About
Biography
Carl Espen (born Carl Espen Thorbjørnsen on 15 July 1982 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter.
Espen was born into a musical family and spent much of his childhood and youth in Bergen, where he discovered his passion for music at an early age. He spent his formative years singing in various local choirs and performing in school concerts.
After high school, he joined the Norwegian Armed Forces and served in Kosovo under the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Upon his return from military service, he went to work as a doorman in a local bar, keeping his musical talents mostly to himself.
His professional music career began rather unexpectedly. Espen’s cousin, Josefin Winther, a musician herself, wrote a song for him to perform at a family gathering. The song, “Silent Storm,” touched the family so deeply that they encouraged him to enter it into Melodi Grand Prix, Norway’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Heeding their advice, Espen submitted the song to Melodi Grand Prix 2014 and managed to win the national contest, securing his spot to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. His performance of “Silent Storm” made a significant impact and he finished in 8th place in the final.
After the Eurovision Song Contest, Carl Espen released a second single, “Holding on”. However, the song did not reach the charts. In October 2014, Carl Espen made an acoustic tour throughout Norway.
After Eurovision Carl Espen did not build on a big career in music. He decided to go an study in order to become a nurse.
