Fredrik Strand Halland is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Early life

Born in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, Halland began playing the guitar at a very young age. When he turned 9, he started taking lessons from guitarist

Mads Eriksen Mads Eriksen (born 15 July 1977) is a Norwegian cartoonist, best known for the comic strips '' M'' and ''Gnom''. Biography Eriksen was born in Malvik. His career in comics began in 2000, when his first comic strip, ''Gnom'', was accepted into ...

, who first introduced Halland to the

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

. At twelve he performed a

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

classic from ''

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'' in a Norwegian talent competition; in 2007 he was awarded the City of Bergen's talent prize; at 16 he won the Notodden Blues Festival contest for blues guitarists. He soon had over 100 live performances, including at

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Career

At the age of 16 Halland moved to Los Angeles after receiving a scholarship to attend the Musicians Institute in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. He was selected as the first runner-up in

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’s “ Guitar Superstar 2011” competition hosted by guitarist

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. After graduating with honors, Halland started his own production company, named after the mountains surrounding his hometown. He toured with Colbie Caillat soon after. He played guitar on

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

's "

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" in 2013 and on

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

’s posthumous album Xscape in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halland, Fredrik Norwegian musicians Norwegian male singer-songwriters Norwegian singer-songwriters Norwegian record producers Norwegian pop musicians Norwegian pop singers Norwegian songwriters Norwegian rock musicians English-language singers from Norway 1993 births Living people Norwegian expatriates in the United States 21st-century Norwegian singers 21st-century Norwegian male singers