Famous Norwegian Singers

Anni-Frid Lyngstad is a Norwegian-Swedish environmentalist, singer, and songwriter. She is credited with co-founding the popular Swedish pop band ABBA and popularizing the band by serving as its lead singer. In 2010, Anni-Frid Lyngstad was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2014, she received the Eskilstuna Music Prize for her contribution as an "icon."

Aurora is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, and dancer. Gifted from a young age, she began writing songs at the age of six! She began her career self-releasing her works. She received a favorable response from the audience and was soon able to establish herself as a popular singer. Her music encompasses electro-pop, folk, and art-pop elements. 

Sigrid Raabe is a Norwegian singer-songwriter who won the BBC Music Sound of 2018. Sigrid's debut studio album Sucker Punch, which released in 2019, debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart. Over the years, Sigrid has won several prestigious awards, such as the MTV Europe Music Award.

Girl in Red is an indie-pop music project by Norwegian singer-songwriter Marie Ulven Ringheim. She became interested in music and songwriting as a teenager. With her family’s encouragement, she began releasing Norwegian music and soon earned a decent following. She has also appeared in a TV program. She is openly queer and is considered a queer icon. 

Morten Harket is a Norwegian vocalist and musician. He is most popular as the lead singer of the synthpop/rock band A-ha. The band has released ten studio albums to date. Before joining the band, he used to sing for the blues outfit Souldier Blue. He has often been praised for his incredibly strong falsetto.  

The 1990s’ superhit dance track Barbie Girl made both the Danish-Norwegian band Aqua and its lead singer, Lene Nystrøm, international sensations. While Lene dated fellow band member René, she later married another band member, Søren. She later appeared in the Varg Veum film franchise and also reunited with her band.

Martinus Gunnarsen is a Norwegian singer and one-half of the famous pop duo, Marcus & Martinus. Along with his twin brother Marcus, Martinus has released three successful studio albums to date. All their albums peaked at number one on VG-lista, a Norwegian record chart. In 2018, the brothers won the MAD Video Music Award under the Best International Act category.

Marcus Gunnarsen is one half of the Norwegian pop-duo M&M, the other half being his twin brother, Martinus. They participated in and won the eleventh season of Melodi Grand Prix Junior in 2012. Their debut studio album Hei peaked at number 1 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. The twins have also appeared in a few TV shows and films. 

Alexander Rybak is a Belarusian-Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, and pianist. The son of two talented musicians, he began to play musical instruments when he was just five. He studied at the Barratt Due Institute of Music before beginning his career. Besides being a musician, he is also an actor and has appeared in many TV shows and films. 

Ihsahn is a Norwegian vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist known for his association with the black metal band Emperor. He is credited with founding the band Thou Shalt Suffer and also contributed immensely to the avant-garde band Peccatum. Apart from metal music, Ihsahn also incorporates classical, progressive, and industrial elements. He is also credited with creating the symphonic black metal genre.

Jørn Lande is a Norwegian heavy metal and hard rock singer and songwriter known for his association with popular bands like Masterplan, Ark, Beyond Twilight, The Snakes, Millenium, and Vagabond. Jørn Lande's voice has attracted favorable comparisons to Ronnie James Dio and David Coverdale.

Einar Selvik is a Norwegian musician best known for his association with the popular black metal band Gorgoroth where he performed as the drummer from 2000 to 2004. He is credited with co-founding the Nordic folk project Wardruna. His work with Wardruna for the soundtrack of the popular TV show Vikings has earned Selvik international prominence.

Liv Kristine is a Norwegian singer best known as an exponent of numerous subgenres of heavy metal music. Kristine is credited with pioneering gothic metal, which has since found many representatives across Europe. Over the years, Liv Kristine has contributed to the success of many bands like Theatre of Tragedy, Leaves' Eyes, and Atrocity. 

Marion Raven is a Norwegian singer-songwriter best known as the co-founder of the pop duo M2M along with Marit Larsen. After they stopped performing together in 2002, Raven began a solo career and found success. She also contributes as a songwriter for other artists like Pixie Lott. Raven won the Best International Act award at the Musik Fach-Awards in 2015.

Lene Marlin is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, and musician. Marlin made an impressive debut when she released her single Unforgivable Sinner (1998) which became the fastest selling single in the history of Norwegian music. In 1999, she received the MTV Europe award for her stage performance in Dublin, Ireland. Marlin has also been nominated for prestigious awards including BRIT Awards.

Roy Khan is a Norwegian songwriter and singer best known for his association with the progressive metal band Conception where he is the lead singer. Roy Khan is also known for his contribution to the symphonic power metal band Kamelot where he wrote several songs apart from serving as the band's lead vocalist from 1997 to 2011.

Shagrath is a Norwegian musician best known as the founding member of the popular symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir where he performs as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Shagrath is also credited with co-forming a black metal supergroup called Ov Hell. Shagrath's stage persona is inspired by an orc from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

John Norum is a Norwegian-Swedish rock guitarist best known as the co-founder of the popular Swedish rock band Europe. Apart from contributing to the success of Europe, John Norum has also had a successful solo career. Some of his solo albums like Total Control and Play Yard Blues have achieved success and fame. 

Marit Larsen is a Norwegian singer-songwriter best known for forming the internationally recognized pop duo M2M with fellow musician and childhood friend Marion Raven. After they stopped performing together in 2002, Marit Larsen started a solo career and has won many prestigious awards, including three Spellemannprisen.

Ane Brun is a Norwegian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She is credited with founding her own record label, Balloon Ranger Recordings. Many of her works like A Temporary Dive and It All Starts with One have become chartbusters and multi-platinum albums.

Maria Mena is a Norwegian pop singer best known for her songs Just Hold Me and You're the Only One. A successful singer, many of her studio albums have peaked in the top 10 of VG-lista. Maria Mena has won several awards including the Spellemannprisen, Norwegian Music Critics Award, and Norsk Artistforbund's Honorary Award.

Sven Erik Kristiansen is a Norwegian musician best known for his association with the popular black metal band Mayhem where he was a vocalist between 1987 and 2004. An eccentric personality, Sven Erik Kristiansen is renowned for his extremely intense live performances.

Norwegian heavy metal singer Kristoffer Rygg has sung using various stage names, such as Trickster G. Rex and God Head. He was 16 when he began singing for the black metal and experimental electronica band Ulver. He has also been associated with the metal bands Arcturus and Borknagar.

Norwegian singer Christian Ingebrigtsen first gained fame with the English pop band A1 in the 1990s. As a solo artist, he later released hits such as the Norwegian Grammy-nominated duet In Love with an Angel. He has also appeared in a Norwegian production of Les Misérables.

Ted Skjellum, better known as Nocturno Culto, soared to fame as a guitarist, bassist, and vocalist for the Nigerian extreme metal band Darkthrone. He has also played the guitar for Satyricon, using the name Kveldulv, and been part of the project Gift of Gods. He has co-managed the label Tyrant Syndicate, too.

Norwegian singer Per Fredrik Åsly, better known by his stage name, PelleK, has been associated with groups such as Damnation Angels and Qantice. He also has his own band, PelleK. He is extremely popular on YouTube, too, and has appeared in the film Creators: The Past and the popular series Vikings.

Exposed to music since he was of age 3, Norwegian singer Sigurd Wongraven later soared to fame with the black metal band Satyricon. Interestingly, he aspired to be a footballer as a young boy. He also once owned a wine business. He has also sung for bands such as Darkthrone and Storm.

A plumber from the small Norwegian town of Bergen, Kurt Nilsen stunned people with his soulful voice on the Norwegian version of Pop Idol and eventually won the contest. Known for chartbusters such as She’s So High, he was later named World Idol. He has a guitar-shaped home in Hardangervidda.

Starting his training in music at age 8, Norwegian singer Sondre Lerche ended up penning his first song at age 14. Scouted by producer H.P. Gundersen, he later experimented with psychedelia and Brazilian music. His debut album, Faces Down, was named one of the top 50 albums of 2002 by Rolling Stone.

Brooklyn-born Norwegian-origin singer-actor Kaya Wilkins, better known as Okay Kaya, mostly sings about her own mental trauma, sexuality, and mental health. Known for hit tracks such as Psych Ward and Dance Like You, she has also starred in the Norwegian supernatural thriller Thelma. She considers songwriting her therapy.

One half of the New York-based Norwegian music production team Espionage, Espen Lind has co-written chartbusting tracks such as Beyoncé’s Irreplaceable. The Norwegian Grammy winner also tried his luck in the Norwegian pop circle, using the stage name Sway and soared to fame with the track When Susannah Cries.

Best known for co-writing Dua Lipa’s chartbusting track New Rules, Norwegian singer-songwriter Caroline Ailin has also written songs for stars such as Julie Bergan and Olivia Holt. The Norwegian MPA Award winner had started making music at age 12 and had moved to England to further her career at age 19.

Sami singer Agnete Johnsen led the teen punk band The BlackSheeps and also performed at Eurovision, representing Norway. She later emerged as the winner of season 10 of the Norwegian version of Dancing with the Stars, Skal vi danse. Icebreaker remains one of her best-known tracks.

Terje Bakken, also known as Valfar, launched the Norwegian black metal band Windir and experimented with several lyrical styles such as folk and Viking. In early 2004, he got lost in a blizzard while walking in his hometown, Sogndal, and died of hypothermia. His body was recovered several days later.

Norwegian singer Tom Hugo began his music career in Hamburg, Germany. He later released hits such as Open Up Your Eyes, which peaked on both German and Norwegian radio charts. He also sings for the band Radiojam. Openly gay, he married his partner in 2018.