Idha | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Idha Övelius |
| Born | 22 May 1972 |
| Origin | Södertälje, Sweden |
| Genres | Indie pop, folk rock |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1994–1997 |
| Labels | Creation |
Idha Anna Maria Övelius (born 22 May 1972, Södertälje, Sweden),[1] known professionally as Idha, is a Swedish singer/songwriter. She released two albums in the 1990s on Creation Records: Melody Inn and Troublemaker.[2]
Idha was married to guitarist Andy Bell, co-founder of Ride and former bassist with Oasis,[1] as well as co-founder of Beady Eye, with whom she had two children, a daughter named Leia and a son named Leon. Bell co-wrote some of the songs on her debut album, Melody Inn, while former Small Faces member Ian McLagan contributed keyboards to the album.[2] Her 1994 EP A Woman in a Man's World featured guest appearances from both Evan Dando[2] and Stephen Duffy.
After a quiet couple of years, Idha returned in 1997 with her second album Troublemaker, again featuring Bell, alongside Tony Barber (of Buzzcocks) and Alan White.[2] While her first album largely consisted of country-tinged, acoustic folk-rock, the second had a much fuller sound with the addition of horns and strings.[3]
Idha lives in Stockholm, Sweden with her two children. She retired from the music industry in 2000. Since 2009 she has been working as a structural engineer at Stockholm based firm Hidemark & Stintzing Architects.