Jan Werner

Jan Werner is a Norwegian singer of remarkable talent and versatility whose body of work ranges from classical crossover and musical theater to pop, gospel, and holiday music. His sudden death in 2006 at age 30 cemented his legacy as one of Norway's greatest vocal talents of the turn of the century. Born Jan Werner Danielsen on April 10, 1976, in Nord-Odal, Norway, he made his commercial recording debut in 1989 with the single "My Prayer." Only 13 years old at the time, he subsequently withdrew from the music industry for several years in order to mature and develop his voice, which was said to span four octaves in later years. A half-decade after making his commercial debut, he won the televised talent show Talentiaden NRK in 1994 and proceeded to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest that same year. He sang a duet with Elisabeth "Bettan" Andreassen, and the duo finished in sixth place with their performance of "Duett." Upon signing a major-label recording deal with Universal Music, Werner made his solo album debut in 1995 with All by Myself. The album was a major success, peaking at number three on the Norwegian albums chart. The follow-up albums Inner Secrets (1997) and Music of the Night (1999), the latter a collection of musical theater material, failed to rival the success of his debut effort, though they were popular all the same, both reaching the Top 20. Werner then reunited with Andreassen for a series of Christmas concerts across Norway that coincided with the release of an album of holiday music, Bettan & Jan Werners Jul (1999). Several would years passed before his next solo album, Singer of Songs (2003). His most successful album release to date, it sold approximately 100,000 copies and peaked at number two on the albums chart. A few years later, in the run-up to the release of his next solo album, Stronger (2006), Werner died on September 29, 2006, in Oslo, Norway. Released in the immediate aftermath of his tragic passing, Stronger was a chart-topping smash.