Norwegian performer Nils Bech is about to release his fifth album and for the first time he’s writing about his experiences as a gay man.
“This is the first time I’ve ever used him in a song,” Nils said of the songwriting. “I think there’s a naive perception that being a gay man or artist is now easy, but there’s obviously still a way to go before expressing yourself freely is as commercially viable as conforming. Earlier I used to think that I wish that I could be just an artist, and not a gay artist, but I’ve seen time after time, especially with the toxic climate in some European countries, that if you relax for fifteen minutes, you’re back to the start. There is still a long way to go, and this is definitely not the time to be quiet.“
The official music video for Foolish Heart is taken from Bech’s live performance at the Et Helt Annet Sted online festival in April 2020. The footage was recorded live in Oslo’s Vigelandsmuseet and features Silas Henriksen, principal dancer at the Norwegian National Ballet. The video was directed by award winning director Kennneth Karlstad.
Take a listen to the song and watch the stunning video.
Nils Bech has made his mark in Norwegian popular culture as a singer, as well as a performance artist. His achievements include a sold out Oslo Opera house, features in i-D and Dazed Magazine and performances spanning from the Venice Biennale to the Roskilde Festival.
He got his biggest breakthrough after a performance of O Helga Natt in the hit TV show SKAM and he has since become a sought after performer for theaters, festivals and the Royal Family of Norway, where he both performed at the King and Queen’s 50th wedding anniversary, and at Queen Sonja’s 80th birthday.
The album Foolish Heart is out on May 29th.
OIP Staff
Love OUTinPerth Campaign
Help support the publication of OUTinPerth by contributing to our
GoFundMe campaign.
