Dizzy Mizz Lizzy

Danish alternative rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy have experienced remarkable success, with a pair of multi-platinum albums during the 1990s and a legacy in Denmark that has seen them reunite and record during the 2010s. Frontman Tim Christensen, a talented singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, subsequently embarked on a fruitful solo career, releasing his debut album in 2000. Founded in 1988 in Copenhagen, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy included Christensen (vocals, guitar; born July 2, 1974), Martin Nielsen (bass guitar; born October 19, 1974), and Søren Friis (drums; born September 26, 1973). Beginning in 1991, the band reached the finals of the Danish Rock Championship for three years straight, winning the talent competition at last in 1993. The bandmembers used the prize money to record a four-track demo that garnered airplay on Danish rock radio and secured them a major-label recording contract with EMI. Produced by Nick Foss, the eponymous album Dizzy Mizz Lizzy marked the band’s full-length debut. The album was a remarkable success, spawning a long string of hit singles (“Barbedwired Baby’s Dream,” “Love Is a Loser’s Game,” “Waterline,” “Silverflame,” “Glory”), winning four Danish Grammys (including Best Danish Group), and going five-times platinum. While the follow-up album, Rotator (1996), failed to rival the success of its predecessor, it was fairly successful nonetheless, spawning a few singles (“Rotator,” “11:07 PM,” “When the River Runs Dry”), winning the band additional Grammys, and going two-times platinum. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy initially disbanded in 1998 and Christensen in turn embarked on a solo career. He made his full-length album debut in 2000 with Secrets on Parade, a Top Ten hit on the Danish albums chart. Subsequent albums were even more successful, especially his chart-topping second effort, Honeyburst (2003). In the midst of Christensen’s solo success, EMI released the retrospective compilation The Best of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy (2002). By 2010, the band was ready for a reunion tour, which eventually stretched out to more than 50 dates in Denmark and Japan. The live set Live in Concert 2010 followed, as did a documentary film about the band’s remarkable history, Lost Inside a Dream: The Story of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. Although Christensen returned to his solo career, the success of the band’s first reunion prompted another tour in 2015, this time accompanied by new recordings. Initially teasing these as just an EP or a series of singles, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy eventually released a full studio album, Forward in Reverse, in April 2016. It promptly hit number one in the Danish charts. ~ Jason Birchmeier