Jury's reasoning: Gabrielle Leithaug has delivered an impressive string of hits since her debut album "Mildt Sagt" in 2011. On the album "Nattergal" she continues her work within the genre she herself describes as "Explosive pop" and consolidates her position as a prominent songwriter. Gabrielle sings in dialect, and the interplay between bombastic lyrics and catchy melodies works very well. Repetitions and […]
Jury's reasoning: This year's prize winner both embraces and expands the concept of composer. Christian Blom is awarded the Edvard Prize 2014 in the Open Class category for the work Trio for Dancing Thread, Lightbulb and Bell With Damper. In the prize winner's fascinating universe, there is no distinction between musical and physical craftsmanship. A welding certificate and counterpoint training have been equally important premises for developing […]
Jury's reasoning: Magnar Åm has been a clear presence in Norwegian music life since the early 1970s with his low-pitched voice. He cultivates transparency and simplicity, and wants to strip music down to its core. In an interview he says: "I cannot hide my own starting point, the fragile, childish. It is the entrance to life." Where […]
The jury's reasoning: With the release "Heim for å døy", Stein Torleif Bjella has solidified his position as a prominent songwriter. With his clear expression and bittersweet lyric universe, he has largely created his own genre. Bjella's simple and minor-keyed melodies carry the lyrics forward. The soundscape of seasick, gliding string instruments emphasizes what he himself calls […]
Jury's reasoning: Since releasing her first album under her own name in 2008, Hilde Marie Kjersem has been continuously and consciously exploring different musical style elements. She has taken clear musical steps from jazz in the direction of pop, but has always managed to integrate different sources of inspiration into her own personal musical expression. […]