Kurt Nilsen is one of Norway's most treasured artists and vocalists. He came to fame by winning not only the first Norwegian Idol contest in 2003 but also beat Kelly Clarkson in the finals of the World Idol contest.

He relased two albums as a solo artist before his next project.

In 2006 he joined forces with 3 other artists and went on tour as what was known by the media as "The New Guitar Buddies". This became a huge success in Norway.

In 2008, in connection with his latest and country-flavoured album Rise to the Occasion Kurt teamed up with American music legend Willie Nelson to perform the old country music standard "Lost Highway". The song was an instant hit in his native Norway and helped him top both the singles chart, the album chart, and the radio chart all at once

In 2010, Kurt recorded a Christmas song album entitled Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with the Kringkastingsorkester (KORK), the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. It was released on 15 November 2010 in Norway.