SURPRISE PARTY: Bjørn Eidsvåg was surprised with a packed Oslo Spektrum. Here with Lisa Nilsson. Photo: Mattis Sandblad / VG
On Maundy Thursday, NRK broadcasts the surprise concert for Bjørn Eidsvåg (70) – where he met both new and old duet partners, including Lisa Nilsson (53).
Wednesday 27 March at 08:23
Together, Bjørn Eidsvåg and the Swedish singing star step in with “Mysteriet deg” – the super hit from Eidsvåg’s “Tålt” album from 2002 which earned them Spellemann for song of the year. But during the performance on stage in Oslo Spektrum Eidsvåg suddenly says:
– It gets worse and worse to sing this.
Surprise concert for Bjørn Eidsvåg: – How on earth?
It is when he comes to the words “I think of your beautiful forms, of your breasts like a dove when you are engaged” that the 70-year-old priest, artist and songwriter has problems with his own, erotic text.
– Never a problem before
Lisa Nilsson spoke to VG about this after the concert:
– They are no longer pigeons, says Nilsson and laughs.
– We have been talking about these breasts for 20 years. At “Skavlan”, we talked about it, when Bjørn talked about life and God and received many questions. I waited patiently until I got a question, and the question was how does it feel that he sings about your breasts, says Nilsson.
See the interview with Nilsson here:
Lisa Nilsson says she knew it would be a little loving and a little touching to perform “Mysteriet deg” together with Bjørn again, and laughs well when she adds:
– It was a bit of fun that for the first time in over 20 years he had problems with my breasts!
She believes she last sang the song on tour with Eidsvåg back in 2018 – although she also performs it alone at her own concerts.
GOOD FRIENDS: Bjørn Eidsvåg and Lisa Nilsson embrace each other. Photo: Mattis Sandblad / VG
– What happens when you see each other again today, 22 years after the recording, is that you see how time has passed. The age difference seemed bigger then, then it was more obvious that I was a young girl and he was an adult, middle-aged man – which was obviously a bit exciting at the time. Now the difference has evened out, says a well-groomed and black-clad Nilsson, now 53 years old.
– Not so stylish anymore
Bjørn Eidsvåg himself explains why he stopped during the performance of “Mysteriet deg”:
– It is not so stylish to stand there as a 70-year-old and sing erotic things like I have written before.
Over the years, another of his songs from “Tålt” has also been teased a lot – namely “Floden”. With his famous second line where he describes how he is “filled with gentleness and peace when I wade in your reed”.
Among other things, Radioresepsjonen has had a lot of fun with Eidsvåg and “Floden”, including in a duet with Steinar Sagen.
CELEBRATE: Bjørn Eidsvåg and the artist colleagues who interpreted his songs. Photo: Mattis Sandblad / VG
“Floden” was revitalized when Emma Steinbakken believed in her version in “Hver gang vi møtes” – and landed her a Spellemann nomination for song of the year. On stage in Oslo Spektrum, both Steinbakken and Elvira Nikolaisen – who was the original duet partner – performed.
Two hours on TV
On Maundy Thursday, NRK 1 broadcasts an over two-hour-long recording of “No way back – Bjørn Eidsvåg 70 years” in prime time. There, TV audiences get to experience the atmosphere from the concert where Eidsvåg’s three children surprised him with a concert with 5,000 listeners.
12 artist colleagues performed: Sissel Kyrkjebø, Gabrielle, Sigvart Dagsland, Isah, Maria Mena, Rita Eriksen, Åge Aleksandersen, Ingebjørg Bratland, Elvira Nikolaisen, Lisa Nilsson, Emma Steinbakken and Eidsvåg’s sister Vigdis Eidsvåg.
Also read: Overwhelmed by party concert: – How on earth did you manage to do this?
– I had a suspicion that I was going to perform at an Else Kåss show. There was a split second when I got out of the car that I thought “should I just go”, Eidsvåg told NTB immediately afterwards and admitted that there were “a lot of strong emotions”.
– The songs also take on a new meaning for me when others interpret them, says Bjørn Eidsvåg and reveals that Gabrielle’s interpretation of “Kyrie” moved him the most.
Also read: Bjørn Eidsvåg has made a song with NRK presenter Sigrid Sollund