Breakthrough
It was also in 2003 that the mainstream opened its eyes for Nordstoga as he teamed up with famous singer/actress/writer Herborg Kråkevik to write and perform the title track from her Édith Piaf-cabaret, entitled Eg & Edith. The cabaret and its soundtrack, although met with great anticipation, was a minor flop in terms of album sales and tickets sold, whereas the title track proved to be a nice radio hit for the pair. Nordstoga, together with lyricist Stein Versto (another Vinje native), also contributed with the track "Rosevev" on this album.
Nordstoga had previously worked with Kråkevik in the film Det Rare, based on a short story by famous Norwegian writer Tarjei Vesaas.
In 2004, Nordstoga signed for Universal Records and made his definitive breakthrough with the album Luring, selling 150.000 copies and spending 14 weeks on top of the Norwegian album charts. The lead single from the album, about a howling pig entitled "Kveldssong for deg og meg", is already a Norwegian evergreen and one of the most played songs on Norwegian radio in 2004. "Texas", "Lause Ting", "Hallo Hallo" and "Farvel til deg" from the same album also became massive radio hits for Nordstoga.
The tour in the wake of the album, the so-called Luringtur tour, which Nordstoga played together with his backing band Daz Nordstogaz Allstars, played to a 60.000 strong crowd. At the Spellemannprisen Awards in February 2005, Nordstoga won two awards as he was named best male artist and Artist of the Year. In the summer of 2005, Nordstoga once again took to the road for the "Luringtur" MK II tour.
Nordstoga has also been involved in TV productions. In 2004 he did the music for the Norwegian children's series Linus i Svingen that was broadcast on NRK 1, Norway's public broadcaster. The theme song, "Svingensongen", is being released in 2005 on the compilation album Tidenes beste barneplate 2. He has also been involved with the music for Norway's vastly popular UHU! series.
In June 2005, Nordstoga teamed up with some of Norway's finest jazz musicians and performed the piece "Pilegrim" to great acclaim at Festspillene i Bergen (Bergen Music Festival). the lyrics were written by lyricists Stein Versto and Ragnar Hovland, both previously involved in the Luring production. In August 2005, he made a cameo appearance with Norwegian rap-collective Klovner i Kamp, singing the chorus to their single "Syng".
Odd Nordstoga has also done projects for 'The Salvation Army' and folk music projects with different people, amongst other things, renditions of the famous Telemark piece "Storegut" with brother Aasmund and Lars Underdal, and guest appearances with the band Fake It or Leave It who play Beatles songs Norwegian folk music style.
Nordstoga released his follow-up to Luring in October 2006. Entitled Heim Te Mor, the album received a great deal of airplay and acclaim from critics all over Norway. The radio single and title track "Heim Te Mor" became a radio hit upon release in September 2006, marking another milestone for Nordstoga as this release marks his first music video as a solo artist, an animated video based on a Nordstoga concert in his local community made by the Animidas film maker crew. With radio single number two "Frøken Franzen" coinciding with the album's release, Odd Nordstoga looks set for another album success. He is also responsible for the soundtrack to the forthcoming Christmas children series Jul i Svingen on Norway's NRK TV channel, which is the follow-up to Linus i Svingen.
Nordstoga released the songbook Songfuggel i Karmen in 2007, containing his greatest hits and his personal favourites. In 2008 the album Pilegrim was released to great acclaim, securing the third bestseller in a row for the artist. In the autumn of the same year Nordstoga, together with his brother Aasmund Nordstoga and fiddler Per Anders Buen Garnås, toured Norway with a revamped version of the Storegut performance.
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