2010.
http://bylarm.no/nor/artists/8950