Kurt Erik Nilsen ( September 29, 1978 in Bergen, Norway), won the Norwegian version of the television show Pop Idol, aired on TV 2 in May 2003. He won with 53 % of the votes against Gaute Ormåsen. His subsequent single, "She's So High", written by Tal Bachman, went straight to number one in the Norwegian singles chart and is among the biggest-selling singles in Norway to date. His debut album was I.
He subsequently won the vote for the World Idol title on January 1, 2004, singing the hit "Beautiful Day" by U2, beating competitors from ten other nations, including favourite Kelly Clarkson from the United States, and scoring the first place in 10 out of 11 voting countries. In the show presenting the entries on December 25, Ian Dickson, the Australian judge, said: "You have the voice of an angel, but you look like a Hobbit. If this were Middle-earth Idol you'd walk it." Kurt's gap-toothedness did not seem to bother the viewers and voters, though.
His second CD, A Part Of Me, released in 2004, contains only his own material.
In January 2005, he broke up with his fiance, Kristine Jacobsen. They had been together for 11 years, and had two children together: Marte (born 1996) and Erik (born 2000). He and his new girlfriend, Kristin Halvorsen (not to be confused with the Norwegian Minister of Finance), welcomed their first son, Lukas, on January 20, 2006. Nilsen and Kristin later married on July 29, 2006.
Kurt Nilsen is one of only seven contestants in the Idol (Norway) history who succeeded in staying out of “bottom three/two” places in weekly votes along with Gaute Ormåsen (season 1), Susanne Nordbøe (season 2), Jorun Stiansen (season 3), Alejandro Fuentes (season 3), Tone Damli Aaberge (season 3) and Jonas Thomassen (season 4).
Of them, Nilsen and Stiansen went on to win the competition.
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