Carl Espen Thorbjørnsen (born 15 July 1982), better known as simply Carl Espen, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter, who represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with his song "Silent Storm".[1]

Carl Espen
Carl Espen (2014)
Background information
Birth nameCarl Espen Thorbjørnsen
Born (1982-07-15) 15 July 1982 (age 42)
Bergen, Norway
Years active2014-present

Background

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Carl Espen was born in Bergen in 1982. The oldest of three siblings, he grew up on the island of Osterøy. He spent two years with the Norwegian Armed Forces and was stationed in Kosovo, before returning to Norway to take up work as a craftsman.[2]

Music career

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Espen's first performance was at a singing contest when he was 17.[3]

2014–present: Eurovision Song Contest

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Carl Espen presenting himself and Silent Storm in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.

In 2014, Espen was announced as one of the contestants in Melodi Grand Prix 2014, Norway's selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, with the song "Silent Storm".[4] The song was written by Espen's cousin, Josefin Winther.[3]

On 9 March 2014, he qualified from the third semi-final, proceeding to the final. In the final on 15 March 2014 at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, he progressed to the Superfinal where he won the right to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.

At Eurovision, he performed during the second semi-final on 8 May 2014 and qualified to the final. In the final, Espen placed 8th.

Discography

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Singles

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Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album or EP
NOR
[5]
AUT
[6]
DEN
[7]
GER
[8]
IRE
[9]
NLD
[10]
SUI
[11]
UK
[12]
"Silent Storm" 2014 37 39 28 47 34 20 40 97 Non-album singles
"Holding On"
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other appearances

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Title Year Album or EP
"Kan du se meg no?" 2016 Winthersanger

References

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Sources

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  1. ^ "Ble tatt på senga av strålende anmeldelser". 19 February 2014.
  2. ^ "2014: Carl Espen - Silent Storm". EuroVisionary. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Scott, Robin (4 April 2014). "Eurovision 2024 Norway: Interview with Carl Espen! - ESCToday.com". Eurovision News, Polls and Information by ESCToday. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ Besim, Ramadan (27 January 2014). "Norway: The 15 MGP participants revealed!". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ^ "VG-lista – Carl Espen". VG-lista. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  6. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Carl Espen". Austrian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 22 June 2014.
  7. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Carl Espen". Danish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  8. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Carl Espen". German Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 13 October 2014.
  9. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Carl Espen". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 21 May 2014.
  10. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Carl Espen". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 16 June 2014.
  11. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Carl Espen". Swiss Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 14 June 2014.
  12. ^ Peak positions in the United Kingdom:
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