Theresa Andersson isn’t afraid to be different.

“I definitely don’t play the violin in its most traditional form,” the Swedish-born entertainer says. “I like to jam out, do some wacky solos, play it through a wah-wah pedal and stuff like that. I actually play more like a guitar player.”

Whatever it is Andersson does, it’s been getting attention as of late. This year alone, the singer, songwriter, and violinist extraordinaire has appeared in a Lifetime Channel movie special, released a critically acclaimed album and sold more CDs than any other artist at the famous New Orleans Jazzfest.

One thing she hasn’t done, though, is play in the Midwest. That will change Saturday night, when Andersson and her three bandmates open for national blues-funk-rock act Sonia Dada in Des Moines.

The concert will be held at Simon Estes Amphitheater as part of the Alive concert series, presented by People’s Productions. Tom Zmolek, owner of People’s Productions and People’s Bar & Grill in Ames, says Saturday’s show will be quite the welcoming party for Andersson.

“Sonia Dada is this huge deal to people in Des Moines,” Zmolek says. “In fact, Des Moines is their second-biggest market in the nation, behind Chicago. We’re already over 1,200 tickets sold for that, so we may end up selling that show out. This is going to be one of our biggest shows of the summer.”

Zmolek chose Andersson to open the show not only because she is playing nearby in Lawrence, Kan., on Friday, but also because he has heard plenty of good things about her.

“Theresa was in the area, playing the Wakarusa Music Festival the night before,” Zmolek says. “I had heard of her from New Orleans, and there’s a lot of big buzz about her down there. There’s a buzz in the jamband scene about her a little bit, and there’s definitely a buzz in the New Orleans scene. I think she’s going to be perfect with Sonia Dada.”

Andersson is on tour this summer promoting her new album, “Shine,” which she says is “basically a roots-pop-rock record.” Although the album may seem like a patchwork of musical styles at first, Andersson says it becomes more cohesive after a few listens.

“This record is kind of like a painting,” she says. “It’s got a lot of bold, different colors, but when you step away from it after a while, it sort of comes together as a whole.”

“My last record was a lot softer, while this one is more aggressive and plays on sexuality more,” Andersson says. “Thematically, I talk more about inner strengths and being independent. I was more grounded back then, but I didn’t have as much inner force or light as I do now.”

Saturday night’s show will feature Andersson on vocals, violin and rhythm guitar, along with a backup band consisting of bass, drums and guitar. The set will consist of plenty of new songs and a few older ones, but Andersson says her live performance will differ somewhat from the recorded material.

“I kept the songs shorter on the album to have a better chance at radio,” she says, “but when we play live, we extend them and jam out quite a bit. I find that when you perform live, people really get going when you pump it up a notch. I think I’m a rocker, you know?”