With a haunting sound created by its extra sympathetic strings, the Hardanger fiddle is a fascinating part of Norwegian folk music and Norway’s cultural heritage. Read on to discover its story. To the unsuspecting ear, the gentle strains of a traditional Norwegian melody might sound much like any other fiddle tune. Yet, to those familiar with Norway's rich cultural heritage, the distinctive tones of the Hardanger fiddle – or hardingfele in Norwegian – resonate deeply, echoing tales of fjords, mountains, and ancient traditions. The delicate Hardanger fiddle is more than just a musical instrume ..read more

Kaizers Orchestra is a rare example of a Norwegian language band with a big international fan base. Discover the story of one of Norway's most distinctive musical acts. Wherever you live in the world, you’ve no doubt heard of some Norwegian bands and singers. The likes of A-ha, Sigrid and Ylvis have all found success globally. Kaizers Orchestra group photo from 2011. Photo: Paal Audestad / Kaizers Orchestra (Creative Commons) Of course, Eurovision fans will have heard of even more. Artists such as Alexander Rybak broke out with ‘Fairytale' after winning in 2009 and Alessandra Mele won huge num ..read more

Norway's foremost electronica duo played to a sold-out Oslo Spektrum last weekend. The venue turned into an impromptu nightclub and featured several surprise guests. It's hard to believe it's been almost 22 years since Melody AM received universal acclaim across the dance music world. Following years of collaborations and a focus on re-releasing through a Lost Tapes series, Röyksopp relaunched themselves once again last year. The first studio albums for eight years, the three-album series Profound Mysteries was launched together with collections of short films and animated visuals. To celebra ..read more

One of the best known electronica acts in Europe formed in Arctic Norway. Here is the story of Norway's Röyksopp. From the global breakthrough smash Melody AM to collaborations with some of the best Scandinavian vocalists like Robyn and Susanne Sundfør, Röyksopp have left their mark on the music world for more than two decades. Röyksopp performing live with Robyn at Sonar festival in 2014. Photo: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com. One of Europe's best known electronica acts, Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland have explored electronic music through various lenses including ambient, house m ..read more

The Norwegian-Italian Alessandra Mele gets the honour of representing Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool after winning the Melodi Grand Prix 2023. Listen to the song below. Love it or hate it, it’s difficult to avoid Eurovision at this time of year. Before the big event happens, each country chooses their entry. Norwegian-Italian Alessandra at the Melodi Grand Prix. Photo: NRK screen grab. Norway makes its selection in the Melodi Grand Prix, the final of which was held in Trondheim last night. Alessandra won with ‘Queen of Kings’, a song that is already performing well in the S ..read more

Listen to the music of award-winning Norwegian singer-songwriter ‘girl in red', a queer icon and the next big thing in Norwegian music. 23-year-old Norwegian Marie Ulven Ringheim, better known as ‘girl in red', was the big winner at this year's prestigious Spellemann music awards in Norway. Often referred to as the ‘Norwegian Grammy Awards', the Spellemann prizes honour the best of Norway's musicians from the previous year. Previous winners of the main award include Röyksopp, a-ha, Alexander Rybak, Karpe Diem, Sissel, Alan Walker and Tix. In addition to the overall Spellemann prize, she took ..read more

The mystery group ‘Subwoolfer' won the 2022 edition of Norway's Melodi Grand Prix. They will now represent Norway on the European stage. For the past six weeks, Norway has been choosing its entry for the next Eurovision Song Contest. Last night, we found out who will represent Norway in Turin, Italy, in May. Subwoolfer performing at 2022's Melodi Grand Prix. Screenshot: NRK. Following weeks of heats, ten acts competed in the final last night. The masked band Subwoolfer were the hot favourites to win the final in Fornebu with their novelty song ‘Give that wolf a banana' and they did exactly tha ..read more

A-ha became one of the world’s biggest names in pop during the 1980s. Here’s some fun facts about the Norwegian pop group that may surprise you. Depending on your age, your may not be aware of legendary Norwegian pop group A-ha. But it’s not a huge stretch to say that absolutely everyone has heard their biggest hit, Take On Me, at least once. Artwork from various A-ha music releases over the years. Photo: Kraft74 / Shutterstock.com. Although their popularity peaked in the 1980s, the band remain popular to this day. Lead singer Morten Harket remains one of the most recognisable faces in Norwegi ..read more

Here is the story behind Norway's national song, including the lyrics in both Norwegian and English. The Norwegian national anthem—known as nasjonalsangen in Norwegian—is heard by millions of people around the world at the Olympic games or when Norway's national football teams take to the field. I am of course talking about Ja vi elsker dette landet, often referred to simply as Ja vi elsker. Within Norway, the song is perhaps most closely associated with the national day celebrations on 17th May. A new national song—sort of! Despite these uses, it's only been the official national song of Nor ..read more

TIX performs the winning song at the Melodi Grand Prix 2021. Screenshot: NRK Norwegian musician TIX won the 2021 Melodi Grand Prix. He will now represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Fallen Angel'. From 18-22 May, the Eurovision Song Contest juggernaut arrives in Rotterdam. A household name in Norway but little known elsewhere, the 27-year-old will take to the stage to represent Norway after winning the national selection contest. “I have felt like the ugly duckling for a very long time. But it turns out that one day the ugly duckling becomes a swan,” said a tearful TIX ..read more