Odd Nordstoga
Encyclopedia
Odd Nordstoga is a musician, actor and editor from Vinje
in Telemark
, Norway. In 2004, he went from relative obscurity to becoming the country's biggest selling recording artist, with the phenomenal success of his first solo album proper, "Luring". The album, a fusion of pop and Norwegian
folk music
, has sold more than 160,000 copies in Norway to date and earned him several Spellemannsprisen awards. For the album Strålande Jul, released together with Sissel Kyrkjebø
, he won an unprecedented 11 Norwegian platinum trophies.
, Telemark
, the homestead
of author Aasmund Olavsson Vinje
. He hails from a hugely cultural family. His mother, Ellen Bojer Nordstoga is a renowned folk singer
. His father, Olav Nordstoga is a folk singer, former politician and the chairman of the Vinje Literary Days. In addition, brother Aasmund Nordstoga
has made a name for himself as a singer, dancer, actor and radio and TV presenter. Renowned organist Kåre Nordstoga
is his second cousin.
Nordstoga resides in Lambertseter
, a borough
of Oslo
, together with his wife Hilde Marit Kvile Nordstoga and three children.
inspired "Fuggel i Karmen" and the haunting ballad "Ingen eg kjenner", came out of this album, but the album sold poorly and the band was dropped from their label. In 2000, Odd Nordstoga changed the name of Something Odd to simply Nordstoga, signed to the Norwegian label Grappa and released a more pop music
oriented self titled album. A couple of minor radio hits, "Dag" and "Bie på deg", ensued. Nordstoga won Norway's prestigious Edvardprisen Award for "Bie på Deg". However, soon afterwards they disbanded.
Between 2001-2003, Odd Nordstoga concentrated most of his efforts towards the more traditional folk music of Telemark. With his other band Blåmann Blåmann (named after the poem by Aasmund O. Vinje), consisting of Nordstoga and his friends from Vinje, guitarist Asgaut H. Bakken, flute player Silje Hegg and harding fiddle virtuoso Lars Underdal, he released a self-titled album to great reviews in 2001, and scored a radio hit in "Tippe Tippe Tuve". In 2002 he teamed up with highly respected Norwegian folk musician Øyonn Groven Myhren (amongst other things known from the folk ensemble Dvergmål) to write, perform and release the album Nivelkinn, based on poems by Telemark poet Aslaug Vaa
. This collaboration scored a couple of minor radio hits in "Uppi Måneskin" and "Guten og Folen", and earned them the Spellemannprisen award (Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy) in 2003 for best folk music album. Nordstoga was also involved in a book release in 2002, namely the song book Song for deg og meg (Song for you and me) which he edited, consisting of children songs written in Nynorsk
, one of Norway's two written standards.
to write and perform the title track from her Édith Piaf
-cabaret, entitled Eg & Edith. The cabaret and its soundtrack, although met with great anticipation, was a minor flop in terms of album sales and tickets sold, whereas the title track proved to be a nice radio hit for the pair. Nordstoga, together with lyricist Stein Versto (another Vinje native), also contributed with the track "Rosevev" on this album.
Nordstoga had previously worked with Kråkevik in the film Det Rare, based on a short story by famous Norwegian writer Tarjei Vesaas
.
In 2004, Nordstoga signed for Universal Records
and made his definitive breakthrough with the album Luring, selling 150.000 copies and spending 14 weeks on top of the Norwegian album charts. The lead single from the album, about a howling pig entitled "Kveldssong for deg og meg", is already a Norwegian evergreen and one of the most played songs on Norwegian radio in 2004. "Texas", "Lause Ting", "Hallo Hallo" and "Farvel til deg" from the same album also became massive radio hits for Nordstoga.
The tour in the wake of the album, the so-called Luringtur tour, which Nordstoga played together with his backing band Daz Nordstogaz Allstars, played to a 60.000 strong crowd. At the Spellemannprisen Awards in February 2005, Nordstoga won two awards as he was named best male artist and Artist of the Year. In the summer of 2005, Nordstoga once again took to the road for the "Luringtur" MK II tour.
Nordstoga has also been involved in TV productions. In 2004 he did the music for the Norwegian children's series Linus i Svingen that was broadcast on NRK 1, Norway's public broadcaster. The theme song, "Svingensongen", is being released in 2005 on the compilation album Tidenes beste barneplate 2. He has also been involved with the music for Norway's vastly popular UHU! series.
In June 2005, Nordstoga teamed up with some of Norway's finest jazz musicians and performed the piece "Pilegrim" to great acclaim at Festspillene i Bergen (Bergen Music Festival). the lyrics were written by lyricists Stein Versto and Ragnar Hovland
, both previously involved in the Luring production. In August 2005, he made a cameo appearance with Norwegian rap-collective Klovner i Kamp
, singing the chorus to their single "Syng".
Odd Nordstoga has also done projects for 'The Salvation Army' and folk music projects with different people, amongst other things, renditions of the famous Telemark piece "Storegut" with brother Aasmund and Lars Underdal, and guest appearances with the band Fake It or Leave It who play Beatles songs Norwegian folk music style.
Nordstoga released his follow-up to Luring in October 2006. Entitled Heim Te Mor, the album received a great deal of airplay and acclaim from critics all over Norway. The radio single and title track "Heim Te Mor" became a radio hit upon release in September 2006, marking another milestone for Nordstoga as this release marks his first music video
as a solo artist, an animated video based on a Nordstoga concert in his local community made by the Animidas film maker crew. With radio single number two "Frøken Franzen" coinciding with the album's release, Odd Nordstoga looks set for another album success. He is also responsible for the soundtrack to the forthcoming Christmas children series Jul i Svingen on Norway's NRK TV channel, which is the follow-up to Linus i Svingen.
Nordstoga released the songbook Songfuggel i Karmen in 2007, containing his greatest hits and his personal favourites. In 2008 the album Pilegrim was released to great acclaim, securing the third bestseller in a row for the artist. In the autumn of the same year Nordstoga, together with his brother Aasmund Nordstoga
and fiddler Per Anders Buen Garnås, toured Norway with a revamped version of the Storegut performance.
. The album is a collection of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish Christmas songs. The album was issued under the moniker Sissel & Odd and accompanied by a series of concerts in Scandinavia. In an attempt to sell more records in the age of downloading the album was partly released through the grocery store chain Coop Norge whereby its members could buy the album at a reduced price. The gimmick paid off, securing a sale of over 100.000 copies in its first week of release alone, of which 60.000 were sold in Coop stores. With the album selling well in both Norway and Sweden, it was released in Denmark on December 1, 2009. It was revealed by the end of 2009 that this album was the best selling album of the 2000s in Norway, selling 400,000 copies.
piece The Magic Flute
(Tryllefløyten). Nordstoga, having played Papageno in the piece in the spring of 2006, withdrew from the plans to show the stage adaptation on NRK TV during Christmas 2006. According to Nordstoga's management and label, a screening of the play at this time would collide with Nordstoga's two album releases of 2006 and overexpose him. The result was a massive outburst from some of his contemporaries in the Norwegian folk music scene, most prominently the folk singer Kirsten Bråten Berg
. In the media, Nordstoga was portrayed as the villain, letting his personal career interfere with the ensemble of which he was part. In later interviews, Nordstoga claims to have been very sad about the situation and felt trapped by his obligations toward his recording company.
potential in his career. He has collaborated with leading Norwegian artists and musicians from a wide variety of genres including folk music
, jazz
, electronica
, chanson
, hip hop
, rock
, classical music
and pop
. In addition to this, Nordstoga has shown that he is a "jack-of-all-trades
" within the cultural field having performed in and helped writing cabaret
s, opera
, edited books and acted in a film.
. The album peaked at #17 in the Swedish Charts. The album will also be released in Denmark.
, Nordstoga writes and performs most of his original work in his native Telemark dialect, the variety of Norwegian language
that bears most resemblance to Old Norse
and modern day Icelandic
. He also speaks the dialect privately and in the media. This has become a trademark
for him and gained him respect from language organizations, as well as parodies and, to a small extent, ridicule from the Bokmål speaking population. He was awarded the Telemark County Travel Industry Award for 2010 for using his dialect to promote the county of Telemark in a positive way.
Radio singles
Music video
The soundtrack album for the NRK series Jul i Svingen, written in its entirety by Odd Nordstoga and John VInge, charted for 4 weeks in 2006, peaking at no. 22.
Nordstoga's single "Heim te Mor" spent 16 weeks on the Norwegian Top 20 Singles Chart in 2006-2007 peaking at no. 5. The single "Min Eigen Song" stayed in the charts for one week only in 2008, peaking at no. 19.
The album Eg & Edith by Herborg Kråkevik
, of which Odd Nordstoga was a substantial contributor both as a musician and songwriter, stayed in the Norwegian charts for 7 weeks in 2002 and peaked at no. 21.
Guest appearances
Rarities
Stage productions
Film
TV series
Books
Audio books:
Vinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...
in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, Norway. In 2004, he went from relative obscurity to becoming the country's biggest selling recording artist, with the phenomenal success of his first solo album proper, "Luring". The album, a fusion of pop and Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, has sold more than 160,000 copies in Norway to date and earned him several Spellemannsprisen awards. For the album Strålande Jul, released together with Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...
, he won an unprecedented 11 Norwegian platinum trophies.
Personal life
Nordstoga grew up at Plassen in VinjeVinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...
, Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, the homestead
Homestead (buildings)
A homestead is either a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding, such as a ranch, station or a large agricultural operation of some other designation.-See also:* Farm house* Homestead Act...
of author Aasmund Olavsson Vinje
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje was a famous Norwegian poet and journalist who is remembered for poetry, travel writing, and his pioneering use of Landsmål .-Background:...
. He hails from a hugely cultural family. His mother, Ellen Bojer Nordstoga is a renowned folk singer
Folk Singer
Folk Singer is a 1964 album by Muddy Waters. Waters plays acoustic guitar, backed by Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar...
. His father, Olav Nordstoga is a folk singer, former politician and the chairman of the Vinje Literary Days. In addition, brother Aasmund Nordstoga
Aasmund Nordstoga
Aasmund Nordstoga is a Norwegian musician, singer and composer from Vinje, Telemark. He made his solo debut in 2009 with the album Ein visefugg, an album for which he was nominated for the Spellemannsprisen award.-Family:...
has made a name for himself as a singer, dancer, actor and radio and TV presenter. Renowned organist Kåre Nordstoga
Kåre Nordstoga
Kåre Nordstoga is a Norwegian organist.Nordstoga had his early studies under Harald Aune and Odd Jacob Unhammer in Notodden where he grew up. He went on to study at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, where his teachers included Kaare Ørnung, Søren Gangfløt, Magne Elvestrand and Bjørn Boysen...
is his second cousin.
Nordstoga resides in Lambertseter
Lambertseter
Lambertseter is a suburb of the city of Oslo, Norway, and is part of the borough of Nordstrand.Lambertseter was built over a short period starting from 1951, and was the very first modern suburb of Oslo...
, a borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, together with his wife Hilde Marit Kvile Nordstoga and three children.
Early career
His career as a recording artist spans 8 years. He made his debut as a recording artist in 1997 with the band Something Odd and their self-titled debut. This album earned them a record deal with BMG Norway and they swiftly released the follow-up Solreven in 1998. Two minor radio-hits, the folk rockFolk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
inspired "Fuggel i Karmen" and the haunting ballad "Ingen eg kjenner", came out of this album, but the album sold poorly and the band was dropped from their label. In 2000, Odd Nordstoga changed the name of Something Odd to simply Nordstoga, signed to the Norwegian label Grappa and released a more pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
oriented self titled album. A couple of minor radio hits, "Dag" and "Bie på deg", ensued. Nordstoga won Norway's prestigious Edvardprisen Award for "Bie på Deg". However, soon afterwards they disbanded.
Between 2001-2003, Odd Nordstoga concentrated most of his efforts towards the more traditional folk music of Telemark. With his other band Blåmann Blåmann (named after the poem by Aasmund O. Vinje), consisting of Nordstoga and his friends from Vinje, guitarist Asgaut H. Bakken, flute player Silje Hegg and harding fiddle virtuoso Lars Underdal, he released a self-titled album to great reviews in 2001, and scored a radio hit in "Tippe Tippe Tuve". In 2002 he teamed up with highly respected Norwegian folk musician Øyonn Groven Myhren (amongst other things known from the folk ensemble Dvergmål) to write, perform and release the album Nivelkinn, based on poems by Telemark poet Aslaug Vaa
Aslaug Vaa
Aslaug Vaa was a Norwegian poet and playwright.-Biography:Aslaug Vaa was born on Nystog in Rauland, in Telemark county, Norway. Her lyrical debut was Nord i leite...
. This collaboration scored a couple of minor radio hits in "Uppi Måneskin" and "Guten og Folen", and earned them the Spellemannprisen award (Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy) in 2003 for best folk music album. Nordstoga was also involved in a book release in 2002, namely the song book Song for deg og meg (Song for you and me) which he edited, consisting of children songs written in Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
, one of Norway's two written standards.
Breakthrough
It was also in 2003 that the mainstream opened its eyes for Nordstoga as he teamed up with famous singer/actress/writer Herborg KråkevikHerborg Kråkevik
Herborg Kråkevik is a Norwegian singer and actress, known for her works with Norwegian folksongs and some stage works and many movies...
to write and perform the title track from her Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
-cabaret, entitled Eg & Edith. The cabaret and its soundtrack, although met with great anticipation, was a minor flop in terms of album sales and tickets sold, whereas the title track proved to be a nice radio hit for the pair. Nordstoga, together with lyricist Stein Versto (another Vinje native), also contributed with the track "Rosevev" on this album.
Nordstoga had previously worked with Kråkevik in the film Det Rare, based on a short story by famous Norwegian writer Tarjei Vesaas
Tarjei Vesaas
[Tarjei Vesaas was a Norwegian poet and novelist. Born in Vinje, Telemark, Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since World War II....
.
In 2004, Nordstoga signed for Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
and made his definitive breakthrough with the album Luring, selling 150.000 copies and spending 14 weeks on top of the Norwegian album charts. The lead single from the album, about a howling pig entitled "Kveldssong for deg og meg", is already a Norwegian evergreen and one of the most played songs on Norwegian radio in 2004. "Texas", "Lause Ting", "Hallo Hallo" and "Farvel til deg" from the same album also became massive radio hits for Nordstoga.
The tour in the wake of the album, the so-called Luringtur tour, which Nordstoga played together with his backing band Daz Nordstogaz Allstars, played to a 60.000 strong crowd. At the Spellemannprisen Awards in February 2005, Nordstoga won two awards as he was named best male artist and Artist of the Year. In the summer of 2005, Nordstoga once again took to the road for the "Luringtur" MK II tour.
Nordstoga has also been involved in TV productions. In 2004 he did the music for the Norwegian children's series Linus i Svingen that was broadcast on NRK 1, Norway's public broadcaster. The theme song, "Svingensongen", is being released in 2005 on the compilation album Tidenes beste barneplate 2. He has also been involved with the music for Norway's vastly popular UHU! series.
In June 2005, Nordstoga teamed up with some of Norway's finest jazz musicians and performed the piece "Pilegrim" to great acclaim at Festspillene i Bergen (Bergen Music Festival). the lyrics were written by lyricists Stein Versto and Ragnar Hovland
Ragnar Hovland
Ragnar Hovland is a Norwegian novelist, essayist, lyricist, and writer of children's books.He was awarded the Brage Prize in 1992 for the children's book Ein motorsykkel i natta...
, both previously involved in the Luring production. In August 2005, he made a cameo appearance with Norwegian rap-collective Klovner i Kamp
Klovner I Kamp
Klovner I Kamp is a Norwegian hip-hop group. Formed in 1994, at the time as a duo with Ali and Dr. S . Shortly after the band got a new member, "Dane" or "Danish" . Klovner I Kamp had this trio for several years, but in 2000, Finger'n or Goldfinger joined as the last and fourth man on the team...
, singing the chorus to their single "Syng".
Odd Nordstoga has also done projects for 'The Salvation Army' and folk music projects with different people, amongst other things, renditions of the famous Telemark piece "Storegut" with brother Aasmund and Lars Underdal, and guest appearances with the band Fake It or Leave It who play Beatles songs Norwegian folk music style.
Nordstoga released his follow-up to Luring in October 2006. Entitled Heim Te Mor, the album received a great deal of airplay and acclaim from critics all over Norway. The radio single and title track "Heim Te Mor" became a radio hit upon release in September 2006, marking another milestone for Nordstoga as this release marks his first music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
as a solo artist, an animated video based on a Nordstoga concert in his local community made by the Animidas film maker crew. With radio single number two "Frøken Franzen" coinciding with the album's release, Odd Nordstoga looks set for another album success. He is also responsible for the soundtrack to the forthcoming Christmas children series Jul i Svingen on Norway's NRK TV channel, which is the follow-up to Linus i Svingen.
Nordstoga released the songbook Songfuggel i Karmen in 2007, containing his greatest hits and his personal favourites. In 2008 the album Pilegrim was released to great acclaim, securing the third bestseller in a row for the artist. In the autumn of the same year Nordstoga, together with his brother Aasmund Nordstoga
Aasmund Nordstoga
Aasmund Nordstoga is a Norwegian musician, singer and composer from Vinje, Telemark. He made his solo debut in 2009 with the album Ein visefugg, an album for which he was nominated for the Spellemannsprisen award.-Family:...
and fiddler Per Anders Buen Garnås, toured Norway with a revamped version of the Storegut performance.
Strålande Jul and sales record
On November 9, 2009 Nordstoga released the album Strålande Jul together with Norwegian soprano Sissel KyrkjebøSissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...
. The album is a collection of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish Christmas songs. The album was issued under the moniker Sissel & Odd and accompanied by a series of concerts in Scandinavia. In an attempt to sell more records in the age of downloading the album was partly released through the grocery store chain Coop Norge whereby its members could buy the album at a reduced price. The gimmick paid off, securing a sale of over 100.000 copies in its first week of release alone, of which 60.000 were sold in Coop stores. With the album selling well in both Norway and Sweden, it was released in Denmark on December 1, 2009. It was revealed by the end of 2009 that this album was the best selling album of the 2000s in Norway, selling 400,000 copies.
Controversy
In the autumn of 2006, Odd Nordstoga was the cause of a controversy between the Norwegian national broadcaster NRK, his management, Universal Records and the producers and cast of Norwegian-Swedish folk music adaptation of the Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
piece The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
(Tryllefløyten). Nordstoga, having played Papageno in the piece in the spring of 2006, withdrew from the plans to show the stage adaptation on NRK TV during Christmas 2006. According to Nordstoga's management and label, a screening of the play at this time would collide with Nordstoga's two album releases of 2006 and overexpose him. The result was a massive outburst from some of his contemporaries in the Norwegian folk music scene, most prominently the folk singer Kirsten Bråten Berg
Kirsten Bråten Berg
Kirsten Marie Bråten Berg is a Norwegian folk singer and silversmith currently living in Valle in the Setesdal area of southern Norway. She trained as a silversmith at the Torleiv H. Bjørgums Vocational College Kirsten Marie Bråten Berg (born 7 January 1950 in Arendal, Norway) is a Norwegian folk...
. In the media, Nordstoga was portrayed as the villain, letting his personal career interfere with the ensemble of which he was part. In later interviews, Nordstoga claims to have been very sad about the situation and felt trapped by his obligations toward his recording company.
Crossover
Odd Nordstoga has showed remarkable crossoverCrossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
potential in his career. He has collaborated with leading Norwegian artists and musicians from a wide variety of genres including folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. In addition to this, Nordstoga has shown that he is a "jack-of-all-trades
Jack of all trades, master of none
"Jack of all trades, master of none" is a figure of speech used in reference to a person that is competent with many skills but is not necessarily outstanding in any particular one....
" within the cultural field having performed in and helped writing cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
s, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, edited books and acted in a film.
International career
Nordstoga is for the most part famous within Norway. However, together with Rikskonsertene, he carried out a tour of China in 2008. In concurrence with the release of the Christmas album Strålande Jul he toured Sweden as well as appearing on Norwegian-Swedish talkshow SkavlanSkavlan
Skavlan is a Norwegian-Swedish television talk show hosted by Norwegian journalist Fredrik Skavlan. It premiered in Sweden on Sveriges Television in January 2009, and the first guests to appear on the show were former Prime Minister of Sweden Göran Persson and his wife Anitra Steen. On 8 May 2009,...
. The album peaked at #17 in the Swedish Charts. The album will also be released in Denmark.
Dialect
Being from Vinje in the traditional district of Vest-TelemarkVest-Telemark
The Vest-Telemark traditional district of Norway comprises the upper and western areas of the county of Telemark. The region consists of six municipalities: Fyresdal, Tokke, Vinje, Nissedal, Kviteseid and Seljord....
, Nordstoga writes and performs most of his original work in his native Telemark dialect, the variety of Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
that bears most resemblance to Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
and modern day Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
. He also speaks the dialect privately and in the media. This has become a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
for him and gained him respect from language organizations, as well as parodies and, to a small extent, ridicule from the Bokmål speaking population. He was awarded the Telemark County Travel Industry Award for 2010 for using his dialect to promote the county of Telemark in a positive way.
Albums
- 1997 Something Odd (Odd Productions) - Something Odd
- 1998 Solreven (BMG Norway/RCA) - Something Odd
- 2000 Nordstoga (Grappa Musikkforlag) - Nordstoga
- 2001 Blåmann Blåmann (Heilo/Grappa Musikkforlag) - Blåmann Blåmann
- 2002 Nivelkinn (Heilo/Grappa Musikkforlag) - Øyonn Groven Myhren & Odd Nordstoga
- 2004 Luring (Sonet/Universal) - Odd Nordstoga
- 2006 Heim Te Mor (Sonet/Universal) - Odd Nordstoga
- 2008 Pilegrim (Sonet/Universal) - Odd Nordstoga
- 2009 Strålande jul (Universal) - Sissel & Odd
- 2010 November (Sonet/Universal) - Odd Nordstoga
- 2011 Bestevenn (Sonet/Universal) - Odd Nordstoga
Singles
Promotional singles- 2005 Syng (Tuba) - Klovner i Kamp feat. Odd Nordstoga
- 2006 Heim Te Mor (Sonet/Universal) - Odd Nordstoga
- 2008 Min Eigen Song (Sonet/Universal) - Odd Nordstoga
Radio singles
- Ein farfar i livet (2011) - Odd Nordstoga
- Bestevenn (2011) - Odd Nordstoga
- Lykkeliten (2010) - Odd Nordstoga
- November (2010) - Odd Nordstoga
- Upp gledjest alle, gledjest no (2009) - Sissel & Odd
- Frøken Franzen (2006) - Odd Nordstoga
- Svingensongen (2004) - Odd Nordstoga
- Kveldssong for deg og meg (2004) - Odd Nordstoga
- TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(2004) - "Odd Nordstoga" - Farvel til deg (2004) - Odd Nordstoga
- Hallo Hallo (2004) - "Odd Nordstoga"
- Lause Ting (2004) - Odd Nordstoga
- Eg & Edith (2003) - Herborg Kråkevik & Odd Nordstoga
- Guten og Folen (2002) - Øyonn Groven Myhren & Odd Nordstoga
- Uppi Måneskin (2002) - Øyonn Groven Myhren & Odd Nordstoga
- Tippe Tippe Tuve (2001) - Blåmann Blåmann
- Bie på deg (2000) - Nordstoga
- Dag (2000) - Nordstoga
- Ingen eg kjenner (1998) - "Something Odd"
- Fuggel i Karmen (1998) - Something Odd
Music video
- 2006 Heim Te Mor - Odd Nordstoga
Chart history
All of Odd Nordstoga's solo albums have charted highly in the Norwegian Top 40 Albums Chart. Luring stayed in the charts for 38 weeks in 2004-2005 and peaked at no. 1. "Heim te Mor" stayed in the charts for 19 weeks in 2006-2007 and peaked at no. 2. "Pilegrim" stayed in the charts for 17 weeks in 2008-2009 and peaked at no. 2. The album Strålande Jul marked Nordstoga's first international hit album, entering the Swedish Top 40 Charts at #37 in its first week., and peaking at #17 in its third week. In Norway, the same album entered at #2, selling 100.000 copies in its first week, eventually reaching #1 in its second week. His latest album November debuted at no. 1 on the Norwegian charts.The soundtrack album for the NRK series Jul i Svingen, written in its entirety by Odd Nordstoga and John VInge, charted for 4 weeks in 2006, peaking at no. 22.
Nordstoga's single "Heim te Mor" spent 16 weeks on the Norwegian Top 20 Singles Chart in 2006-2007 peaking at no. 5. The single "Min Eigen Song" stayed in the charts for one week only in 2008, peaking at no. 19.
The album Eg & Edith by Herborg Kråkevik
Herborg Kråkevik
Herborg Kråkevik is a Norwegian singer and actress, known for her works with Norwegian folksongs and some stage works and many movies...
, of which Odd Nordstoga was a substantial contributor both as a musician and songwriter, stayed in the Norwegian charts for 7 weeks in 2002 and peaked at no. 21.
Other projects
Soundtracks- 2004 Linus i Svingen" (soundtrack for NRK)
- 2006 Jul i Svingen" (soundtrack for NRK)
- 2011 Vaffelhjarte (soundtrack for NRK)
Guest appearances
- 1999 Smak av himmel, spor av jord (charity album by various artists)
- 2002 Eg & Edith (album by Herborg Kråkevik)
- 2002 My Mother's Tears (album by Hillborg Romtveit)
- 2004 Stolpesko" (charity album by various artists)
- 2004 Barske børnerim (for viderekomne voksne) (album by Bjarte HjelmelandBjarte HjelmelandBjarte Hjelmeland is a Norwegian actor and theatre director.He was born in Bergen. He made his stage debut in 1991 at Oslo Nye Teater, and also had notable roles at the National Theatre, Rogaland Teater, Torshovteatret, Den Nationale Scene and Chateau Neuf...
) - 2004 New North (album by Karl Seglem)
- 2005 Ørnen tek ikkje unga (album by Klovner i KampKlovner I KampKlovner I Kamp is a Norwegian hip-hop group. Formed in 1994, at the time as a duo with Ali and Dr. S . Shortly after the band got a new member, "Dane" or "Danish" . Klovner I Kamp had this trio for several years, but in 2000, Finger'n or Goldfinger joined as the last and fourth man on the team...
) - 2005 Last Days & Nights (album by Simone Larsen)
- 2005 Det beste fra Aftenlandet (album by Aftenlandet)
- 2006 Under The Surface (album by Marit LarsenMarit LarsenMarit Elisabeth Larsen is a Norwegian singer and songwriter.She began playing violins at age of 5,and played it until the age of 8. She gained international fame during her teenage years as a member of the pop duo M2M with childhood friend Marion Raven. More recently she has pursued her own music...
) - 2006 Venn (charity single by various artists)
- 2008 Eggensongar (album by Jørund Fluge Samuelsen)
- 2008 De beste fra UHU" (soundtrack album to children's television by various artists)
- 2009 Ein Visefugg" (album by Aasmund NordstogaAasmund NordstogaAasmund Nordstoga is a Norwegian musician, singer and composer from Vinje, Telemark. He made his solo debut in 2009 with the album Ein visefugg, an album for which he was nominated for the Spellemannsprisen award.-Family:...
)
Rarities
- 2001 Blåmann Blåmann (limited edition interview disc issued by Rikskonsertene)
Stage productions
- 2002 Storegut (live production of poems by Aasmund O. Vinje performed by Aasmund Nordstoga, Odd Nordstoga & Lars Underdal)
- 2002 Kjærlighet er best på pinne (cabaret with Eduardo Andersen)
- 2002 Eg & Edith (cabaret with Herborg Kråkevik)
- 2002 Nivelkinn (piece composed especially for Telemarkfestivalen)
- 2005 Pilegrim (piece composed especially for the Bergen Music Festival)
- 2006 Tryllefløyten (folk music adaptation of Mozart's "The Magic Flute")
- 2006 Asbury Park (tribute concert for Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
at the Kongsberg JazzfestivalKongsberg JazzfestivalKongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival held annually in Kongsberg, Norway since 1964.-Artists:Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; international stars including Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Nigel Kennedy and Pat Metheny have...
) - 2008 Storegut (revised live production of poems by Aasmund O. Vinje performed by Aasmund Nordstoga, Odd Nordstoga & Per Anders Buen Garnås)
Film
- 1991 Det Rare (short film based on a short story by Tarjei VesaasTarjei Vesaas[Tarjei Vesaas was a Norwegian poet and novelist. Born in Vinje, Telemark, Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since World War II....
)
TV series
- 2011 Vaffelhjarte (NRK)
Books
- 2002 Song for deg og meg (edited by Odd Nordstoga)
- 2007 Sangbok (songbook by Kjetil Indregard and Odd Nordstoga)
- 2007 Songfuggel i karmen (songbook published by Det Norske SamlagetDet Norske SamlagetDet Norske Samlaget is a Norwegian publishing house founded on 24 March 1868 with the aim to promote and publish books in Landsmål, now known as Nynorsk....
)
Audio books:
- 2007 Linus i Svingen og fotballkampen (Kjetil Indregard and Odd Nordstoga)
Selected awards
- Norwegian Grammy for Best Folk Music Album in 2002 ("Nivelkinn").
- Norwegian Grammies for Best Male Artist and Artist of the Year in 2004.
- Rural Profile of the year 2004, voted by the readers of the newspaper Nationen.
- Prisen for god offentleg språkbruk 2004 (Award for excellent public use of the language)
- Vinje Kommunes Kulturpris 2004 (The Culture Award of Vinje Municipality).
- Folkemusikkprisen 2004 (The 2004 Folk Music Award)
- The Edvard Award (Edvardprisen) for his song "Bie på deg" from the "Nordstoga" album of 2000
- Storegutprisen 2010
- Telemark County Travel Industry Award for 2010
TV shows
Odd Nordstoga has appeared in, amongst others, these TV shows- Skavlan (NRK/SVT)
- Nytt på nytt (NRK)
- Førkveld (NRK)
- Idol (TV2)
- Stereo (NRK 2)
- Senkveld med HC & Tommy (TV 2)
- Senkveld med Thomas og Harald (TV2)
- Absolutt Underholdning (TV 2)
- Absolutt Norsk (NRK 1)
- Beat for Beat (NRK 1)
- Frokost-TV (NRK 1)
- Jul fra Gamle Bergen Kirke (NRK 1)
- God Morgen, Norge! (TV 2)
- Sommeråpent (NRK 1)
- Nordic Music Awards Countdown (TV 2)
- Nordic Music Awards 2004 (TV 2)
- Redaksjon EN (NRK 1)
- SøndagsTabloid (TV 2)
- Magiske Understrenger-Historien om Hardingfela (NRK 1)
- Spellemannprisen 2002 (TV 2)
- Spellemannprisen 2004 (TV 2)
- TV-Aksjonen (NRK 1)
- Kvelden før Kvelden (NRK 1)
- Ein Luring frå Vinje (NRK 1)
- Jul i Blåfjell (NRK 1)
- Faktor (NRK 1)
- Frodes musikalske reise (TV 2)
- Den som ser fær sjå (Vest-Telemark Lokal TV)
Radio shows
Odd Nordstoga has appeared in, amongst others, these radio shows- P1-scenen (NRK P1)
- Norsk på Norsk (NRK P1)
- Folkemusikktimen (NRK P2)
- P3-Morgen (NRK P3)
- JuleSessions (NRK P3)
- Sommer i P2 (NRK P2)
External links
- Odd Nordstoga's homepage
- Universal Music
- Norwegian Bandindex
- Nordstoga with accordion
- Nordstoga in concert
- Odd Nordstoga and Øyonn Groven Myhren
- Nordstoga portrait 2
- Nordstoga portrait 3
- Nordstoga portrait 4
- Odd Nordstoga fanpage
- Aasmund Nordstoga, brother of Odd Nordstoga
- Trispann, folk ensemble featuring Aasmund Nordstoga
- Mjonøy, concert location, exhibition arena, bakery etc. run by Ellen Nordstoga, mother of Odd Nordstoga
- Plassen, the farm on which Odd Nordstoga grew up
