Sondre Lerche

Born in Bergen, Norway in 1982, Sondre Lerche developed early songwriting shaped by 1980s pop, bossa nova and a melodic sensibility informed by jazz and folk. Discovered as a teenager by producer H.P. Gundersen, he signed in 2000 and released Faces Down in 2001, the starting point of a career where chamber pop, indie rock, acoustic songwriting and more sophisticated arrangements coexist. Two Way Monologue (2004) refined that melodic side, while Duper Sessions (2006), recorded with his band Faces Down and pianist Erik Halvorsen, explored a more overtly jazz format. With Phantom Punch (2007) he moved toward a harder, more direct rock sound, before returning to a broader style on Heartbeat Radio (2009). After living for a time between Brooklyn and Los Angeles, he continued this trajectory with Sondre Lerche (2011), Please (2014), Pleasure (2017), Patience (2020) and the double album Avatars of Love (2022). Over the years he has toured with a-ha and Elvis Costello, composed for the film Dan in Real Life (2007), and occupied a distinct place between the indie pop stage, classic songwriting and more orchestrated forms.