Pina Kollars

Pina Kollars is an Austrian-born female folk rock singer. She is usually only known as Pina.

Pina Kollars
Kollars in 2014
Background information
Birth namePina Pertl
BornVienna, Austria
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • multi-instrumentalist
  • record engineer
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboardist
  • percussion
Years active2001–present
Labels
Associated actsAfro Celt Sound System

Early years

Pina Pertl was born in Vienna and raised by her grandparents. She began writing songs in her teens and studied classical guitar at the city's conservatorium. She began studies in medicine,[1] but decided on a career in music instead. She found making a living from music in Austria was difficult and relocated to Cork, Ireland, in 1997.[2]

Music career

Pina's songwriting was inspired by the isolated countryside, and she formed her own band to play on the local music circuit. She played at the Glastonbury Festival in 2003[3] and began showcasing her talent in London. She was included on a British tour supporting Ani DiFranco and sang a duet with Afro Celt Sound System's Iarla Ó Lionáird on the Real World Records album, Volume 3: Further in Time, singing on "Go On Through".[4]

Pina's recording on Further in Time was heard by Peter Gabriel and he released her first album, Quick Look, on his Real World Records label.[5] Billboard called it an "extraordinary debut", praising her as a "gifted" instrumentalist and a writer of "compelling lyrics."[6] AllMusic compared her to Stevie Nicks, praising her distinctive voice and awarding it 3/5.[5] Les Inrockuptibles compared her to Nick Drake and Emmylou Harris, blending Celtic romanticism with central-European classicism.[7] RootsWorld compared her to Melanie Safka, praising her voice but questioning whether the lyrics meant anything.[8] Classic Rock found her a bit self-obsessed.[9]

In 2005 Pina released her second album Guess You Got It.

Personal life

When she moved to Ireland, Pina was married to Helmut Kollars (b. 1968, Graz), a writer and illustrator of children's books. The couple had a daughter, Luise Magdalena, but divorced before the recording of Pina's first album.[2] Kollars went on to work as a freelance illustrator for publishing and advertising in Ireland, Belgium and the US, and eventually settled in Kassel.[10]

Pina had a second daughter in 2006 and married musician Andy Hogg in 2009. In 2007 she completed studies to become a nutritional therapist and moved back to Vienna.

Discography

References
  1. Pina Kollars, Last.fm, retrieved 26 September 2015
  2. Pina, Austria, Real World Records, retrieved 26 September 2015
  3. Pina Kollars dedicates new song to me, Bubblews.com, 2014, archived from the original on 27 September 2015, retrieved 26 September 2015
  4. "Afro-Celt Sound System teams with Plant, Gabriel on third Real World album". Billboard: 12, 109. 23 June 2001.
  5. Widran, Jonathan. "Review :Quick Look". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  6. van Vieck, Philip (3 August 2002). "Pina Quick Look (Review)". Billboard: 16–16.
  7. "Pina - Quick Look". Les InRocKuptibles. 30 November 2001.
  8. Foley, Jim. "Pina / Quick Look". RootsWorld. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  9. Fielder, Hugh (May 2002). "Pina - Quick Look". Classic Rock: 100. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
  10. Helmut Kollars Vita, retrieved 26 September 2015
  11. Pina Kollars, AllMusic, retrieved 26 September 2015


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