Odd Nordstoga

Odd Nordstoga (born 10 December 1972) is a folk singer, musician, actor and editor from Vinje in Telemark, Norway.

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 rock 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.

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.

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.

It was also in 2003 that the mainstream opened its eyes to Nordstoga as he teamed up with famous singer/actress/writer Herborg Kråkevik to write and perform the title track from her Édith Piaf-cabaret, entitled Eg & Edith.

The cabaret and its soundtrack, although greatly anticipated, 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 duo.

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, 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.

Nordstoga grew up at Plassen in Vinje, Telemark, the homestead of author Aasmund Olavsson Vinje.

He hails from a hugely cultural family.

His mother, Ellen Bojer Nordstoga is a 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.

Organist Kåre Nordstoga is his second cousin.

Nordstoga resides in Lambertseter, a borough of Oslo, together with his wife and three children.

His career as a recording artist spans 8 years.

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.

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.

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.

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 2014 he received the Nynorsk User of the Year award.