Ole Paus – born in Oslo, Norway on February 9, 1947 – was a singer, songwriter, and poet best known as a pioneer in the visebølgen (Norwegian ballad tradition) genre. Inspired by folk music in the 1960s, he made his debut as a singer-songwriter in 1970 when he released his debut album, Der Ute – Der Inne (1970). Unlike many of his contemporaries, he chose to sing in Norwegian and consistently encouraged other artists to do the same. Ole Paus’ political and socially conscious lyrics were poetic in nature, and he revealed himself as a poet and author a year after his musical debut when he released Tekster Fra En Trapp (1971), the first of several books. Ole Paus spent most of the 1970s focusing on his music, releasing a series of acclaimed albums including Garman (1972), Zarepta (1974), Kjellersanger (1979), Svart Ringer (1982), Biggles’ Testamente (1992), En Bøtte Med Lys (2004, Sanger Fra Et Hvitmalt Gjerde I Sjelen (2005), Avslutningen (2013), and Sanger Fra Gutterommet (2016). His most controversial releases included a series of ‘Paus Post’ albums which contained lyrics that criticized both the left and right sides of the political spectrum. These albums include Paus-Posten (1977), NYE Paus-Posten (1977), Stopp Pressen! Det Grøvste Fra Paus-Posten (1995), and Paus-Posten Extra! (1996). In later years, his music became softer, and his lyrics were more introspective and less confrontational. During this period, Ole Paus collaborated with several other Norwegian composers including pianist Ketil Bjørnstad and his son, classical composer Marcus Paus. Ole Paus died on December 12, 2023, at the age of 76.
