Silje Nergaard

Silje Nergaard (born June 19, 1966 in Steinkjer ) is a Norwegian jazz singer .

life and career

Silje Nergaard grew up as the daughter of a teacher couple in Hamar, Norway . She came into contact with jazz music at an early age through her mother's records by Stan Getz and João Gilberto . Other musical role models such as Al Jarreau and Joni Mitchell awakened her love for singing.

Silje Nergaard earned her first artistic merits as a 16-year-old teenager at the international jazz festival in Molde . In 1985 she appeared in the preliminary round (Norsk Melodi Grand Prix) of her country for the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson with the song Si Det, Si Det (which was later won by the Norwegian representatives Bobbysocks ). At a jam session of the ex-band of bassist Jaco Pastorius , who died in 1987 , the young singer ventured onto the stage and delighted the musicians and listeners present with her interpretations, whereupon the Norwegian press attributed her potential to become a star. On the recommendation of the American jazz guitarist Pat Metheny , she received a record deal with the EMI label . In 1990 she released her debut record Tell Me Where You're Going , which reached number 7 on the Norwegian pop charts. The record reached number 1 on the Japanese radio charts. In Japan a wine was named after her; she was the first western artist ever to appear in the Heian Shrine in Kyoto . After two more albums for EMI, Silje Nergaard switched to the small Norwegian record label Kirkelig Kulturverksted in 1995 . There she released two more albums in their local language in 1995 and 1996.

In the following four-year career break, their first daughter Erle was born. At the end of 1999, the singer returned when she received the Honorable Mention Award for her song I Don't Want To See You Cry in a songwriting competition in the USA . More devoted to jazz music again, she won three compatriots - the Tord Gustavsen Trio - as a backing band. With her first album after the break, Port of Call , at the latest , Silje Nergaard achieved her international breakthrough, which manifested itself in a massive media and festival presence. The lyrics of the original compositions come from her brother-in-law Mike McGurk. The second release, At First Light, from 2001 jumped straight to number one on the Norwegian pop charts. In May 2003 their second daughter Karla was born.

With a concert on December 7, 2005, at which she also sang a duet with her husband, Silje Nergaard ended her six-year collaboration with the Tord Gustavsen Trio in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf .

For the album Unclouded (2012) she wrote nine new pieces of her own together with Hallgrim Bratberg and Håvar Bendiksen . Guest musicians were John Scofield , “Jojje” Wadenius , Knut Reiersrud and Nils Petter Molvær .

Discography

Nergaard in Rotterdam (2008)

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
year	title	DE	UK	NO	Remarks
1990	Tell Me Where You're Going	-	-	NO10 (5 weeks) NO	as Silje
1994	Cow on the Highway	-	-	NO16 (3 weeks) NO	as Silje
1995	Certification	-	-	NO35 (1 week) NO	as Silje
2000	Port of Call	-	-	NO7 (11 weeks) NO
2001	At first light	DE- gold DE	-	NO1 (32 weeks) NO
2003	Nightwatch	-	-	NO1 (19 weeks) NO
2005	Be Still My Heart - The Essential	-	-	NO11 (12 weeks) NO	Best of album
2007	Darkness Out of Blue	DE99 (1 week) DE	-	NO3 (11 weeks) NO
2009	A Thousand True Stories	DE66 (2 weeks) DE	-	NO3 (13 weeks) NO
2010	If I Could Wrap Up a Kiss	-	-	NO8 (6 weeks) NO	Christmas album
2012	Unclouded	DE73 (1 week) DE	-	NO12 (6 weeks) NO
2015	Chain of Days	DE75 (1 week) DE	-	NO8 (3 weeks) NO
2020	Silje Nergaard	DE50 (1 week) DE	-	-