Norwegian singer, songwriter, and educator based between Rome, where she has lived and worked for more than 30 years,
and her current home, Lisbon.
Her origins and her typical nordic voice brings her to deepen both the ancient music tradition of her native country, as well as what goes under the term Nordic Jazz.
Nina Pedersen is born in Grimstad, a small town on the south cost of Norway. She early discovers the wonders of music, and starts her musical career playing the guitar and singing for her grandmother and other patients at the retirement home.
She soon becomes the soloist in the local choir, and at the age of 13 she is selected to take part of the vocal group “Jubal” performing all over the country. She starts her music studies, graduating at "Oddernes Gymnas", Kristiansand, and continues
her studies, specializing in arranging and choral conducting, at "Indremisjonsselskapets Bibelskole" in Oslo where she approaches jazz for the first time, studying with Elin Rosseland. In 1989 she gets the main female part in the musical "Chess", receiving excellent reviews from the Norwegian national press.
She moves to Rome in 1990, and continues her vocal studies, both in Italy and in the United States, studying with Cinzia Spata, Maria Pia de Vito,
Mark Murphy, Fabrizia Barresi, Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton, Judy Niemack, Rosa Rodrigues and Doris Andrews.
She is a versatile singer and musician, active in various projects.
She is the vocalist of the "Moonlight Big Band". A classic 18-member jazz orchestra. Their album: “Swing e l’altra faccia della luna” was released in 2010.
She was the lead singer of the italian trip-hop group “Mata Hari”. Their album of the same name was released in 2000 and appears as the soundtrack of the movie “Ultimo Stadio” by Ivano de Matteo.
In 2011 she releases the album "Songs From The Top Of The World" for the Italian label “Alfa Music”. The album is entirely dedicated to the repertoire of her native country Norway, and its long and strong folk music tradition.
Together with Aldo Bassi, Lutte Berg, Luca Pirozzi, Arnaldo Vacca and Carlo Cossu she creates a new, modern sound to an “old” repertoire, and she achieves wonderful reviews from both the public and the critics.
Three years later, in 2014, she releases her first album in Norway, for the Norwegian label “Sweet Morning Music”
owned by the Norwegian jazz singer and actress Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen. "So Far So Good” is her first album as a songwriter; almost all of the tracks are written by her, lyrics and music. Great musicians are joining her on this album;
Beside her solid trio: Pierpaolo Principato, Marco Loddo and Alessandro Marzi, there are three wonderful soloists featuring: The former Chet Baker band-member, the flautist Nicola Stilo, the brilliant trumpet player Luca Aquino and the young and upcoming trombonist Alessandro Tedesco. Her Norwegian “debut” achieves great reviews from the press, and during her release tours in her home-country, she appears at Oslo Jazz Festival and at important jazz scenes in the capital and the south part of the country.
“Eyes Wide Open” is her first album for “Losen Records”, and Nina Pedersen is confirming her increasing interest for composition and songwriting. “Eyes Wide Open” is a modern, laidback and relaxed album. Some electronic elements are introduced by the new entry, the drummer Giampaolo Scatozza. The pianist Pierpaolo Principato introduces keyboards on several tracks and Marco Loddo is solidly supporting with bass loops. Paolo Innarella is delivering wonderful saxophone
solos on Mrs. Nilsen and the ballad “Mother & Son” and Aldo Bassi is featuring with his trumpet on “Granny’s Waltz” and
“Ribbon of Sand”, the only track not signed Nina Pedersen. “Ribbon Of Sand” is signed John Surman and Karin Krog which
also wrote these liner-notes for the album:
"Time Is A Restless Thief" is her second album with Losen Records, and is released autumn 2020. Paolo Innarella is
featuring with both flute and saxophone alongside her faithful trio Principato, Loddo and Scatozza.