Bernhoft

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Jarle Bernhoft launched his professional path as an angst-ridden rock frontman, later pivoting toward a distinctive one-man-band approach rooted in retro-soul while periodically working with full ensembles. Born in 1976 in Nittedal to an opera singer and a music teacher, he received formal training during his youth and participated in the local scene throughout secondary school. Following graduation, he enjoyed modest recognition in the '90s funk-rock quartet Explicit Lyrics, yet his first major commercial success arrived after he and bandmate Fridtjof Nilsen established Span. Joined by bassist Kim Nordbæk and drummer Fredrik Wallumrød, the group issued Gil Norton-produced Mass Distraction in 2004 and the Top Ten-charting Vs. Time the following year before dissolving.

Bernhoft then recast himself as a classic soul man on the 2008 solo debut Ceramik City Chronicles, which reached number one in Norway, and followed it with the 2010 live recording 1: Man 2: Band under the shortened name Bernhoft. Constructing arrangements spontaneously via looping pedals, he gained international attention in 2011 with a solo appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show performing material from his second album, Solidarity Breaks, which held the summit of the Norwegian chart for seven weeks. He moved to Brooklyn, New York ahead of 2014's Islander, which included a duet with neo-soul icon Jill Scott, returned him to the top of the Norwegian rankings, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album in the U.S.

While touring both with and without his chosen Norwegian backing band the Fashion Bruises or their American counterparts the Shudderbugs, he put out the EP Stop/Shutup/Shout It Out in spring 2016. A second EP devoted to funk and soul, The Morning Comes, arrived in January 2017. His self-produced fourth album, Humanoid, was tracked in Oslo alongside the Fashion Bruises and entered Norway's Top 30 upon its 2018 release.