Samsaya

Samsaya
Photo: Jarle Vines.
Background information
Birth name	Sampda Sharma
Born	1979 (age 37–38) Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India
Genres	Pop, dance-pop, R&B
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2004-present
Website	www.samsaya.com

Sampda Sharma, better known by her stage name Samsaya, is an Indian-born Norwegian singer and actress.

Samsaya was born Sampda Sharma in Hamirpur to an Indian mother, Aruna Sharma, in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. She lived in India with her family and moved to Norway at the age of only eleven months. She grew up on Ellingsrud in Oslo and went to Ellingsrudåsen skole and played football.

Growing up she was influenced by Hip-hop and listened to Public Enemy. She appeared with her first band at the age of nineteen. After several years of making music with other urban musicians in Oslo, she got her breakthrough as an actress in the Norwegian movies, Folk flest bor i Kina, the horror movie Villmark and Hawaii Oslo.

In 2004 she released her debut album Shedding Skin. She also released a video of the hit track "Ever been had?". After touring Norway, she took a break, and a couple of years later she set off to New York City. After spending a year in New York, she launched her single "Special blend" by Prayon, in collaboration with Levi's Norway.

In 2008 she released a new single called "Change," produced by Andre Lindal and Geir Hvidsten, which went to second place on the Norwegian singles chart, VG-lista. She was then signed to Bonnier Amigo, the same record label as Madcon, Paperboys and Mira Craig.

Her track "Dodge it" (Eve Nelson/Samsaya) was in the two times Oscar-nominated movie, The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. In 2009 she released the two singles "Money" produced by Jarl Aanestad and co-produced by Andre Lindal and "ADHD" produced by Jarl Aanestad.