Margaret Berger | |
|---|---|
 Berger in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1985-10-11)11 October 1985 (age 39) Trondheim, Norway |
| Origin | Hitra Municipality,Sør-Trøndelag, Norway |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | margaretberger |
Margaret Berger (born 11 October 1985) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, music director, and DJ. She made her debut onSony BMG after she placed second on thesecond season ofNorwegian Idol in 2004.[1]
She released the studio albumsChameleon (2004) andPretty Scary Silver Fairy (2006). Bergerrepresented Norway in theEurovision Song Contest 2013 inMalmö, Sweden, finishing in fourth place with the song "I Feed You My Love".
Margaret Berger was born on 11 October 1985 inTrondheim and grew up inHitra Municipality, where she lived for twelve years. She sang in agospel choir and began writing her own songs at the age of twelve. Berger studied music at Heimdal videregående skole. She made her debut as a lyricist with the local band Slim Void with the song "In Company With Bottles" on their albumSlim Void released on a local label.
In 2004, Berger participated in the second season of Idol: Jakten på en superstjerne. She advanced to the top 50, and competed in the semi-finals. She did not make it through in her initial semi-final round, where she lost toMaria Haukaas Storeng andKjartan Salvesen (the eventual winner). However, she received a call-back for the wildcards from the judgeAnneli Drecker, who said that Margaret was one of her favorite contestants. She received the most votes with her rendition ofThe Beatles' "Come Together" thus advancing to the top 11 alongside fellow contestant Susanne Nordboe.
| Week | Theme | Song performed | Original artist | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's choice | "Your House" | Alanis Morissette | N/A | Advanced |
| Semi-finals | N/A | "Were You Worth My Tears?" | Margaret Berger | N/A | Eliminated |
| Semi-finals (Wildcard) | N/A | "Come Together" | The Beatles | N/A | Safe |
| Top 11 | Favorite artist | "Forgiven" | Alanis Morissette | N/A | Safe |
| Top 9 | Norwegian hits | "Splitter Pine" | DumDum Boys | N/A | Bottom three |
| Top 8 | Disco | "Don't Leave Me This Way" | Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes | N/A | Bottom three |
| Top 7 | Year they were born | "Walking on Sunshine" | Katrina and the Waves | N/A | Bottom three |
| Top 6 | VG-lista top 20 top 5 hits | "Murder on the Dancefloor" | Sophie Ellis-Bextor | N/A | Safe |
| Top 5 | Big band | "It's Oh So Quiet" | Betty Hutton | N/A | Bottom two |
| Top 4 | Songs of the cinema | "Queen of the Night" "Uninvited" | Whitney Houston Alanis Morissette | N/A | Safe |
| Top 3 | Judges' choice | "It's My Life" "Stop" | Talk Talk Sam Brown | 2 5 | Safe |
| Top 2 | Contestant's choice Contestant's choice Winner's single | "Come Together" "Forgiven" "Standing Tall" | The Beatles Alanis Morissette Kjartan Salvesen | 1 3 5 | Runner-up |
Berger's debut album,Chameleon, was released on 4 October 2004. The album reached number four on the Norwegian albums chart. According toAllMusic's review of the album, "its ten tracks seem to snatch indiscriminately fromrock,dance,R&B, andelectro, though the cumulative effect is less of a hodgepodge than a harmonious cohabitation of electronic beats and rock guitars, within a plush, polished pop context, in a manner that hasn't been particularly prevalent (in mainstream music anyway) since the '80s".[1]
The album did not receive an officialsingle release, but themusic video for the song "Lifetime Guarantee" was awarded aSpellemannprisen.[2]
Her second album,Pretty Scary Silver Fairy, was released on 2 October 2006. The album reached number eight in Norway and received positive reviews. Influenced byBjörk,Daft Punk andThe Knife, the album was a departure from her previous effort,[3] and featured a mixture ofelectronic anddance-pop music.[4]
Thelead single, "Samantha", reached number six on the Norwegian singles chart. Itslyrics discuss women who change themselves to please others.[5] Two more singles followed: "Will You Remember Me Tomorrow?" (which peaked at number 13 on the Norwegian singles chart) and "Robot Song".
In 2008, Berger became the music director ofNRK P3, one of the three nationwideradio channels of theNorwegian Broadcasting Corporation.[6]
On 21 February 2011,[7] Berger released the single "In a Box" onUniversal Music. This single included theB-side "4-E.V.E.R. L.O.V.E".
In June 2011, her labelSony BMG issued the 4-trackEP compilationFour Hits: Margaret Berger, which included the singles "Lifetime Guarantee", "Samantha", "Will You Remember Me Tomorrow?" and "Chameleon".
Bergerrepresented Norway at theEurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "I Feed You My Love" after winning the Norwegian national final on 9 February 2013. The song, written byKarin Park andMachoPsycho, reached number four on the Norwegian singles chart. On 18 May, Margaret Berger finished in 4th place with 191 points—Norway's best result at the contest since their victory in 2009, and their sixth best result ever.
In 2013, Berger stated that she was recording a third studio album, titledNew Religion, inGothenburg,Sweden.[8] The album was set to include herEurovision 2013 song, "I Feed You My Love", as well as a collaboration with Swedish indie-pop groupLo-Fi-Fnk. On 28 August 2013 she announced the second single "Human Race" on Instagram. The single was released on 6 September. In an interview with So So Gay she announced that the album would be released in February 2014.[9] This release date was later pushed back. On 14 March 2014, the third single from the album, "Scream", was released. She was one of the five jurors forNorway in theEurovision Song Contest 2015 inVienna,Austria. In December 2015 she announced her single "Apologize" on Instagram, which was later released on 22 January 2016.
Berger took part inMelodi Grand Prix 2024 with the song "Oblivion".[10] She advanced from her semi-final on 13 January 2024, placing 7th in the final with 49 points.[11]
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 | Succeeded by |
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