Norsk Karaoke

History of Norwegian “Karaoke” Music

Fact: One of the most important export products of Scandinavia is Music!

First, if we look at history there are two different music genres from Norway, and the first one is based on ethnic populations like North Germanic and secondly traditional music as Sami.

Norway shares Nordic folk dance music with its neighbouring countries of Sweden and Denmark. The Hardanger fiddle (hardingfele), the most distinctive instrument in Norwegian folk music, is used with other fiddles like the standard violin and Setesdals-fele.
Also, hardingfele was part of kappleik musical contests from the late 19th century.

But with all kinds of music in different countries in the sixties, Norwegian pop music evolved around beat groups like The Beatniks, The Pussycats and the Vanguards.

Later in the 70s, bands like The Prudence were founded in Trondheim. The frontman is Åge Aleksandersen (very popular for singing karaoke), who writes the first good Norwegian texts. Some of his most well-known songs are “Lys og Varme” (Song is available on SUNVIG Professional Karaoke Systems), “Fire Pils og en Pizza” (Song is available on SUNVIG Professional Karaoke Systems) and “Rosalita”.

Where neighbouring country Sweden spends the eighties and nineties trying to reveal the success of their best export product Norway seeks its way through traditional sounds, jazz and modern pop and comes up with an airy and desolate sounding, sometimes even ice-cold style.
You see at the seventies a mixture of traditional folk and rock with groups like Veslefrikk (with singer Anne-Grete Preuss). Luckily for Norway, they do not have their Abba. (There are a lot of Norwegian Karaoke Songs to discover!)

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Pioneers on music genres

Of course, Norway has its successful acts in the eighties, of which A-ha (Take on me is still in the top 50 of most popular karaoke songs) and Fra Lippo Lippi are the best known.

But it’s the folk-rock, jazz and ambient pop sets Norway apart. The folk-rock movement is headed by Sami singer Mari Boine, whose music can be described as minimalist folk-rock with joik roots.
There is also an artist who mix jazz with folk and pop. Best known example is singer Kari Bremnes who first performs with Lars Klevstrand.

The electronic ambient music scene had its first representative in 1985 when Geir Jensen formed Bel Canto, later followed by his project Biosphere. Other electronic performers are Hans Peter Lindstrøm, singers Bertine Zetlitz & Annie (who both makes more pop dance music), Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band, Det Svenska Folket and Bjørn Torske. The latter regularly teamed up with Royksopp, who broke towards international recognition at the Millenium.

Norway is perhaps most notable for giving birth to the controversial Norwegian black metal scene, which has produced such bands as Darkthrone, Mayhem, Dimmu Borgir, Turbonegro and Burzum. Like its neighbouring countries, Norway also has a heavy metal scene.

Overall is Norway well-known for the different types of genres of music. Because in Norway Karaoke is very popular, especially in Oslo, we have produced at SUNVIG a brand new catalog, to give the Norwegian citizens the possibility to sing their favourite songs!