Carl Espen Thorbjørnsen was born in 1982 in Bergen and is the eldest of three children. He grew up on the island of Osterøy with his mother and siblings.As a child, their family home was constantly filled with music, as his mother was especially fond of singing. He first began to contemplate a career in music aged just seventeen, when he took part in a local talent contest. This inspired him to follow his dream and he enroled at Rauma Folk High School to study music, dance and drama.
Carl Espen gradually lost sight of his musical career however, and ended up enlisted in the armed forces, where he was stationed in Kosovo for two years. Upon his return home, he began working as a craftsman, both as a frame maker and a glazer. He has worked in various other positions, both as a volunteer for the Cancer Foundation and also as a bouncer at Garage, a renowned rock club in Bergen.
Carl Espen shot to fame almost overnight when he was announced as one of the contenders in this year’s MGP. He was signed up by Sony Records on the spot and the rest, as they say, is history.
