About Thomas Dybdahl

Thomas Dybdahl (born 12 April 1979 in Sandnes, Norway) is a Norwegian singer/songwriter. To date he has released six albums, all with critical acclaim and commercial success in Norway and Denmark, as well as elsewhere. Before he went solo, he was the guitarist in the Norwegian band Quadraphonics. As well as a solo career, Dybdahl is also the lead singer in The National Bank, which consists of members from Jaga Jazzist and Bigbang. In addition, Dybdahl contributed vocals on a few tracks for the popular British band Morcheeba, on their album "Dive Deep" released in 2008. His music is melancholic and soulful - often low-key, in traditional singer-songwriter style. He is often compared to the likes of artists such as Damien Rice, Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake. Thomas Dybdahl went out to become somewhat of a shooting-star in Norway. As a solo artist, the former guitarist of the band Quadraphonics released his first single EP, Bird, in 2000. His first release did not yield much success, and his second EP from 2001, John Wayne, was also unsuccessful. Beginning with the release of his first album, titled ... That Great October Sound, in 2002, the first part of his gold and platinum-selling October series, he received national and even international appreciation for his unique work. Since then, and especially after the European release in 2004, Thomas Dybdahl's notability has increased significantly. The mostly positive reviews tout Dybdahl as a new pop wonder comparable to Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley and other important solo artists. He received the Spellemannprisen and the Alarm Award for his work. The release of his next two albums, Stray Dogs (European release in 2005) and One Day You'll Dance for Me, New York City, further increased his standing as a respected artist. The album One Day You'll Dance for Me, New York City features the famous Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss speaking of quality of life, as a sort of interlude. In 2004, he teamed up with artists from the bands Jaga Jazzist and BigBang on the project The National Bank, which immediately entered the Norwegian charts with the project's self-titled debut album. It was released outside Norway in 2009. His single Damn Heart, written for the Danish movie En Soap, was released in 2006 on Copenhagen Records. In 2007, he performed as an opening act in the USA for fellow Norwegian artist Sondre Lerche, and in 2011, he opened for Tori Amos during her Night of Hunters tour. On April 22, 2013, his single "Man On a Wire" was released as the first single from his album What's Left is Forever.