Photo: Jonathan Vivaas Kise
Emma Steinbakken takes over as most played Norwegian artist on radio
In doing so, she knocks Kygo off his throne as the most played Norwegian artist on the radio, a position he has held for the past 8 years.
There are songs like Jeg glemmer deg aldri, Used To Love You and not least the cover version of Bjørn Eidsvaag's Floden from the TV2 program Every Time We Meetthat lifts Steinbakken to the top of the list.
According to the annual statistics on radio play, published by Gramo, Floden alone was played 3,832 times on the radio during 2023, with a total playing time of over 218 hours. Floden also secured Steinbakken the Spellemann Award for Song of the Year this April.
- "Wow, that's amazing! Emma had a fantastic year in 2023 with Hver Gang Vi Møtes, her first album and an EP, which all did well on the radio. So you expected her to rank high, but at the very top as the Norwegian lead artist ahead of big artists with huge catalogs, it's crazy!" says Guttorm Raa of Steinbakken's management Be Nice.
9 hours more than Kygo
Steinbakken had 30 recordings in rotation on Norwegian radio in the past year. Of these, 5 are on the list of the 100 most played songs in 2023. Overall, her songs received 14,486 plays and over 740 hours of airtime. That's about 9 hours more than Kygo, who had to give up the top spot for the first time in eight years.
Still popular
Kyrre "Kygo" Grøvell-Dahll has no reason to hang his head, however. He's still the second most played main artist, and if you take into account that he's featured on a number of songs by other artists, he's still the most played Norwegian performer.
-"Kygo has been and remains hugely popular among radio listeners. It's never happened that an artist has been at the top of the list for so long. We were excited to see if he'd make it again this year, but it was really good to see that things are changing. It's extra fun that it's a woman challenging him," says Rita H. Mamelund, Head of Communications at Gramo.
Only beaten by The Weeknd
If you disregard nationality, Steinbakken is only surpassed by one international artist. The Weeknd received 13,521 plays of his songs. That's fewer than Steinbakken, but he still surpasses her in play time with a total of 789 hours. He is followed by Ed Sheran in third place, the aforementioned Kygo in fourth and David Guetta in fifth. Elton John and Justin Bieber take 6th and 10th place respectively, while Norwegian artists Chris Holsten, Alan Walker and Dagny take 7th, 8th and 9th place.
About the statistics
The statistics are based on reports for 2023 registered with Gramo up to April 2024, and include all radio playback of released recordings on the channels of NRK, P4 and Bauer Media. Music used in local radio stations, shops, cafés, gyms and the like is not included in these statistics, but is included in the distribution of Gramo money to the rights holders.
Other current affairs
Gramo's annual meeting: solid results and important decisions for the future
Gramo's annual meeting was held on June 2, 2026 in the new premises at Kongens gate 12. It was also possible to participate digitally. The annual meeting brought together members from both the performer and producer groups, and discussed, among other things, the annual accounts, transparency report, elections and central principles for Gramo's activities.
Read moreGramo's annual meeting: solid results and important decisions for the future
Gramo asks the Storting to protect the compulsory licensing system in Section 21 of the Copyright Act.
On Monday, June 8, 2026, Gramo was at a hearing in the Storting's Family and Culture Committee on Prop. 41 LS.
Read moreGramo asks the Storting to protect the compulsory licensing system in Section 21 of the Copyright Act.
Astrid S tops the radio statistics for 2025
Astrid S was the most played lead artist on Norwegian radio in 2025, with 1,938 hours of playing time spread across 56 recordings. Behind her are a number of international names on the top list; Alex Warren, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter.
Read more
