Thirteen years ago, I released an album of religious folk tunes from my two home regions—Rogaland and Vestfold. The project was the result of years spent digging through archives, listening to old cassette tapes and reel-to-reel recordings, flipping through weathered notebooks filled with ornate handwriting. I spent countless hours with elderly people, both in their homes and in nursing homes, drinking coffee, enjoying endless waffles and traditional Norwegian «lapper,» and listening to their stories.
Along the way, I gained not just material, but friendships and rare insight into lives shaped by faith. The album, Syng hjerte, was released and warmly received. It took on a life of its own. I performed several hundred concerts with the repertoire and continued my search through other hymnals and notes, meeting new people and discovering more personal stories of belief and experience.
One of the encounters that left a lasting mark on me happened in Skien. A pastor from the DELK Skauen church invited me into his home, where I had the privilege of meeting one of the congregation’s singers—a man who had spent a lifetime collecting hymns. He not only shared his music but also the deeply personal stories connected to them. I’ll never forget it.
I was also invited to join a Bible study group, gaining an intimate view of congregational life and their perspectives on the big and small questions of faith and existence. It touched me deeply. My personal hymnbook had grown, enriched with two new voices and countless new reflections.
The songs I learned during this journey stayed with me. They traveled with me into churches and other spaces, becoming woven into my own life story. As they continued to meet new people, the songs took on new imprints and meanings.
Now, with a rich and diverse repertoire in hand, Nils Økland and I have decided to use these songs as the foundation for our new duo project. This video captures the very first meeting of that collaboration. The recording was made by Stavanger Church Council and St. Johannes Parish.