Biography
Driven by an enduring sense of musical adventure, signature vocal timbre, and persistent air of wistfulness, Victoria Bergsman steered Taken by Trees along an unpredictable route that diverged sharply from the indie-pop foundation of her earlier band, the Concretes. After issuing a debut album whose delicate, string-laden atmosphere suggested a more vulnerable extension of prior work, she delved into Middle Eastern-inflected textures on East of Eden in 2009, pursued balmy tropical atmospheres on Other Worlds in 2012, and embraced bright, radio-oriented pop on Yellow to Blue in 2018. The project’s reversion to indie-pop territory with the Another Year EP in 2022 underscored Bergsman’s consistent fidelity to her essential artistic instincts regardless of stylistic shifts.
After more than ten years as the Concretes’ enigmatic and introspective lead singer, Bergsman departed the group in 2006 once its second album, In Colour, had appeared. She promptly launched a solo endeavor under the Taken by Trees moniker, teaming with Björn Yttling of PB&J to capture four tracks—“Tell Me,” “Too Young,” “Lost and Found,” and “Hours Pass Like Centuries”—which surfaced online during autumn 2006. These initial recordings replaced the Concretes’ buoyant approach with a subdued mood that aligned her with Camera Obscura and El Perro del Mar. Taken by Trees’ first long-player, Open Field, arrived via Rough Trade in 2007. The following year brought two singles: “Sweetness,” issued on Chico Records, and a reinterpretation of Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine.”
Intent on pursuing fresh directions for the subsequent album, Bergsman joined recording engineer Andreas Söderström on a journey to Pakistan, where they collaborated with local musicians. The outcome, East of Eden, emerged in 2009. Her next project drew impetus from a visit to Hawaii and a desire to fuse the languid, island-tinged “Diamond Head” by the Beach Boys with the heavily reverberant dub of Augustus Pablo’s “AP Spezial.” Reuniting with Söderström and enlisting producer Henning Fürst of the Tough Alliance for the first time, she tracked the bulk of the material on the island of Hawaii before relocating to Los Angeles, where Dan Horne and Farmer Dave Scher of Beachwood Sparks contributed additional elements. Secretly Canadian released the completed Other Worlds in October 2012.
Thereafter Bergsman stepped back from active recording, though she contributed guest vocals to Blackstrap’s 2013 single “Make Sense Make Change” and Jesse Kival’s 2017 EP Contact; Taken by Trees remained largely inactive until Yellow to Blue appeared in 2018. Issued independently, the album steered toward polished contemporary pop, with songs co-written by Ariel Rechtshaid, whose productions for Haim informed its sonic character. Bergsman shared production responsibilities with Jesse Shatkin, known for his work with Kelly Clarkson and Sia. After completing the record she returned to Stockholm. While developing material for a fourth Taken by Trees album, she redirected her focus toward honoring a key influence, Colin Blunstone. Alongside Björn Yttling and John Eriksson of Peter Bjorn and John, and with Freja the Dragon serving as co-producer, she recast five signature songs from the former Zombies vocalist in shimmering indie-pop arrangements. The resulting Another Year EP was issued in December 2022.
After more than ten years as the Concretes’ enigmatic and introspective lead singer, Bergsman departed the group in 2006 once its second album, In Colour, had appeared. She promptly launched a solo endeavor under the Taken by Trees moniker, teaming with Björn Yttling of PB&J to capture four tracks—“Tell Me,” “Too Young,” “Lost and Found,” and “Hours Pass Like Centuries”—which surfaced online during autumn 2006. These initial recordings replaced the Concretes’ buoyant approach with a subdued mood that aligned her with Camera Obscura and El Perro del Mar. Taken by Trees’ first long-player, Open Field, arrived via Rough Trade in 2007. The following year brought two singles: “Sweetness,” issued on Chico Records, and a reinterpretation of Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine.”
Intent on pursuing fresh directions for the subsequent album, Bergsman joined recording engineer Andreas Söderström on a journey to Pakistan, where they collaborated with local musicians. The outcome, East of Eden, emerged in 2009. Her next project drew impetus from a visit to Hawaii and a desire to fuse the languid, island-tinged “Diamond Head” by the Beach Boys with the heavily reverberant dub of Augustus Pablo’s “AP Spezial.” Reuniting with Söderström and enlisting producer Henning Fürst of the Tough Alliance for the first time, she tracked the bulk of the material on the island of Hawaii before relocating to Los Angeles, where Dan Horne and Farmer Dave Scher of Beachwood Sparks contributed additional elements. Secretly Canadian released the completed Other Worlds in October 2012.
Thereafter Bergsman stepped back from active recording, though she contributed guest vocals to Blackstrap’s 2013 single “Make Sense Make Change” and Jesse Kival’s 2017 EP Contact; Taken by Trees remained largely inactive until Yellow to Blue appeared in 2018. Issued independently, the album steered toward polished contemporary pop, with songs co-written by Ariel Rechtshaid, whose productions for Haim informed its sonic character. Bergsman shared production responsibilities with Jesse Shatkin, known for his work with Kelly Clarkson and Sia. After completing the record she returned to Stockholm. While developing material for a fourth Taken by Trees album, she redirected her focus toward honoring a key influence, Colin Blunstone. Alongside Björn Yttling and John Eriksson of Peter Bjorn and John, and with Freja the Dragon serving as co-producer, she recast five signature songs from the former Zombies vocalist in shimmering indie-pop arrangements. The resulting Another Year EP was issued in December 2022.
Albums
Singles
