| Magnet | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Even Johansen |
| Birth Date: | 1970 6, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Bergen, Norway |
| Instrument: | Guitar, lap steel guitar |
| Genre: | Folk, Pop, Electronic |
| Occupation: | Musician, songwriter |
| Years Active: | 2000–present |
| Label: | Hermetix Recordings/Sony BMG Filter Recordings (US) Warner Music Norway |
| Associated Acts: | Libido Chocolate Overdose |
Magnet is the pseudonym of Norwegian singer-songwriter Even Johansen (born 7 June 1970).[1] To date, he has released five full-length studio albums as well as several singles and EPs. Johansen draws upon many influences, including folk, pop, and electronica. His albums are composed and produced solely by him, and he usually performs live sets on his own, using preset loops or creating them as he plays.
Even Johansen was born, raised, and resides in Bergen, Norway, but he has also lived just outside the southern Scottish town of Lockerbie, where he recorded his On Your Side album.[1] Initially, Even was a founding member of the Norwegian rock bands Libido and Chocolate Overdose. During his involvement with Libido, Even conceived a series of songs he thought were inappropriate for the band. His first solo album, Quiet & Still, was released in 2000 under the alias Magnet (in the United States, the album was released under his real name). The name "Magnet" originated from when Even was a child with anemia; he was prescribed a special magnetic tattoo on his left shoulder so it could attract iron.[2]
Magnet's second album On Your Side was released in June 2003 on Ultimate Dilemma to positive critical acclaim. The album features Magnet's duet with Irish singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes on a cover of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay", which was later featured in the 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Following European and North American tour dates throughout 2003 and 2004, Magnet signed to Atlantic Records for his third album The Tourniquet, which was released in May 2005 to further positive acclaim.[3] In 2006, he contributed several songs to the soundtrack of the video game .[4] His fourth studio album, The Simple Life, followed in March 2007 on the Hermetix Recordings label, an imprint of Sony BMG.
Over the years, Even has toured with Phoenix, Engineers, Zero 7, Isobel Campbell, Gemma Hayes, Ed Harcourt, Stars, and Doves.[5] [6] Even also provided a remix of Doves' song "The Last Broadcast," which was featured on the bonus disc of their 2003 B-sides and rarities compilation Lost Sides.
On 16 July 2011, Even posted a new single to his Myspace page entitled "Doldrum Days", and followed it with his fifth and latest album at that date on 2 December 2011. The album, Ferrofluid,[7] was released in Norway through iTunes and other retailers.