Jonna Lee
Jonna Emily Lee (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer and visual director. Lee is the creator and artist of audiovisual online project iamamiwhoami who since 2009 have released their audiovisual series online. Since her first solo album, she has collaborated with music producer and artist Claes Björklund who is also a member of iamamiwhoami.
Also recorded as ionnalee · Jonna Emily Lee
Jonna Lee

Andersju · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Jonna Lee
- Birth Name
- Jonna Emily Lee Nilsson
- Born
- 3 October 1981
- Birthplace
- Linköping, Sweden
- Occupation
- * Singer
- Awards
- Awards
- Full name
- Jonna Emily Lee Nilsson.
- Nationality
- Sweden
- Fields
- independent music · pop music · electronic music · synth-pop · alternative rock
- Languages
- Swedish · English
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Documentary summary
Jonna Emily Lee (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer and visual director. Lee is the creator and artist of audiovisual online project iamamiwhoami who since 2009 have released their audiovisual series online. Since her first solo album, she has collaborated with music producer and artist Claes Björklund who is also a member of iamamiwhoami.
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Note VALÉORINE
Jonna Lee (born 1981) is a Swedish film director, film producer and music video director, among other activities. The film director was born Jonna Emily Lee Nilsson. Jonna Lee is also known as ionnalee. Jonna Lee is a member of iamamiwhoami.
Genres include alternative rock, electronic music and independent music, among others. Languages used include English and Swedish.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q2617377
In this article
Biography
Biography
In 2017, Lee started using the moniker ionnalee for her new solo project. In February 2018 she released her debut solo album, Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten. Lee toured with Norwegian duo Röyksopp from 2015 to 2017. She is also a visual director for all her projects and the founder of the independent label To whom it may concern.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jonna Lee • Birth Name — Jonna Emily Lee Nilsson • Born — 3 October 1981 • Birthplace — Linköping, Sweden • Occupation — * Singer • songwriter • record producer • filmmaker • Years Active — 1998–present • Other Names — ionnalee • Awards — Awards • Website — ionnalee.com
Early life
Early life
Born in Linköping, Lee grew up in the small village of Fågelsta with her mother and siblings. No one in her family had any musical background but Lee had an interest in music as a young child, and ran away from home to London in her teens due to trying conditions at home. In 2002, Lee moved to Stockholm, where she became a part of the underground indie scene. She started recording her own records that were released through her website until she was signed by the Swedish indie label, Razzia Records, in the spring 2007. She released two solo albums and one EP through Razzia Records between 2007 and 2009, but left the label in 2010 and started the independent label "To whom it may concern." to release the audiovisual projects of iamamiwhoami.
Career
Career
• Illustration — Lee, seen performing here in 2008, developed iamamiwhoami with Björklund after the release of her second album in 2009 Lee was briefly part of the Eurodance duo Rolling Circus between 1998 and 1999, who released the album On The Run, produced by Swedish musician Hans Edler. After signing with the Swedish label Razzia Records, she then released her first solo album 10 Pieces, 10 Bruises on 10 October 2007. The first single was "Dried Out Eyes," followed by "And Your Love," a duet with Ed Harcourt, who also produced three tracks on the album. Lee produced the rest of the record with her collaborator, Claes Björklund who is a member of Travis in London. Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey plays drums on the record. Some songs were recorded in Goffey's house in England. In September 2008, she released a five-track EP titled This War. Her second studio album This Is Jonna Lee, produced by Claes Björklund and Lee herself, was released in February 2009. In October 2009, she released a version of the industrial electro band Nitzer Ebb's song "Violent Playground". The band celebrated it by uploading Lee's version on their website along with an interview with her. Between December 2009 and December 2016, Lee has released music and films under the pseudonym iamamiwhoami together with producer Claes Björklund and their visual collaborators. Lee worked as a presenter for the live program P3 SESSION Sveriges Radio P3 between 2009 and 2011.
iamamiwhoami
iamamiwhoami
In March 2010, there was considerable speculation that Lee was the artist featured in the viral marketing videos on YouTube uploaded by the mysterious iamamiwhoami, although her management claimed to be unaware of her involvement. According to rraurl.com and MTV Brasil, the music video for iamamiwhoami's track, "o" was directed by Viktor Kumlin, who's also the director of Lee's music video, "Something So Quiet". This later proved to be wrong. Lee eventually came to be unofficially identified as iamamiwhoami, when she released the music video titled "t" on her channel. She also appears identifiable in the forthcoming music videos released and has performed live at the 2011 Way Out West Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden. The project has garnered award nominations and has won a Grammis Award in 2010 for being 'Innovator of the Year'. iamamiwhoami's debut album kin was released in June 2012 under the label To whom it may concern. via Co-Operative Music, and Lee was credited as the artist, co-producer, songwriter and visual producer of iamamiwhoami, officially confirming that she is iamamiwhoami (which was already known by then). Lee eventually did an interview with The Guardian in August 2012, and confirmed that she was in the "process of developing iamamiwhoami", also commenting that she was still the "same person", but "found other sides of [herself]". In March 2022, Lee announced a new iamamiwhoami audiovisual album, Be Here Soon. The album was released on 3 June 2022.
ionnalee
ionnalee
On 24 February 2017, To whom it may concern., alongside Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market, announced the release of a new single by Lee, "Samaritan", and that it was to be released under the new artistic alias of ionnalee. Following the announcement, an Instagram account for the project was launched. One week later, it was announced that To whom it may concern. would be releasing the single on 10 March. The iamamiwhoami YouTube channel uploaded a teaser for the accompanying music video for "Samaritan". The official music video was released on 10 March on the same channel. On 2 June 2017, the second single "Not Human" with its accompanying music video followed. A third single, "Simmer Down", was released on 6 October 2017. A fourth single, "Gone", was released on 24 November 2017, followed by an announcement of ionnalee's third studio album, Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten. The album was released on 16 February 2018 on her label To whom it may concern. On the same day, she revealed an album visual feature film directed by Lee herself alongside director of cinematography and head producer John Strandh to accompany the album. On 2 February 2018, ionnalee launched a campaign on Kickstarter to fund a world tour for Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten. The pledges included things from universal tickets to the city of choice of the pledger, ionnalee merchandise, props from iamamiwhoami and ionnalee visual projects, to a unique, life-sized, handmade bust, crafted by ionnalee herself. The campaign reached 100% funding within five days, gathering the amount of 375,000 SEK. Later on, more stretch goals were added, in order to bring the tour to more cities. On 15 March 2018, the campaign came to its close, with a total of 750,187 SEK raised. The tour started on 9 May 2018, at Heaven, in London, and in the course of 2018, will spread across Europe, North and South America. On 3 February 2019, ionnalee announced the release of a new single "Open Sea" set to be released on 8 February 2019. On 4 February 2019, it was announced that ionnalee's upcoming second solo album Remember the Future is set to be released on 31 May 2019. On 10 February 2020, ionnalee announced a tour, entitled Kronologi, of North America to celebrate the tenth anniversary since the start of the iamamiwhoami project. However, the plans for the tour were placed on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 10 April 2020, ionnalee started releasing unheard tracks from the past ten years under the banner of Kronologi. On 2 September 2020, ionnalee performed her third live-streamed concert, titled Konsert, in place of her canceled Kronologi tour. The concert was streamed for free on YouTube. She performed alongside her longtime collaborator Class Björklund. The concert featured guest appearances from TR/ST, Imogen Heap, Zola Jesus and Tungorna.
Musical style
Musical style
Jonna Lee's early projects have been described as folk-pop. Her and Claes Björklund's project, iamamiwhoami, was considered an electronic music act, drawing a mix of styles, including electropop, synth-pop, art pop and avant-garde. Her music, under the moniker ionnalee, has been termed as electropop, indie pop and art pop.
Studio albums
Studio albums
• Title — Details • As Jonna Lee • 10 Pieces, 10 Bruises — * Released: 10 October 2007 * Label: Razzia * Formats: CD, digital download • This Is Jonna Lee — * Released: 25 February 2009 * Label: Razzia * Formats: CD, digital download • As ionnalee • Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten — * Released: 16 February 2018 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: CD, LP, digital download • Remember the Future — * Released: 31 May 2019 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: CD, LP, digital download • Close Your Eyes (English language version) Blund (Swedish language version) — * Released: 13 September 2024 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: CD, LP, Digital download • Mouth of a River, pt. 1 — * Released: 1 April 2026 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: CD, LP, Digital download • Mouth of a River, pt. 2 — * Released: 17 June 2026 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: CD, LP, Digital download • Mouth of a River, pt. 3 — * Released: 30 October 2026 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: CD, LP, Digital download
Live albums
Live albums
• Title — Details • As ionnalee • Konsert — *Released: 29 January 2021 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: CD, LP, digital download
Extended plays
Extended plays
• Title — Details • As Jonna Lee • This War EP — * Released: 24 September 2008 * Label: Razzia * Formats: CD, digital download • As ionnalee • Isolation Live in Ödeshög — * Released: 10 July 2020 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: digital download
Compilation albums
Compilation albums
• Title — Details • As ionnalee • Kronologi — * Released: 26 June 2020 * Label: To whom it may concern. * Formats: CD, LP, digital download • Kronologi 2 — * Released: 24 December 2024 * Label: To whom it may concern.
Singles
Singles
• Title — Year — Album • As Jonna Lee • "Dried Out Eyes" — 2007 — 10 Pieces, 10 Bruises • "And Your Love" (featuring Ed Harcourt) — 2008 • "I Wrote This Song" • "My High" — 2009 — This Is Jonna Lee • "Lake Chermain" • "Something So Quiet" • As ionnalee • "Samaritan" — 2017 — Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten • "Not Human" • "Simmer Down" • "Gone" • "Dunes of Sand" (with Jamie Irrepressible) — 2018 • "Joy" • "Work" • "Blazing" • "Open Sea" — 2019 — Remember The Future • "Some Body" • "Remember the Future" • "Matters" (with Zola Jesus) • "Paramount" — Non-album singles • "Machinee" — 2020 • "summer never ended the damage was all mine" "sommaren är min och jag kommer tillbaka" — 2021 — Close Your Eyes / Blund • "innocence of sound" "allting vill rinna ut i sand" — 2024 • "la la love" "la la love" (Swedish version) • "not your cherry" "ett minne" • "luminary rainbows" "ur en klardröm" • "i built this house" — 2026 — MOUTH OF A RIVER, pt. 1 • "bottomless blue" • "black shores" — MOUTH OF A RIVER, pt. 2 • "time to let it dry" • "inventor"
Guest appearances
Guest appearances
• Title — Year — Album • "What It Takes" (as Jonna Nilsson) — 2004 — Babylonsjukan: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack • "Violent Playground" — 2009 — There's a Razzia Going On, Volume 2 • "Genesarets sjö" (with Tungorna, as ionnalee) — 2019 — Baby
Remixes
Remixes
• Title — Year — Artist • "The Ceremony of Innocence" (ionnalee remix) — 2018 — Moby
Albums with iamamiwhoami
Albums with iamamiwhoami
• Bounty (2010–2011; compiled in 2013) • In Concert (2010) • Kin (2012) • Blue (2014) • Concert in Blue (2015) • Be Here Soon (2022)
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Jonna Lee was recorded at birth as Jonna Emily Lee Nilsson. The authorities additionally record the headings ionnalee and Jonna Emily Lee. Her recorded languages were Swedish and English.
Identity
Identity
Jonna Lee is recorded as songwriter, singer, musician, music video director and record producer.
Influences
Lee stated that she is influenced by Kraftwerk, Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, Christopher Nolan, Air and Vangelis. She also added that she enjoys listening to Blood Orange, Arca, Denis Villeneuve, Chromatics, Four Tet, Björk, Todd Terje, Disasterpeace and Mozart. She has mentioned Madonna and Chaka Khan albums owned by her mother as her favorites when she was young.
Awards, accolades and recognition
This Is Jonna Lee was chosen as the "Next Big Thing" on iTunes USA's front page in May 2009. Lee performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas in March 2010. After SXSW, she was in the Top 5 for the SXSW 2010 Next Big Sound list, which tracks how fast music artists are adding fans across various social networking platforms. In 2010, Lee received a Manifest Award nomination for Best Singer-Songwriter. In December 2018, Jonna Lee received a cultural achievement award from her hometown Linköping. Lee was nominated in 2019 for Best Synth Album of the Year for her album Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten at the Swedish independent music awards Manifestgalan. Lee has won three awards as iamamiwhoami.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.ionnalee. hello to my actual debut album released at 18 years of age.
- 2.Hogwood, Ben. ionnalee - Everyone Afraid To Be Forgotten Albums. musicOMH. 16 February 2018.
- 3.To whom it may concern. SHOP.
- 4.Sveriges Radio. Jonna Lee ny programledare för P3 Live Session. 7 September 2009.
- 5.Montgomery, James. 'Iamamiwhoami': Is Swedish Singer Jonna Lee Behind Viral Campaign?. MTV. 15 March 2010.
- 6.Mystery over identity of YouTube star iamamiwhoami. The Telegraph. 24 March 2010.
- 7.http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article7071611.ece
- 8.McKnight, Connor. Bloggers (Possibly) Crack 'IAMAMIWHOAMI' Mystery. Billboard. 18 March 2010.
- 9.http://207.218.201.243/videos/1582/iamamiwhoami_-_o
- 10.iamamiwhoami. t. 30 June 2010.
- 11.Bang on PR. iamamiwhoami // kin 3rd September Album Release // kin Video Trailer.
- 12.Cragg, Michael. The ethereal world of Jonna Lee. The Guardian. 11 August 2012.
- 13.Jonna Lee. overjoyed to announce our latest project: iamamiwhoami; Be Here Soon (audiovisual album) due june 3. 1509485667671318534. 2022-03-31.
- 14.To whom it may concern. 2017-02-24.
- 15.@ionnalee. Instagram. 2017-02-24.
- 16.To whom it may concern.
- 17.introducing; ionnalee.
- 18.iamamiwhoami. ionnalee; Samaritan. 10 March 2017.
- 19.iamamiwhoami. Artist. 1092164552156987392. 3 February 2019.
- 20.TR/ST & ionnalee - Tickets - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, Ontario - April 26th, 2019. Ticketfly.com.
- 21.happy to be well enough to release this news and to see you north american's again for the 10 year anniversary year of my work through this chronological audiovisual journey spanning from early #iamamiwhoami to now. Instagram.
- 22.hello from quarantine. due to the covid-19 pandemic i have to reschedule my US tour in may. Instagram.
- 23.kronologi. ionnalee.com.
- 24.konsert. ionnalee.com.
- 25.Springer, Katherine. ionnalee: Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten. Spectrum Culture. 7 March 2018.
- 26.Phares, Heather. iamamiwhoami Biography & History. AllMusic.
- 27.Marchione, Peter. Iamamiwhoami – Blue. Release Magazine. 22 December 2014.
- 28.Venkataramanan, Madhumita. YouTube star turns music videos into multimedia guessing game. Wired UK. 30 August 2012.
- 29.Jones, Matt. Nicki Minaj double cover for Dazed's A/W 2014 issue. Dazed. 10 September 2014.
- 30.Davidson-Vidavski, Doron. ionnalee made a phenomenal return to London last night. The Line of Best Fit. 11 December 2018.
- 31.Anderson, Samuel. V Exclusive: ionnalee Comes Through in Come. V. 26 April 2019.
- 32.Sacher, Andrew. ionnalee releasing new album 'Remember the Future,' going on tour. BrooklynVegan. 4 February 2019.
- 33.Rundin, Ksenia. ionnalee - A Searcher Who Explores. Odalisque Magazine. 14 April 2018.
- 34.Price, Jessica. SGN - Seattle Gay News - Page 22 - Remember the Future: A Q & A with ionnalee. Seattle Gay News. 3 May 2019.
- 35.Analytics and Insights for the Music Industry - Next Big Sound. nextbigsound.com.
- 36.[http://www.manifestgalan.se/122.aspx ]
- 37.tonight i received a cultural achievement award from my hometown Linköping. thanks a million from me and dad Fire @Linkopingkommun @linkoping. 1075867726789390336. 20 December 2018.
- 38.Artist. 1085562393265168384. 16 January 2019.
- 39.introducing my forthcoming new album. 1770773011785744886.
- 40.Juju Records. Babylonsjukan: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. 2004.
- 41.iTunes Store (SE). There's a Razzia Going On, Vol. 2 by Various Artists. 28 May 2010.
- 42.iTunes Store. The Ceremony of Innocence (ionnalee remix) - Single by Moby on Apple Music. 31 December 2018.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2617377: Jonna LeeWikimedia Foundation
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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