Anna Sundstrand

Anna Maria Carolina Sundstrand is a Swedish singer, model, actress and writer. She was one of the four original members of the girl group Play.

Early Life
Anna was born in Täby, a small community north of Stockholm, Sweden. She has always had a passion for singing and dancing and, at the age of 5, she started singing in Ministrålarna, a famous Swedish vocal group. With the group she would travel around the country and even performed on television.

She had a hard time in school due to being bullied by her peers. Eventually her parents moved her to a different school. She later went to Sway which allowed her to perform at big musical events around the country and she enjoyed being around other kids who understood her passion for performing.

That is when Laila Bagge discovered Anna. Right away, Laila got Anna involved in her musical projects and Anna was always the lead performer. She participated musicals like "Annie" and "The Sound of Music".

Time in Play
A year later, Laila and Anders Bagge decided to put together a girl group. Anna was their first choice to be in the group and Laila also picked another girl from Sway, Anais Lameche. Auditions were held to find the last two members and finally Rosie Munter and Faye Hamlin joined the group in September 2000. The hard work started right away and after only few weeks Tommy Mottola overheard the girls singing while talking to Anders on the phone. They were flown to America and signed to Colombia Records.

After the release of their second album, Faye decided to leave the group. In the end of 2003, Janet Leon became the newest member of Play. After releasing a new album and touring for another year the unanimous decision was made to go separate ways.

Solo Career
In the beginning of 2005 Anna decided to pursuing modeling and was signed by MMG (Model Management Group) in New York City. Though, Anna quickly realized that she missed singing and dancing and decided to go back to the studio and record a few songs. Anna performed at several concerts with former Dream Street member Chris Trousdale, singing two new songs, "Press Rewind" and "Say It Again", and "If Only", a duet with Chris. However, it wasn't until November 2010 when her first single "Brand New Me" was released on iTunes.

Anna has had roles in two films, although neither one has been officially released yet. Gone Astray (previously titled The Perfect Argument, and before that The Sacred Journey) is about a group of teenagers sent on a field trip meant to "scare them straight" and guide them onto a path with God. Split Second (previously titled The Truth About Layla) is about a girl who suffers memory loss after a car accident.

Anna parted ways with MMG and eventually signed to Colby Models.

Anna's newest project is writing a book about the struggles of being a teenage pop star. Starshine Magazine's Sandy Lo was helping Anna with the book, but had to step down due to her busy schedule.

Play's Reformation
Anna was not asked to be a part of Play's reformation in 2009 that originally consisted of Anais, Fanny and Rosanna. Rosanna eventually dropped out of the group and was replaced by Sanne Karlsson.

In November of 2009 Anna addressed the situation with a letter to Star Shine Magazine:

"Dear Fans,

''I know you are upset and confused about the news that I will not be a part of the "new" Play. This situation was out of my hands and not my decision. Faye did call me a couple of months ago to tell me about the news. She also told me they did not want me included in the "Play reunion". I was sad and hurt about the decision, especially the way it was handled. Play was such a big part of my life; it saddens me to know they could just continue without me and Rosie. Thankfully, I have my own career that I'm focusing on. I have movie projects, my book, etc. coming up. Thank you so much for all your support over the years and through this awkward situation. I'm strong and I'm a fighter. I hope to have you support in all my future projects. You have a lot to look forward to. Thanks for being patient.''

Lots of Love, Anna"

Trivia

 * She is related to the legendary actress Greta Garbo.
 * She currently resides in Manhattan, New York.
 * She is lactose-intolerant.
 * She has two tattoos, one on the back of her neck and one on her wrist.
 * She has two Yorkshire Terrier's, one is named Diesel.
 * She won her first singing competition when she was only 8 years old by singing Emilia's "I'm a Big Big Girl".

Discography
Singles
 * Brand New Me (2010)

Filmography

 * Gone Astray (2009)
 * Split Second (2009)