Vidar Johnsen

Norwegian singer/songwriter Vidar Johnsen first rose to prominence as the lead vocalist of the folk-rock ensemble Vamp, steering the group to multiple chart-topping releases throughout the early and middle years of the 2000s. Later in the decade he formed a creative partnership with Swedish singer/songwriter Peter Nordberg that yielded a pair of well-regarded collaborative projects. Born on November 24, 1972, in Haugesund, Norway, Johnsen issued his first solo album, Cover Me, in 1995; the English-language collection consisted entirely of original compositions. Although commercial impact remained modest, the release opened the door for him to step in as replacement for former frontman Jan Toft within Vamp. Established in 1991 by Torbjørn Økland on guitar, Øyvind Staveland on violin, and Calle Apeland on bass, the band had already secured six Top Ten placements on the Norwegian albums chart across its first ten years. Johnsen’s inaugural album with Vamp, Månemannen, arrived in 2002 and climbed to number two, becoming the group’s strongest-selling effort up to that point. Subsequent releases Siste Stikk in 2005 and I Full Symfoni in 2006 both reached number one and maintained chart presence for roughly six months each. Amid these achievements, Johnsen put out his second solo record, Dance of Lust, in 2005. He then left Vamp, joined forces with Nordberg, secured a contract with Sony BMG, and issued the joint album Ord og Ögonblick in 2007. The project peaked inside the Norwegian Top Five, generated the single “Den Morgenen,” and received a Spellemannprisen nomination for best pop album. The duo followed with Mål & Mening in 2008, which included the track “På Vift” and likewise reached the Top Five.