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The Actress releases debut album – Corinna’s Sea Shanties and Ballads
Corinna’s Sea Shanties and Ballads is The Actress’ debut album, a vivid, cinematic journey through pirate adventures, sea myths and human stories. The album was born from the pirate larp Tundlaheim-saga, where The Actress played the character Corinna and also wrote the first songs that became the foundation of the album.
With friends, musicians and the team at KMR Studios, she has created a warm soundscape, where drinking songs, romantic stories and grand ballads meet. From sing-alongs in the harbor tavern to heartbreaking farewells, the album offers an immersive story from first to last track.
A ship full of songs
Corinna’s Sea Shanties and Ballads is an anthology that takes the listener on an enveloping journey, where every track is its own story within a shared world. The album’s overall tone is inspired by Irish folk music, sea shanties, and poems and tales from the 18th century.
The first songs on the album were created when Hanna Stenbeck visited Tundlaheim for the first time. There, she played the character Corinna, a musical sailor who lives for song and dance. As part of the larp preparations, Hanna wrote the songs “Come Ye Sailors” and “Lovely Lady”. This marked the start of what would later become a full album.
After Tundlaheim, filled with adrenaline and longing for the next larp, Hanna continued to write music. Many songs were added, and questions started to arise from acquaintances about ambitions to record the songs in a studio. It was at this stage that Hanna found KMR Studios and producer Filip Killander. It was also here that the artist name The Actress was born. The name is carefully chosen, since Hanna’s ambition is not to stay in a specific world, but to move freely between them.
The Actress’ strength as a storyteller shines through the entire project. By letting stories and characters lead the songs, rather than following genre boundaries, music is created that feels both authentic and timeless. The album provides a window into a creative universe where pirates, myths and human emotions meet, and where every track carries a story to discover.
From sketches and demos to songs and stories
The listener is invited on a journey that begins and ends at a tavern, but along the way visits places far away. In order to reproduce these stories in the best way, the demand for production has been very different from song to song. Some of the tracks are recorded live, with several musicians in the studio at the same time, to recreate the “tavern feeling”. For some tracks, it was more relevant to have a surgical approach to the recording process in order to achieve the perfect tone.
However, the different approaches to producing the album have never stood in the way of creating a unified soundscape. When we listen to the album from start to finish, there are no “gaps” between the tracks. It is one continuous experience from start to finish, and that is no coincidence. Hard work, planning, and a sharp vision lie at the foundation. To accomplish this, The Actress and producer Filip started recording the entire album as demos. This was to experiment with track order, and to invite guest musicians to listen to the songs as early as possible in the process.
When the demo songs were finished, much of the album was recorded during two intense recording weekends in summer and autumn of 2024. The focus was on creating a great vibe in the studio, which was easy since many of the musicians knew each other through previous larps. Before and after these weekends, many sessions were spent capturing a wide variety of instruments and voices. Accordion from Dalarna, nyckelharpa from Gotland, double bass and fiddles from Uppsala, and voices from all over Sweden.
Filip highlights in an interview the exceptional level of organization and technical expertise required to pull the project together. “I had headaches the first six months, but it was definitely worth it.” Every instrument, voice and effect had to be color-coded and sorted according to a clear system, so nothing would be lost.
The strength of the album lies in its contrasts and wide dynamics – both musical and emotional. Songs like “If You Were To Be My True Love” with its incredible lyrics and beautiful fiddle solo, or the piano and vocals in “Passing the Torch”, are hard to listen to without shedding a tear. At the same time, there are tracks bubbling over with joy and laughter, like “Ye Merry Men” and “Lovely Lady”.
A crew of musicians
One of the many things that make Corinna’s Sea Shanties and Ballads unique is how clearly the album is permeated by community. During the recordings at KMR Studios, friends and musicians gathered around The Actress, and the studio became a place for both creativity and playful antics. Laughter, improvisations and spontaneous ideas melted together in the music, giving each song an organic, vibrant and playful sense. Piano, fiddles, mandolin and nyckelharpa are blended with cello, double bass and ambitious choir arrangements in ways that enhance the different stories and add warmth, depth and texture.
The social interaction and close collaboration give the listener a feeling of being in the middle of the music – as if standing in the tavern or on a tilting deck. You can literally hear the laughter and almost feel the atmosphere from the different recordings. This is reinforced by the fact that the whole album was created and released in Dolby Atmos. A revolutionary audio format, available via headphones, phones, cars, sound systems, bluetooth speakers and in cinemas.
In the interview, The Actress describes the work as “dragging your friends into your mischief”, where all ideas and little quirks became part of the album along the way. This collaborative spirit makes the record easy to embrace at first listen. At the same time, it carries creative depth with many layers and hidden gems that reward returning listeners.
With sights set on the horizon
The Actress has created a debut album that not only tells stories of pirates and sea adventures, but also reflects universal experiences like loss, grief and love. The result is a warm, cinematic and timeless work where you can feel heart, laughter and drama. The visual work for the album received the same care and attention as the music. Hand-painted elements meet deep technical know-how with a result that is both personal and inviting. The three singles leading up to the album are photos taken to convey the feeling of each song and collectively offer the attentive listener a cohesive story.
“Corinna’s Sea Shanties and Ballads” may be The Actress debut album. But it’s not the only world we’re expected to be invited to. How long she stays among sea shanties and ballads, or if that world will be visited again, remains to be seen. Whatever she chooses to set her sails toward next, we’re here eager to be part of the next story.
Project Members
Contributors
Artist: The Actress
Lyrics & Music: Hanna Stenbeck
Arrangements: Hanna Stenbeck and Filip Killander
Musicians
Hanna Stenbeck: Vocals, backing vocals, voice, percussion, lyrics, melody, arrangements
Filip Killander: Producer, vocals, backing vocals, voice, percussion, guitar, bass, piano, mandolin, drums, programming, arrangements
Hannes Andersson: Vocals, backing vocals, voice, guitar, percussion
Max Pettersson: Backing vocals, voice, percussion, piano
Charles Lundvik: Backing vocals, voice, guitar, percussion, jaw harp
Jonathan Todd: Backing vocals, guitar
Gustav Danielsson: Accordion, voice, backing vocals
Oscar Flink: Violin
Carles Magrinyà Badiella: Double bass
Kasper Randler: Backing vocals
Johan Straarup: Vocals, backing vocals, voice, percussion, sound effects
Adam Straarup: Voice
Vide Eklind: Nyckelharpa
Jonas “Jonny” Eriksson: Backing vocals
Technicians
Production: Filip Killander
Mixing (Atmos & Stereo): Filip Killander
Mastering (Atmos & Stereo): Filip Killander
Studio
Recording: KMR Studios
Mixing (Atmos & Stereo): KMR Studios
Mastering (Atmos & Stereo): KMR Studios
Recording year: 2024 – 2025
Executive Production
Photo & Video: Hannes Andersson
Graphic Design: Filip Killander
Editor: Filip Killander, Kasper Randler
Released by: KMR Studios (2025 11 14)
Mixed and Mastered in Dolby Atmos
This production has been mixed and mastered in Dolby Atmos. KMR Studios is one of the few studios in Sweden that's actually certified by Dolby. This means that both the studio room and the technician working on the music meet international high standards.
Order Mixing What is Dolby Atmos?