Espen Lind

Espen Lind is back! Armed to the teeth with amongst other things, a ukulele, a tuba and doo wop, his fifth solo album Army of One is released on Monday June 23rd., and it is a different Espen Lind we meet this time around.
“You have to remember that even though Michael Jordan scores most times, it is the same Michael Jordan who misses some times as well” This is how Espen Lind humbly sums up his career to date. Via an incredible journey rich with both high and low points, from almost quitting music to reaching No. 1 on Billboard, Espen has trusted his ability and worked tirelessly to achieve his childhood dream. He has had both hits and misses and this has paid off. Very few Norwegian musicians can show such national and international success as Espen Lind, as an artist, songwriter and producer. And if we are to believe him, this is just the beginning.
Espen Lind was born in Oslo on May 13th. 1971, but grew up on Tromsø. His first appearance as an entertainer was when his Mother took him to department store Steen & Strøm and allowed him to perform for ladies in the perfumery department! The only way she could do her shopping was by letting little Espen sing and sing. He was 5 years old and unstoppable. It was a musician he would become. After some years at music school, an unsuccessful trip to L.A., playing in local bands and working as a sound engineer, he landed in the spotlight under the name of Sway. His 1995 debut album Mmm…Prepare To Be Swayed received some great reviews, but it sold a disappointing 5000 copies. In other words no instant success but the Norwegian music scene had gained a colourful new artist who was unafraid, unlike most Norwegians, to see his name in big letters.
His major breakthrough came in 1997 under his own name with the album Red and the single. ‘When Susannah Cries’ was at No. 1 on the Norwegian VG chart for 6 weeks. Red sold more than 100,000 copies in Norway alone. But it was after a nervous performance on the piano in front of a record company director in New York that things really took off. ‘When Susannah Cries’ topped the charts in 11 countries around the world and Red sold nearly 400,000 copies. In addition, followed three Norwegian Grammy awards and an unforgettable trip through Oslo streets in a tank in connection with Hit Awards! Espen Lind had become a star.
The follow up album This is Pop Music came out in 2000. It was a darker and more personal record influenced by the hectic life of an international artist. The album received great reviews and included the hit singles ‘Black Sunday’, ‘Life Is Good’ and ‘Where the Lost Ones Go,’ a duet with Norwegian star Sissel Kyrkjebø. This song was also covered by soprano Sarah Brightman and Paul Stanley of Kiss.
In the following years Espen wrote songs and produced other artists together with musical partner Amund Bjørklund under the name ‘Espionage’. Everyone from Pop Idol winners to Jessica Simpson, Leona Lewis, Ne-Yo and last but not least Beyoncé have benefited from Espionage’s talent for good songs. It should be mentioned that Beyoncé’s ‘Irreplaceable’ stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 10 weeks and was the USA’s highest selling single in 2007.
However it was 4 years before Espen Lind’s name surfaced again. The single ‘Unloved’ (another number 1 on the VG chart) was released towards the end of 2004 followed by the album April in 2005- a pure pop record where Espens’ talent as a song writer and performer reached new heights. The album also included the hit single ‘Million Miles Away’ and there was more to come. His desire for a solo career had returned, but as usual, things don’t always go to plan.
The year 2006 offered up a surprise. Together with fellow Norwegian artists Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm, Espen performed under the name ‘Lind, Nilsen, Fuentes and Holm’ at a party and so was born one of Norway’s biggest music successes. What should have been a short tour, ended up with an entire year on the road and the CD Hallelujah Live which to date has sold over 240,000 copies in Norway. Together they won a Grammy for the hit of the year ‘Hallelujah’ and they’re version was highly praised by the song’s composer, Leonard Cohen.
So what does one of the country’s leading artists do after such a phenomenal success? After having topped Billboard, the VG chart and other charts the world over? After working with some of the biggest stars in the USA? Of course, he moved out to the countryside and bought himself a ukulele! He sat himself down and began to toy with ideas. He was doing exactly what he wanted to do, being a little daring and trying the first thing that came to mind. Army Of One was by and large recorded in Espens’ living room with some simple tools he had available – piano, guitar and ukulele. He wanted to challenge himself to do something different – simply to make a record he hadn’t made before.
For the first time in Espen Lind’s career, he also brought in a producer with whom to work. The choice fell on veteran Bjørn Nessjø, a man who has produced hits for over 30 years and achieved huge success for Norwegian artists such as Stage Dolls and Herborg Kråkevik. Espen has been a fan of Nessjø since the time he worked as a sound engineer and the cooperation has worked perfectly. “Army Of One is definitely the easiest record I have made but at the same time it is the first record I have not been tired of before release” says Espen.
Army Of One is what he calls a product of surplus energy. Without deadlines or any pressure it has been allowed to evolve at its’ own tempo. He has gained inspiration from his old record collection consisting of 70s song writers such as Paul Simon, Randy Newman, James Taylor and Cat Stevens. “On this record I have allowed things to happen naturally and not be dictated to by a strict format. It has been very liberating but at the same time a little scary. I have no idea how people will react to it”.
According to Espen, the single ‘Scared Of Heights’ is an example of how unusually things can develop. A newly purchased, un-tuned ukulele was delivered at the door and after starting to tune it, songs just flowed. Espen would never have believed that such a song could top the VG charts, but it did. A half-tuned ukulele knocked Madonna herself off the number 1 spot – not that that was planned! “I personally think that ‘Scared Of Heights’ was great but I had no idea that it would appeal to people” he says and adds that having a hit still feels good at least one he is satisfied with.
“I have made a record I am personally proud of but whether it sells 1500 or 100,000 copies in itself doesn’t matter. I have proved to myself that I can do something different, a more grown up record focusing on better songs.”
Possibly it is a reaction to his daily work as a song writer and producer in New York, maybe it’s a result of restlessness (which he recognizes as a life long problem) or maybe it’s the pleasure of doing what he wants musically. Certainly at the very least ‘Army Of One’ will remain a landmark in Espens’ career. This autumn he sets out on tour in Norway with his band. Fasten your seatbelts!
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