I may have given up on reviewing the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix out of utter boredom (leave a comment if you want me to review the final) but I will not be giving up on Norwegian pop any time soon. It may be their Swedish neighbours who are known for their pop supremity, but increasingly the Norwegians are catching up.
Annie
Annie is probably the most successful new Norwegian artist, and with phenomenally ace songs like Chewing Gum, Heartbeat and Me Plus One she completely deserves it. There were a few less exciting tracks on the album but I’m hoping she’ll go all out on the next one and make it 100% ace.
Kristin Frogner
The lovely Kristin starred in the first issue of my Poptastisk fanzine and I even got a mention on her web site. She recently released her album and the tracsk are available on iTunes even in the UK so go and support her and buy them, or at the very least her top single
Kurt Nilsen
His music may be dull but he is a complete legend simply for this photo:
What a buff hottie!
Kjartan Salvesen
The second winner of Norwegian Idol was Kjartan and his musical output (or at least the one single of his I heard) was much, much better. Watch the video for Standing Tall and wonder why our reality show winners don’t get given songs like this for their first single, here.
Bertine Zetlitz
Just as cute and talented as Annie but a bit less polished, Bertine is another super-cool blonde Norwegian electro-pop girl who has worked with Richard X. She could be described as a cross between Annie and Gwen Stefani – a recipe for aceness if ever there was one!
Venke Knutson
One of the nicest pop stars from Norway must be Venke Knutson, who seems impossibly sweet and makes music as gently beautiful as she is. Panic, Scared and Love Explains It All are three particularly great Venke songs.
Erik Faber
With all the rubbish in the UK album charts of late, you’d think the words “singer-songwriter” and “ace” could never be in the same sentence, but they can and they will. Erik Faber is a singer-songwriter and he’s utterly ace. His songs, such as Century and Open Your Eyes, are immensely powerful, emotional ballads which I never tire of.
Espen Lind
One of the biggest music stars in Norway is Espen Lind, who released a great song in the UK called Unloved last year. His latest album is fantastic, especially the song Driving In Your Car, and his duet with opera star Sissel, Where The Lost Ones Go, is amazing.
Lene Nystrom
Lene was the lead singer in Aqua and, after marrying Soren Rasted from the band, she went solo in 2003 releasing an iconic single called It’s Your Duty (To Shake That Booty) and a great album which sadly sold very few copies in her homeland. She has had some success though, co-writing No Good Advice for Girls Aloud.
Lilyjets
If you like the Veronicas you have to listen to the Lilyjets, cos they have also worked with Max Martin on their songs, which are in the “nu-Max” (girly pop rock) style. Only 2 singles have been heard so far but I’m looking forward to more as both were fantastic.