Kurt Nilsen was a plumber by trade and the singer for a promising young rock band in his native Bergen, Norway. That is, until his life was turned upside down by his participation in the Norwegian version of the smash hit TV talent contest Pop Idol. The golden-throated, gap-toothed Nilsen was victorious on the show, and his version of the formerly minor Tal Bachman ditty "She's So High" went ten-times platinum in Norway, becoming the country's biggest-selling single of all time. BMG Norway followed up with the hasty full-length I before bustling Nilsen off to London for Christmas 2003's World Idol competition, which he won. ~ Johnny Loftus