Timeline
/ 1980 – 1989

Below you'll find highlights from Sissel's long career, sorted by time period. Click through the timeline to learn more.

Where it all started……

In the eighties we still only had 1 TV-station in Norway, so to be part of a program was quite big.
The year after Sissel’s first performance as a 13 year old, she started in a choir in a program called .”syng med oss” (sing along) . This was a choir for adults, but they needed a soprano and the conductor Niels Abrahamsen, headhunted her for that job. This was the start on a long an wonderful career. And it continues…..

The first TV – performance – 1983

There was a TV-show for the youth at NRK called “Halvsju”.
Here I had my very first solo-appearance on Television.
I performed “Evergreen”…. the theme song from the 1976 film “A Star Is Born”. It was composed and performed by Barbra Streisand with lyrics by Paul Williams, and arranged by Ian Freebairn-Smith.
And you know,- I loooovvve Barbra Streisand!

Sissel halvsju 1983
“Evergreen” @NRK – Halvsju 1983

Eurovision – 1986

At the age of 16, Sissel was invited to perform as the interval act at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest in her hometown of Bergen, Norway. The first album, “Sissel”, was released the same year,
and made her a national star overnight, winning her “Artist of the Year” at the Norwegian Grammy Awards, Spellemannprisen.

In 1986 Norway hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, in my hometown Bergen.

Artist of the year – The Norwegian Grammy Awards (Spellemannprisen) – 1986

A-ha and me at the award ceremony in Oslo Concert hall 24th of January 1987.
They won three prizes and I was “the artist of the year”.
Great memory!

The first recording album – SISSEL

Glade Jul – 1987

All time best selling album in Norway!
Sissel  was 18 years old and recorded this album both with band and anchors and not at least with “Harmonien “, now known as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. This was her second album and it sold 450 000 copies in Norway alone the year it was released.
Adding the releases in other countries, the number has passed one million copies since then. 

It was a thrill to record this album. To sing with the symphony orchestra was like being lifted up to the skies. And the songs with the children choir and Domkantoriet…. It was like a dream.  

Annie Get your Gun – 1987

….I think it was in 87….. Rune Larsen, my manager and record label director at the time, had an annual concert in Grieghallen, Bergen. I was one of the guest artists.
So why not do a musical song? I loved acting and singing. 

Seterjentens Søndag – 1989

Somewhere in Hardanger……. Sissel´s team found a beautiful mountain farm where they filmed the music video for “Seterjentens Søndag”. It was so difficult to get there that they had to use a helicopter to get all the equipment up to the mountain.

Helmet on! Safety first!

The making of the music video…

The great violinist, Arve Tellefsen and Sissel

I was so honored to have Arve Tellefsen playing violin as a duet with me!

Sissel
Sissel and Arve Tellefsen

Always some unexpected issues to handle…

The car got stuck in the sand, and everybody had to help!

Official music video – Sæterjentens Søndag

…from the album Soria Moria (1989).

Writen by Jörgen Moe, Ole Bull. © Noah/Kantate Label

The making of the music video for “Soria Moria” – 1989

Soria Moria was Sissel´s third solo album. Released in 1989.
Here are some pictures from the day they filmed the music video for the soundtrack.
The only place in Norway with good weather at this period was in Lofoten, north in Norway.
So they had to travel a long way to shoot this video!

Camera is rolling….

The cameramen are working hard……

And it is always time for a good laugh 

The sound engineer had to hide in the grass not to be seen in the music video.

Singing:

“Ta drømmen din med deg og dra til Soria Moria”

Soria Moria….

I can probably not sing this song in the same key today… 🙂
I remember that we had very short time to record this video, so we had to find a place where it was sunny and not raining… Of course we had rain in Bergen, so we had to travel all the way to Lofoten: One of the world’s most beautiful places, but It was actually quite cold….
I completely fell in love with the nature there.

See all releases from this time period here