Freya

''This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Freyja.''

Freyja Ásdís Kristjánsdóttir (born 18 March 1992 in Reykjavík, Iceland), known professionally as Freya is an Icelandic fashion, glamour, and runway model, singer-songwriter, socialite, and reality television personality. She is considered by many to be one of the most influential models of the 21st century.

Freya came to prominence in the Summer of 2012 after being discovered by socialite Kim Kardashian at the boutique she was working at in Downtown Los Angeles. She was later invited by Kardashian to the launch party for her new perfume line and was convinced to pursue a career in modeling. She is managed by the same manager of the Kardashians, Simon Orsik.

1992–2012: Early life and career beginnings
Freya was born in Reykjavík, Iceland. Her mother is Fjóla Þorsdóttir, a teacher, and her father is Kristján Samúelsson, a fisherman. She has three younger sisters, Annika (b. 1994), Frigg (b. 1996), and Helga (b. 1998). She is a quarter Faroese from her mother.

She attended both compulsory education and gymnasium in Reykjavík and completed her secondary education in early 2012. Freya was discovered by Kim Kardashian while vacationing in Los Angeles with friends.

2012–2013: Modeling career, feud with Willow Pape, and breakthrough
At the end of 2012, Freya began getting managed by the manager of the Kardashians, Simon Orsik. Her modeling debut came in January 2013 in a national spread by PopGlam Magazine. In early 2013, Freya was in a heavily-reported feud with American actress Willow Pape. The two repeatedly attacked each other via social media throughout early 2013 before agreeing to bury the hatchet. Pape went as far as saying Freya was stalking her and demanded a restraining order. Freya later announced she would sue Pape for libel, but this was settled outside of court.

2013–2014: Freya 101, Playboy, and Victoria's Secret
In July 2013, Freya announced she would be the Playboy Playmate of the Month for August 2013. In August 2013, she announced that she has signed a five year contract with Victoria's Secret to become a Victoria's Secret Angel. Also in August, Freya announced that she has been asked to take part in a reality show which would air on MTV and be titled Freya 101. The show would chronicle her furthering modeling career, her music career, her relationship with boyfriend Pavel Teodorescu, and her relationship with her family. It was filmed from March–June 2014. She had a cameo in the film Kaleidoscope as herself.

2014–2015: Music career, Arabian Nights, and further success
In Spring 2014, Freya announced that she has signed a record deal with label Universal Music Group and will soon be starting production on her debut album. In July 2014, she announced that the album will be titled Arabian Nights and a lead single would be announced shortly. The single was later announced to be called "Hellfire". In September 2014, Freya revealed that Freya 101 had not been renewed for a second season, however a new reality series featuring only Freya's family members entitled Welcome to Reykjavík was picked up by MTV.

2015–present: Focus on music and Wallflowers and Lollipops
On 4 January 2015, Freya announced that she will not be doing a tour for Arabian Nights despite previously saying she would and instead will work on creating new music for her second studio album. On 17 March 2015, Freya announced that the lead single should be released around April and that the album will be released in Summer. The lead single was later announced to be called "Superficial Girl". Her second studio album will be called Wallflowers and Lollipops.

Public image
Despite originally being perceived as another "famous for doing nothing with no brains" type celebrity by the public, Freya shocked audiences when she revealed that she had a genius IQ of 147 in an interview with Metropolitan Magazine. She is one of the few Icelandic women to be a part of the international genius organization MENSA. After this news surfaced, she began to be hailed as a role model for young girls and women everywhere due to being able to display brains and beauty in a positive way. However, she faced harsh criticism after announcing that she will appear in Playboy.

Personal life
Freya is a vegetarian and large supporter of PETA, having donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the organization. Despite spending most of her time in the United States, she has stated that she will not move there permanently and will not naturalize as an American citizen. In an interview, she stated "I do work a lot in America, but it will never be my home. There's too many things that I do not agree with there and I could never live in a place like that. America is great for some but not me. I own houses in California and Miami but I only live there permanently in the Summers. Currently, I spend most of my time in my hometown of Reykjavík. I like Iceland. It is a peaceful country." In 2015, Freya claimed that she lives half the year in Oslo and half the year in London, while also owning homes in Reykjavík, Miami, Calabasas, Las Vegas, and Paris. She has an estimated net worth of over US$800 million. Freya is close friends with fellow socialite and model Ruphus.

In December 2012, it was reported that Freya was in a relationship with English model and actor, Dirk Diamond. They were together until July 2013 when Freya announced their break up on her Twitter account. In August 2013, she began dating Romanian footballer Pavel Teodorescu. Freya has stated that she is an atheist with no desire to follow a religion.

In September 2014, Freya came into trouble with the law while protesting outside of a slaughterhouse in Los Angeles with a radical protest group. The protest soon turned violent and Freya was taken into police custody. She was later released with only a small undisclosed fine due to disturbing the peace.

Discography

 * Arabian Nights (2014)