The Tallest Man on Earth

Kristian Matsson (born 30 April 1983) is a Swedish singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name The Tallest Man on Earth.

In February of that year, he re-released "King of Spain" as 12" vinyl for the event Record Store Day. the album was limited to 2000 copies.

Matsson grew up in Leksand, and began his solo career in 2006, having previously been the lead singer of the indie band Montezumas.

His music has often drawn comparisons to the music of Bob Dylan.

Since 2006, Matsson has released seven full-length albums and four EPs.

He records and produces these in his home, and usually records his voice and guitar together on one track.

He is known for his charismatic stage presence.

He was previously married to Amanda Bergman, also known by the stage name Idiot Wind.

Together, they wrote the music for the Swedish drama film Once a Year.

Before Kristian Matsson began his solo career, he was the lead singer of the indie band Montezumas.

Matsson's first solo release, The Tallest Man on Earth, was released in 2006.

The EP received positive reviews.

At the start of his solo career, Matsson didn't plan to make music full-time, and he released his music without providing personal information or photographs of himself to journalists.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of The Wild Hunt, Matsson released a cover of "Graceland" by Paul Simon through Dead Oceans.

In 2008, Matsson released an album, Shallow Grave, which was praised by the music site Pitchfork and was listed #47 on Pitchfork's list of the 50 Best Albums of 2008.

The album received generally favorable reviews.

Following Shallow Grave 's release, Matsson was chosen as the opening act for the American indie folk band Bon Iver.

The resulting publicity led to a solo tour throughout the United States, Australia and Europe, where he attracted large crowds, in spite of the lack of a record deal or distribution in the United States.

The song "Pistol Dreams", also released as a single, appeared in the Swedish television serial How Soon Is Now? (Swedish: Upp till kamp).

On 9 October 2009, Matsson visited the Daytrotter studio, where he recorded four songs, including a cover of Bob Dylan's "I Want You."

At that time, Matsson cited Roscoe Holcomb as an influence for his singing style and later included Emmylou Harris, Feist and Cat Power as influences.

Mattson signed with the American label Dead Oceans, and in April 2010 released his second album, The Wild Hunt.

The album was well received.

The single "King of Spain" contains, besides the title track, a cover of Paul Simon's "Graceland" and the previously unreleased track "Where I Thought I Met the Angels"; it was sold exclusively at the subsequent European tour.

During the late summer and autumn of 2010 Matsson went on tour in North America and Europe.

The album was followed that same year by an EP, Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird, which also got good reviews.

The EP was released through the iTunes Store in September, and in November was published on CD, LP and MP3.

The album consists of five songs, all written for The Wild Hunt; "Like the Wheel" the conclusion of many of Matsson's gigs, and "The Dreamer", was the first recording on which he plays electric guitar.

The Wild Hunt garnered Matsson several award nominations.

In 2011, he was nominated in the category "Best Male Artist" in the Grammis Awards, the Swedish equivalent of the American Grammy Awards, but lost to Håkan Hellström.

Matsson was also nominated in the category "pop" in the 2011 P3 Gold Awards, but lost to Malmö indie pop band This Is Head.

In February 2011, Matsson won the Manifest Award in the "singer/songwriter" category; he was also nominated in the "live" category, lost to Robyn.

On 5 April 2011, Matsson participated in the BBC's program, Later... with Jools Holland, where he performed the songs "King of Spain" and "Love Is All".

In June of the same year, Matsson's debut EP, The Tallest Man on Earth, was reissued with the previously unreleased track "In the Pockets" exclusive to the vinyl edition of the reissue.

In July, he released the single "Weather of a Killing Kind" as part of the 2011 Adult Swim Singles program.

In August 2011, Matsson had contributed to the soundtrack of the Swedish drama film En gång om året (English: Once a Year), along with the Idiot Wind.

The album was recorded by Matsson himself in his home studio in Dalarna during the latter part of 2011 and early 2012.

The film premiered at the Gothenburg Film Festival on 29 January 2012 and had a theatrical release on 17 May 2013.

On 27 January 2012, Matsson took part in the Swedish TV game show, På spåret where he, backed by a studio band, performed two cover songs: Thin Lizzy's "Dancing in the Moonlight" and Cornelis Vreeswijk's "En Fattig Trubadur" (English: A Poor Troubadour).

On 12 June 2012 (June 11 in the UK), Matsson released his third studio album as The Tallest Man on Earth, There's No Leaving Now, on Dead Oceans.