Anita Skorgan

Anita Skorgan is a Norwegian pop singer who peaked in popularity during the late '70s and early to mid-'80s, during which time she hit the Top Ten time and time again, won a Spellemannprisen award, and represented her homeland in the Eurovision Song Contest not once but twice. Born on November 13, 1958, in Gøteborg, Norway, she made her album debut in 1975 with Til En Venn. Her second album, Du Er Naer Meg (1976), broke into the Top 20 and ushered in a decade of commercial success for her. Third album Young Girl (1997) was even more successful, spawning the Top Five hit single "Casanova." In addition, she was chosen to represent Norway in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest with "Casanova." A couple years later she represented Norway in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with "Oliver," which was a Top Ten hit single for her. That same year her full-length effort Ingen Vei Tilbake (1979) won a Spellemannprisen award for Pop Album of the Year. While Skorgan released a handful of solo albums in the decade that followed, among them Pastell (1980), De Fineste (1981), Karma (1985), and White Magic (1986), she experienced her greatest success in collaboration with fellow Norwegian pop singer Jahn Teigen (himself a three-time Eurovision representative). Their collaborative album Cheek to Cheek (1983) was a chart-topping smash that spawned a pair of Top Five hit singles: "Adieu" and "Friendly." After peaking in popularity during the late '70s and early to mid-'80s, Skorgan slowed her output considerably and entered a state of semi-retirement. During the 1990s she released only two albums, Basic (1990) and Julenatt (1994), and her output continued to be erratic after the turn of the century. Most notably, she was a member of the supergroup Queen Bees in 2005. ~ Jason Birchmeier