Odd Nordstoga

Odd Nordstoga, born December 10, 1972, in Vinje, Norway, grew up as the child of Norwegian folksingers and later watched his brother Aasmund Nordstoga build a thriving career in entertainment. Already an award-winning performer celebrated for his versatile approach, the singer had earned strong critical regard long before issuing his first solo album, Luring, in 2004. That crossover collection of folk-pop material became a major commercial triumph, holding the top spot on the Norwegian albums chart for 14 weeks. Nordstoga entered the recording world in 1997 as a member of the band Something Odd, whose self-titled debut appeared on an independent imprint. The release secured the group a contract with BMG, which in turn yielded the 1998 follow-up Solreven. Limited results from that major-label effort prompted BMG to drop the act, after which the musicians rebranded as Nordstoga and delivered a self-titled album for Grappa in 2000. More pop-oriented than earlier work, the record produced a pair of modest hits, one of them the Edvardprisen-winning track “Bie På Deg.” Still aligned with Grappa, Nordstoga launched another ensemble and released the folk-focused Blåmann Blåmann in 2001, its title drawn from a poem by Norwegian writer Aasmund Olavsson Vinje. Critics responded favorably, and the set included the minor hit “Tippe Tippe Tuve.” The label’s next Nordstoga project, Nivelkinn (2002), paired him with fellow folkie Øyonn Groven Myhren on material drawn from poems by Aslaug Vaa; the album surpassed its predecessor in critical acclaim and captured a Spellemannprisen in 2003. Armed with that established reputation, Nordstoga moved to Universal Music for his solo bow, Luring, whose strong chart run earned him two Spellemannprisen honors in 2005, among them Artist of the Year. Subsequent releases “Heim Te Mor” (2006) and Pilegrim (2008) also proved hugely popular, each reaching number two on the albums chart and generating the hit singles “Heim Te Mor” and “Min Eigen Song.”