SILJE NES IS A singer-songwriter is from Bergen, Norway, but now she's on a cell phone somewhere in Fort Worth, Texas, having visited an optometrist for a new contact prescription.

"You don't need a prescription in Europe," she says as a noisy wind swirls around her.

Before the Dec. 2007 release of her debut CD, "Ames Room" (Fat Cat), Nes would just sit in her bedroom and create her strange, delicate, late-night songs, never playing them live — or for anyone.

Now she's touring the United States, accompanied by a drummer.

"It's been really a big change," she says. "I've just been doing things totally on my own — not even playing songs for my friends, even. ... But I've really enjoyed sharing it with people a lot."

While it's difficult to comprehend all of Nes' lyrics — her English is fine; it's the softness of her voice and the gauzy album mix that cause the mystery — there's an undeniable intimacy to her songs, even if their meanings are mostly hidden. She also covers her face in promo photos, seeming uncomfortable about exposing too much or herself.

"It's not really something I chose," she says of the promo pix poses. "It's just what feels natural. I feel more comfortable without really exposing as much as possible."

There's no hiding on a concert stage, but Nes admits she's starting to enjoy stepping into the spotlight.

"It's a work in progress still. ... It's hard to get used to playing things live, but it's getting fun too."

» DC9, 1940 9th St. NW; with The Dodos and Bottles/Cans, Sun., 8:30 p.m., $8; 202-483-5000. (U St.-Cardozo)


Photos courtesy Fat Cat Records

Posted by Christopher Porter at 6:38 AM on March 27, 2008
Tagged in Entertainment , Music , The District , Top Stories , U Street-Cardozo