The Spellemann of the Year () is a traveling trophy awarded each year during the Spellemannprisen. The award goes to a Norwegian artist or group that has distinguished itself in particular in the past year. The winner is chosen on an open basis by a special jury. The award was first awarded during the Spellemannprisen 1985 in 1986, and then went to A-ha.
Background Unlike most other Spellemann awards, where a professional jury selects a winner from the artists entered, a special jury selects the winner of the Spellemann of the Year on an arbitrary basis. The award also takes into account the artist's performance, commercial success and record releases. The winner receives a bronze statuette shaped like a gramophone player, which they will keep for one year. The award is usually presented by the previous year's winner. The statuette was made by sculptor Erlingur Jónsson.
A precursor to the Spellemann Award of the Year was awarded under the name Artist of the Year to The Monroes in 1984 and Åge Aleksandersen in 1985. The award was the first of the additional classes to be introduced in addition to the existing genre-specific classes. Later, Newcomer of the Year, Hit of the Year and Music Video of the Year were also introduced as additional classes. The award is awarded across the genre-specific classes and is considered the most prestigious of the Spellemann Awards. Up until the 1989 awards ceremony, nominations for the award were announced in advance in the same way as in other classes.
The introduction of the award and its predecessor, Artist of the Year, also made it possible to win two awards in the same year, something The Monroes did the first time it was awarded, and several have done since. The singer Øystein Sunde and the rap duo Karpe are the only ones to have been named Spellemann of the Year twice. Øystein Sunde has also won the award once with Gitarkameratene. Morten Abel and Morten Harket have both been named Spellemann of the Year both as solo artists and with bands, The September When and A-ha, respectively.
Recipients Below is a list of all the winners since the start in 1986. A list of the winners and nominees for the award can be found on Spellemannprisen's official website. 1986: A-ha 1987: Sissel Kyrkjebø 1988: Jørn Hoel 1989: Det Norske Kammerorkester 1990: Øystein Sunde 1991: Gitarkameratene 1992: Dance with a Stranger 1993: DumDum Boys 1994: The September When 1995: Øystein Sunde 1996: Morten Harket 1997: D.D.E. 1998: Bjørn Eidsvåg 1999: Leif Ove Andsnes 2000: Ole Ivars 2001: Herborg Kråkevik 2002: Morten Abel 2003: Röyksopp 2004: Silje Nergaard 2005: Odd Nordstoga 2006: Madrugada 2007: Vamp 2008: Hellbillies 2009: Espen Lind 2010: Alexander Rybak 2011: Karpe 2012: Jarle Bernhoft 2013: Kaizers Orchestra 2014: Ole Paus 2015: Nico & Vinz 2016: Kygo 2017: Marcus & Martinus 2018: Astrid S 2019: Alan Walker 2020: Sigrid 2021: Tix 2022: Girl in Red 2023: Karpe 2024: Undergrunn 2025: Marstein
References
External links Official website