In the 1970s, for a few short years, a repertory company had things sewn up for Norway. Think of Thomas G:son of their day and you’ll get the idea.
This ‘company’ included today’s birthday girl Ellen Helen Nikolaysen. In 1973 she was a Bendik singer. Then she moved through the ranks of backing singer and then main vocalist by 1975. It wasn’t a purple patch for NRK, but at least Ellen didn’t come last. She even made double figures. Undaunted, she probably didn’t care. She’d already won the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo the year before, so a provincial one in Europe was perhaps just a sideshow for her.
Ellen is 72 today.
Gratulerer med dagen, Ellen!