About
Nordman built their name on a sound that feels genuinely unlike anything else: Mats Wester's nyckelharpa woven through folk, rock and pop in a blend Swedes call etnorock. The duo, which is Wester on nyckelharpa and songwriting duties paired with vocalist Håkan Hemlin, broke through fast when their 1994 debut single "Förlist" went gold within four weeks and follow up "Vandraren" camped at the top of Sommartoppen all summer. Their second album was pre ordered past platinum before it even hit shelves. After splitting in 1998 the two eventually reconnected, and their Melodifestivalen comeback in 2005 reintroduced them to a new generation. Since then they have kept things interesting: a stripped back acoustic album called Patina in 2014 put piano front and centre instead of the nyckelharpa, and a new album Tänk om arrived in 2019 alongside celebrations of their 25th anniversary. "Vandraren" has taken on a life of its own, covered by both Blackmore's Night and Ensiferum.