Stig van Eijk

Stig André van Eijk was born on March 21, 1981, in Cali, Colombia. He was adopted by a Norwegian family as an infant. Stig grew up in Bergen, Norway. He learned to play instruments like the guitar and piano in childhood and began writing songs in his teens. This early start in music set the stage for his future career. By his late teenage years, van Eijk was actively pursuing music opportunities, aiming to bridge his diverse Colombian heritage with his Norwegian upbringing through song.

Stig van Eijk achieved his big break in 1999 at just 18 years old. He won Melodi Grand Prix 1999, Norway’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the self-composed song “Living My Life Without You.” This victory earned him the right to represent Norway at Eurovision 1999 in Jerusalem. At the Eurovision final, van Eijk finished in 14th place out of 23 countries, scoring 35 points. Notably, he was the first ever black performer to represent Norway at Eurovision. Following Eurovision, van Eijk’s debut album Where I Belong was released in 1999. The album was a commercial success. It went platinum in Norway (selling over 30,000 copies) and reached #6 on the Norwegian charts. In the wake of his breakthrough, he was honored as Male Artist of the Year at the Norwegian Hit Awards, cementing his status as a rising star.

After his initial pop success, van Eijk expanded his career with meaningful international projects. In 2001, he wrote a peace anthem for his birth country titled “Constructors of Peace.” He recorded the song with the Bogotá Symphony Orchestra and traveled to Colombia to perform it on national television and at concerts. The artist used his music to promote peace during a turbulent time.

The same year, back in Norway, he opened the B: Underground Club in his hometown Bergen. That is a live music venue featuring a house band and guest artists performing reggae, soul, and funk. This club nurtured local talent and reflected van Eijk’s commitment to diverse music genres. In 2002, van Eijk demonstrated his songwriting prowess on the global stage by co-writing the song “Once In a Lifetime” for South African singer Heinz Winckler, who performed it to win Idol in South Africa. The single became a major hit there, achieving double platinum status with over 100,000 copies sold. 

Reggae and Soul: The Soul Express and Beyond

After several years focused on live performances and collaborations, van Eijk made a return to solo recording. In 2013 he released Presentation, his second solo studio album and his first in over a decade. This album blended all his musical influences with a foundation in reggae and soul. Presentation was a personal project that highlighted van Eijk’s growth as a singer-songwriter and reaffirmed his presence in the Norwegian music scene.

In 2015, Stig van Eijk ventured into children’s entertainment and educational music. Along with his partner Beate Helen Thunes, he created a new children’s music project called Trollala. Through Trollala, they released playful songs and staged imaginative performances tailored for kids. Notably, their Christmas musical “Trollala and the Christmas that Disappeared” became a local hit, running for two consecutive years in Bergen to delighted audiences of families. This project allowed van Eijk to combine his musical talent with storytelling, reaching a new generation of fans. In addition to Trollala, he has worked as a music instructor in kindergartens and schools, using music to inspire and educate children. Van Eijk’s foray into children’s projects demonstrated his versatility and commitment to using music as a positive force in the community.

Decades after his first Eurovision appearance, Stig van Eijk returned to the spotlight of the song contest world. In 2023, he participated in Melodi Grand Prix 2023 with a reggae-infused song called “Someday.” Although “Someday” did not advance to the final of MGP 2023, van Eijk’s performance was a reminder of his enduring talent and passion for the Eurovision stage. It also highlighted how he had stayed true to his signature reggae-soul style over the years.

Today, Stig van Eijk remains an active and multifaceted figure in music. He continues to write, record, and perform new material, releasing singles and collaborating with artists in Norway and abroad. Throughout a career spanning over two decades, he has sold more than 250,000 records worldwide, a testament to the broad appeal of his work.