Kim André Rysstad

Kim André Rysstad (born 17 June 1981), hailing from Rysstad village in the Setesdal valley, Norway, is a folk musician, singer and performer of traditional Norwegian folk songs. In 2009 he was voted Young Traditional Folk Musician of the Year by Concerts Norway and the folk music organisation FolkOrg.
Rysstad initially trained as a classical singer, but later specialised in the traditional singing style of his native Setesdal valley. He has had some of Norway's most well-known performers of traditional music as his tutors.
In 2007 Rysstad released his début album Tak hardt uti hand – a collection of traditional folk songs and medieval ballads. The album was voted "Solo Album of the Year" at the Norwegian Folk Music Awards in 2008, and the newspaper Vårt Land wrote "with his début, Kim André Rysstad already stands out as a timeless voice."
Rysstad does not hesitate to mix traditional music and other genres. Whitney Houston is his great idol, and he has played with noise artist Lasse Marhaug. Whereas Rysstad's début album was steeped in tradition, with solo "kveding" and medieval tunes, he is now contemplating making a crossover album in which he can draw on all his sources of inspiration, both traditional and modern.