A new generation of Norwegian pop artists is gaining thousands of new fans in Germany, following in the footsteps of singers Wenche Myhre and Anita Hegerland.
The rock band a-ha has long had a strong following in Germany and recently was asked to perform at the Berlin Wall. Now singers Marit Larsen, Maria Mena and Solveig Slettahjell are following the veterans, reports newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN).
Larsen went on a successful tour in November, selling 15,000 tickets every evening for 25 concerts and performing on around a dozen TV shows that drew as many as 9 million viewers.
“The Germans are extremely open for Norwegian music, especially jazz,” Yngve Næss of Universal in Norway told DN. Jazz and classical pianist Ketil Bjørnstad calls Germany “my main country now,” saying that Wenche Myhre’s groundbreaking success in the 1960s “started this all for us.”
Norwegian artists signed with record company ECM, including Bjørnstad, Jan Gabarek and Arild Andersen, have logged sales in the seven digits in Germany.
Views and News staff
