Norway: Didrik Solli-Tangen shares struggles with performance anxiety as he releases “Hjem”, his first solo single in seven years

Ten years ago, Norwegian singer Didrik Solli-Tangen represented the host nation with “My Heart is Yours” at Eurovision 2010 in Oslo. Despite some follow-up songs in the years following, the star stopped releasing solo material in 2013. But now, Solli-Tangen has broken the seven year hiatus and released his new single “Hjem”, while also sharing more details about the fears that made him stop recording new material for so long.

Didrik Solli-Tangen conquers his fears with new single “Hjem”

Immediately after Eurovision 2010, the classically-trained singer didn’t sit still. Didrik won the television show 71 Grader Nord in 2011, plus performed in nationwide tours and revue shows. Later, the Norwegian singer would go on to finish as the runner-up in the 2017 edition of the popular Norwegian music show Stjernekamp. Earlier this year, Didrik and his younger brother Emil competed in the final of Melodi Grand Prix 2020 with their collaboration “Out of Air”.

However, in between this, Didrik stopped releasing solo songs following “Six Ribbons” in 2013. With his new single “Hjem”, meaning “Home”, the Norwegian singer is embarking on a new musical journey.

On his social media, Didrik shared that the long hiatus from releasing solo material was not without reason. He wrote:

“The last few years have been marked by a lot of uncertainty and performance anxiety associated with releasing new music. I’ve probably been a little too concerned with what people thought about what I do. The safest thing for me then was not to release music at all. I love music and feel privileged to be able to make a living from it too. This year, it’s been 10 years since I won Melodi Grand Prix and since my life was turned upside down. It has opened many nice doors but also allowed me to drastically experience what it was like to be judged by others than myself.”

“For me, this has been a personal journey and I look forward to conveying this to you with my new music. Music is about conveying, not singing the purest or loudest. I am incredibly happy to have found the right people to work with and look forward to the journey ahead.”

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De siste a?rene har vært preget av mye usikkerhet og prestasjonsangst forbundet med det a? gi ut ny musikk. Jeg har nok vært litt for opptatt av hva folk syntes om det jeg gjør. Det tryggeste for meg ble da a? ikke gi ut musikk i det hele tatt. Jeg elsker musikk og føler meg privilegert som ogsa? kan leve av det. I a?r er det 10 a?r siden jeg vant Melodi Grand Prix og siden livet mitt ble snudd pa? hodet. Det har a?pnet mange fine dører men ogsa? latt meg erfare pa? drastisk vis hvordan det var a? skulle bli dømt av andre enn meg selv. Neste fredag (16.oktober) slipper jeg min første singel pa? 7 a?r. For meg har dette vært en personlig reise som jeg gleder meg til a? formidle til dere med min nye musikk. For musikk handler om a? formidle, ikke synge renest eller høyest. Jeg er utrolig glad for a? ha funnet de riktige menneskene a? samarbeide med og gleder meg til reisen videre. Sangen «Hjem» er en norsk versjon av Cody Frys «From The Cold». En la?t som for meg handler om a? ha levd i et personlig vakuum til a? endelig fa? fotfeste og et trygt sted a? komme hjem uansett hvordan ting skulle ga?.

A post shared by Didrik Solli-Tangen (@didriksollitangen) on Oct 9, 2020 at 8:56am PDT

In an interview to Norwegian broadcaster TV2, Didrik further explained the cause of this anxiety. He acknowledged that after winning Melodi Grand Prix in 2010, he found it difficult to deal with the criticism he got. The songs after “My Heart is Yours” only received lukewarm responses in the Norwegian press as well. He said:

“In 2013, I wholeheartedly tried to release a new album, but when it was also received with lukewarm reviews and was not very much streamed [on digital platforms], it becomes a bit like: “Maybe I should just have concerts and sing classical then”.”

However, as a classically-trained musician with a degree from the Baratt Due Institute of Music, Didrik told TV2 he found it a bit of a waste to become “that one from TV”:

“You get a little scared to step into [releasing music] again. Singing the right way and correctly has been important to me for many years, but it has taken a long time for me to dare to step out of that square.”

Didrik Solli-Tangen – “Hjem”

With “Hjem”, Didrik Solli-Tangen has created a Norwegian-language version of “From the Cold” by Cody Fry. Didrik characterised the song as follows on Instagram:

“[It is a] song that for me is about having lived in a personal vacuum to finally gain a foothold and a safe place to come home no matter how things should go.”

“Hjem” comes at the right moment as many people are longing for a safe haven and to be close to their loved ones in these difficult times, as Didrik sings “Dear, come here to me / In my warmth in the brightness”.

While fans may have had to wait seven years for a new solo single from Solli-Tangen, they thankfully won’t have to wait that long for his next release. In September, the Melodi Grand Prix star announced that he will also release a Christmas album in 2020.

What do you think of Didrik Solli-Tangen’s “Hjem”? Will you add his new single to your playlists? Let us know in the comments down below!

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Photos: Petter Holthe Hanssen/Didrik Solli-Tangen Instagram