Herborg Kråkevik was born in Jondal in Hardanger and grew up in a home filled with singing, music, and a strong family tradition of parodying local characters. But with a sparse audience, it was the sheep that got to enjoy her first concerts. After taking over the local Tensing choir, she started her career by winning the Ungdommens Kulturmønstring (Youth Culture Festival) in Hordaland in 1992.
She also managed to appear in René Bjerke's short film Det Rare (The Strange) before being accepted at the Guildford School of Acting in England in the fall of 1994. She spent only one school year there before returning to Norway, where she entertained half of Western Norway and a few lucky people who got tickets in Oslo. It was when she met guitarist, composer, and comedian Kenneth Sivertsen that she really found her audience. Over a four-year period, she enjoyed tremendous success with their cabaret collaboration, where she was able to showcase her entire range of musicality and comedy.
In 1995, she received great acclaim for her self-composed performance “Haugtussa,” based on Arne Garborg's poetry cycle. The following year, she was recruited to Den Nationale Scene in Bergen, where she made her definitive breakthrough as an actress in the role of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady.” Her performance was a justified sensation with both audiences and critics, as well as ensuring record attendance for the theater.
Herborg's album “Herborgs Verden” went platinum (over 50,000 copies sold) and was nominated for a Spellemann Award, a major achievement for a debut artist.
The album “Kråkeviks Songbok,” which she produced in collaboration with Trondheimsolistene, was released in 2000. Herborg produced the album together with Bjørn Nessjø. Herborg produced the album together with Bjørn Nessjø. It was a collaboration that must be called successful, as it received rave reviews from critics. “Kråkeviks Songbok” sold 225,000 copies, and for this album she was named Spellemann of the Year at the Spellemannsprisen 2000 awards.
With the show Eg og Edith (Me and Edith), Herborg toured Norway with her interpretation of Edith Piaf's songs. The album Eg og Edith was released in 2002 and went platinum. In recent years, Herborg has appeared in several theater productions: Victoria at Oslo Nye Teater in 2004, Funny Girl at Den Nationale Scene in 2005, and Kærlighedens Farve at Odense Teater in 2006.
All of the shows have been box office successes, and in Denmark, Herborg is referred to as a superstar.
The show “Herborg & Hope” is a collaboration with Christine Hope. The show played to full houses in Bergen and Oslo in 2006, and they toured with the show in 2007.
In 2008, the album “Annleis enn i går” was released. The album went gold within a couple of months.
The album “Kvar ein dag” was released in 2009. Here she collects some of her favorite hymns in her own interpretation.
In 2011, she staged “Kjære landsmenn” at Det Norske Teatret. She was nominated in four categories for the Komiprisen award for this performance and won the Komiprisen award for best performance and best comedy act! Director Erik Ulfsby. In 2011, the album “Alltid i mitt sinn” (Always in my mind) was also released, featuring songs from the performance. The performance played to full houses in 2012 and spring 2013.
The album Jul i Stova (Christmas in Stova), released in the fall of 2012, sold 75,000 copies. The performance Jeg trenger å slå med vingene (I Need to Flap My Wings) – Skram vs Kråkevik premiered at Festpillene in Bergen in June 2012. Director Morten Borgersen. The performance will premiere in Oslo in September 2013.
Since 2015, she has worked extensively to create the right atmosphere for Christmas. Juleroser has given many people a fantastic experience of Herborg at her best. New editions of Juleroser were released in both 2019 and 2020.
This year, she is bringing Juleroser to the stage and, together with three of Norway's leading symphony orchestras, she will perform Juleroserkonsert on an extended tour in December.
Her artistic range has been duly applauded by an unusually unanimous chorus of critics, whether she is on stage with her wild parodies or as a so-called serious actress and singer. Her versatility is her unique strength, and she displays a breadth and musical references that make her a great artist.
