Born on July 16: Daniel Norgren, the velvet-voiced guitarist from the fjords

He was born in 1983 in the small town of Boras (Borås) in Sweden and the codes of modern city life seem to have no hold on him.

Although he expresses himself admirably on his electric six-string, Daniel Norgren doesn't really play the role of the guitar hero. You may see him grimace a little when he pulls out a particularly fancy sound from his trusty Horner 172. But he'll never be jumping up and down on stage or lining up reels. Daniel Norgren is neither Angus Young (AC/DC) nor Pete Townshend from the “Live At Leeds” era...

He sees himself more as a craftsman, patient and methodical, always striving for melodic perfection. Almost always wearing his lumberjack shirts and hiding under his cap, Daniel Norgren is no fashion icon. In town or on stage, it's clearly not his wardrobe that matters. Without trying too hard, he has never succumbed to the sirens of the record majors and, since his debut album “Keresone Dreams”, has remained unfailingly loyal to his own Superpuma micro-label.

The Swedish giant really doesn't do anything like everyone else. Without any pressure, he takes the time he needs to polish his compositions before going into the studio. His latest album is entitled “Woon Dang” and dates from 2019. Two years ago, however, he came back to our attention with a live album. And as good news never comes alone, he's back on the road regularly, taking advantage of this summer to give us another of those memorable concerts he's so good at.

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Daniel Norgren on stage at the Cirque Royal in Brussels (Belgium) on 3 February 2020.