About Silje Nergaard
Born 1966. Silje Nergaard is a Norwegian singer, composer, jazz musician, songwriter, recording artist and musician.
Silje Nergaard (born 19 June 1966) is a Norwegian jazz vocalist and songwriter. She is one of the best-selling jazz artists on the official sales chart in Norway. She became known worldwide after the release of the international bestseller Tell Me Where You're Going featuring Pat Metheny on guitar.
Career Nergaard entered the music scene at the age of 16 when she accidentally had a jam session with Jaco Pastorius Band in 1982. Her first hit single in 1990, "Tell Me Where You're Going" featuring guitarist Pat Metheny made it to no. 1 in Japan as well as top 10 in Norway and other countries. Her album At First Light (2001) is the best-selling Norwegian jazz album ever recorded and entered the official sales chart in Norway at No. 1 in its first week. The album A Thousand True Stories, which Nergaard recorded with the Metropole Orchestra in 2008, was a great success in both Europe and Asia. Nergaard is one of the few Norwegian artists to have been commercially released all around the globe, on most continents and major music markets including Japan, Brazil, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Nergaard has recorded and performed songs with Al Jarreau, Pat Metheny, Toots Thielemanns, and Morten Harket of A-ha. She has had Tord Gustavsen and Jarle Vespestad as two pillars in her bands. Vince Mendoza received a Grammy Award Nomination for the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) Award for the song "A Thousand True Stories" in 2011.
In the spring of 2012, Nergaard released her new album Unclouded, based on recordings with her two guitarists Hallgrim Bratberg and Håvar Bendiksen. It was released on 9 March in Norway and 23 March internationally. Nergaard has written 9 new songs for Unclouded and has two covers on this album: "Human" by The Killers and The Moon's a Harsh Mistress by Jimmy Webb. For Unclouded, Nergaard has also invited the American guitarist John Scofield to contribute along with Georg Wadenius, Knut Reiersrud, and Nils Petter Molvær.
Personal life She was married to Heine Totland from 1998 until 2022. They have two daughters and one son together.
Discography Tell Me Where You're Going (Sonet, 1990) Silje (BMG, 1991) Cow On the Highway (Sonet, 1993) Brevet (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1995) Hjemmefra (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1996) Port of Call (EmArcy, 2000) At First Light (EmArcy, 2001) Nightwatch (EmArcy, 2003) Live in Koln (EmArcy) Darkness Out of Blue (EmArcy, 2006) A Thousand True Stories (Columbia, 2009) Jazz Divas of Scandinavia with DR Big Band (Red Dot, 2009) If I Could Wrap Up a Kiss (Sony 2010) Unclouded (Columbia/Sony, 2012) Chain of Days (Okeh, 2015) For You a Thousand Times (Okeh, 2017) Hamar Railway Station (2020) Japanese Blue (Okeh, 2020) Houses (Sony, 2021) Tomorrow We'll Figure Out The Rest (Sony, 2025)
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Important facts
People in Silje Nergaard's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Silje Nergaard's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Silje Nergaard?
Norwegian singer
When was Silje Nergaard born?
Silje Nergaard was born on 19 June 1966 in Steinkjer Municipality.
What is Silje Nergaard's occupation?
Silje Nergaard is a singer, composer, jazz musician, songwriter, recording artist and musician.
What nationality is Silje Nergaard?
Silje Nergaard is Norwegian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Silje Nergaard. https://biography.guide/silje-nergaard/
MLA: "Silje Nergaard." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/silje-nergaard/.
Chicago: "Silje Nergaard." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/silje-nergaard/.
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