Gaute Ormåsen – Hearing impaired

– I’ve received all the speculation. And since I’m a bitch in the media, I try to take advantage of all the new opportunities.

Gaute Ormåsen, 39, sits on an outside balcony in western Oslo, smiling in the hot summer sun.

The artist has many things to smile about. Most critics think it makes up half Subwooferthe masked duo who won this year’s Melody Grand Prix and represented Norway in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. Among them is British Eurovision artist Sam Ryder, refers to A1’s Ben Adams as the man behind the mask of the other wolf. Speculation has yet to be confirmed, but everything mentioned has pushed Ormåsen’s name into the spotlight.

– I’ve gained over 1000 new followers on Instagram and more contact me and want me on things. He is totally owned! I hope they never reveal their identity.

Urmsen claims, however, that he does not give life to the yellow wolf “Jim”.

– I can’t understand how I should have time for that, plus all the jobs I’ll get back after the pandemic. Then I had to go to the Eurovision parties, and there were probably a lot of inquiries and things to consider. I’m probably relieved that it’s not me.

Probably not?

– He, no, not me. I couldn’t stand it. But they have an ingenious concept. Ormåsen says he looks chubby and smiles wisely behind his big sunglasses.

two new songs

Make big changes

In any case, Ormåsen hopes the new interest will remain now that he’s up to date with two new summer songs. On Christmas Eve, he and Ole Hartz shoot Summer in Stavern, and this month a Swedish summer shop comes up with a new suit.

– I have little time to compose songs during the day, so it’s good to be a part of Ole Hartz’s summer song. The other is a new remix of “Summertime”. It’s in Norwegian, and it has a completely different kind of atmosphere than the original. Urmassen says he is very calm.

Downturn in his career

However, his career isn’t quiet, Ormassen says, and he says that as a father of two he’s really feeling short of time after the pandemic.

But for several years, it was difficult to make a living as an artist, admits the 39-year-old who became famous when he took second place on the first season of “Idol” in 2003.

– After “Idol” I got big jobs with a big audience but I didn’t feel like I deserved it. I had only sung a few quotes on TV, and suddenly I was a star a hundred meters from the queue outside when we were playing. But teenage fans often change their focus, so interest fades very quickly. Jobs are getting smaller and smaller. He admits that it’s not always cool to play for 70 people bullshit.

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– I felt sluggish.

“Love Is More Than Infatuation” became one of his biggest hits in 2006, but Ormåsen prefers not to define it with one type of singer. He worked a lot in his home studio to find their voice.

– It’s my job to become a good songwriter, and it cost me several hours on my own in my home studio to compose music without other producers. But for me, part of the fun of the job was to explore what I could achieve, he says.

Two hits to the world

– It’s Gaute

Children’s songs became a new source of income during the difficult years. Much was loosened after director Gunnar Grieve chose his children’s song “Alvina Troll Harmony,” and Robin Schulz used parts of the song for “In Your Eyes,” and others by Alan Walker for “Faithful.”

– Fewer songs of the size of what you dream of, while one song became two songs all over the world. It may not have happened before. It was an unreal experience.

Gaute smiles again.

– It was very profitable. Finally, I got paid for all the insanely many hours I spent in the boys’ room learning technical things. Now, 20 years later, things are finally starting to roll.

worry

The 39-year-old, who has been suffering from tinnitus since Russian times, is also currently involved Every penny counts campaign Which will focus on hearing problems.

– I want to make it clear that it is not only the elderly who have hearing problems, says Ormsen, who has previously suffered from it. He’s open that he suffers from anxiety and suicidal thoughts due to the constant hissing in his ears.

– It’s all part of my story. But I’ve grown up and learned to handle challenges a little better. This does not mean that I am completely worry-free. I have periods where I don’t quite progress, like all people do. It doesn’t stop me as much as I was in my twenties, says the 39-year-old.

He still suffers from tinnitus, and has such poor hearing that he tested the headset for some time. But this summer, the singer will undergo 12 weeks of sound stimulation and electric shocks at the tip of the tongue, a treatment shown in a pilot study to reduce tinnitus.

– It would be exciting, he said.

lost the epidemic

This summer, a father of two will be working in parallel with the summer songs and rehearsals for the Christmas tour. Before he takes a proper break, for the first time in a long time.

– I’ve had a number of summers where I thought I should say yes to everything, and I had a maximum of three to four days off here and there each year. But now I’m starting to book holidays into the calendar.

So the family will spend part of the summer in their new summer apartment in Arendal.

– All you have to do is take the elevator down and jump into the sea. It would be fine, Ormassen says, especially for children.

The 39-year-old has learned to appreciate free time after spending so much time with his family during the pandemic.

Removal

The pandemic was actually very nice. For the first time in my life, I calmed down a little. It went well with two young children in the house. Also during that time, Robin Schultz picked up my song, so I could relax well. It’s like I’m missing the pandemic a little bit.

dance anyway

The artist also had extra time to be in the studio when everything else was closed. He reveals that there may be more music from him during the year, and is almost speechless when he says he hopes there will be more music from Subwoolfer.

– They have gained quite a large number of followers and a lot of listeners on Spotify. If they don’t release anything else, they will be completely sealed in the head, he says to return.

Ormåsen his formerly He stubbornly claimed that he couldn’t join Subwoolfer due to lack of dancing skills. But in the Oslo sunshine, with a smile on his face, Bromundolen reveals that he was a childhood imitator of Michael Jackson.

– It wasn’t an insider to dance in Bromundal. So I quickly learned that I had to quit smoking. It was bad enough to sing. But I did “Skal vi danse”, and I could have done really well with the right motivation. If I had been at Subwoolfer, I would have had that dance there, it’s not ballet. I tried a little in front of the mirror.