Biography
Dollie, later known as Dollie de Luxe and Adrian / Bjørnov, was a Norwegian pop duo, which consisted of singers and songwriters Ingrid Bjørnov (born December 5, 1963) and Benedicte Adrian (born October 22, 1963). The members, Ingrid Bjørnov and Benedicte Adrian, grew up together at Oppsal in Oslo. They started music early and were in their teens when they were aired on NRK radio on January 18, 1979. The tune was a version of the ABBA song “Summer Night City”. After that they got a record deal. The duo was only called Dollie at this time.
The first album was released in 1980 and became a success with 52,000 copies sold and received the Spellemann Prize 1980 in the pop class. In 1981 Dollie participated in the Norsk Melodi Grand Prix with the song “1984” which came in sixth place. They also participated in 1982 with the song “Det er deg jeg skal ha” and then came in 10th place. But in 1984 they won the Norwegian final with the song “Lenge leve livet”. They changed their name to Dollie de Luxe for the international market and represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1984 the album “Dollie de Luxe” was released which contained regular pop music, but also the track “Queen of the Night / Satisfaction”, a combination of rock and opera. An entire album called “Rock vs opera” followed. It sold very well, not only in Norway but also in France and Canada. The follow up, “Which Witch” was an all-night musical where the action was based on the story of Maria Vittoria di Benevento, who was burned as a witch. The work premiered during in 1987 and was released on record at Halloween. For the record, the duo received the Spellemannprisen 1987. The record version was followed by several tours and the book ‘Satan’s Women’, written by Hege Duckert in collaboration with Adrian and Bjørnov. In the fall of 1992 Which Witch was staged in a theater in London’s West End, which was not a succes. In 1995, Dollie de Luxe tried a completely different musical than Which Witch. This was “Henriette og hennes seks ekte menn” and was a humorous and easy-going performance. Another album and musical followed in 2001; so far the last collaboration between the two ladies.
