Espen Lind

A Spellemannprisen recipient and Norwegian pop musician, Espen Lind captured widespread attention across his native country through the 1997 release of his sophomore album Red while simultaneously achieving stateside recognition as the co-writer of major singles, among them Beyoncé’s chart-topping 2007 track “Irreplaceable.” He first entered the Norwegian pop landscape in 1995 under the alias Sway. Although his opening full-length, Mmm...Prepare to Be Swayed, moved few copies, it drew enthusiastic notices from domestic critics, prompting Universal to sign him. Adopting his legal name, he resurfaced two years afterward with the wistful jangle-rock single “When Susannah Cries,” which climbed straight to the summit of the Norwegian singles chart and reached the Top Five across much of Europe and Latin America. Red followed shortly thereafter; the album surpassed 600,000 copies sold globally and secured Lind the Spellemannprisen honor for Artist of the Year. Its strong performance set a high bar that proved difficult to match, and his next project, This Is Pop Music, fell short of comparable sales. Four years passed before another collection appeared, 2005’s April. In the interim Lind concentrated largely on composing and producing material for fellow performers, most prominently “Irreplaceable,” though reports circulated that a fresh album might arrive in 2007.