Rolf Løvland

Born

1955-04-19

Birthplace

Kristiansand, Norway

Biography

Rolf Undsæt Løvland is a Norwegian composer and lyricist. Together with Fionnuala Sherry, he formed the Celtic-Nordic group Secret Garden, in which he was the composer, producer, and keyboardist. He began composing at an early age (he formed a band at the age of nine) and grew up studying at the Kristiansand Music Conservatory, later receiving his Masters degree from the Norwegian Institute of Music in Oslo. Løvland has won the Eurovision Song Contest twice, composing the songs "La det swinge" in 1985 and "Nocturne" in 1995 (with Secret Garden), resulting in Norway's first two titles. He is probably most famous for composing the song "You Raise Me Up", which, according to Rolf Løvland in an interview with Radio Norge in February 2010, has been covered more than 500 times.