I had a gig in Sweden. There were thousands of people there, and when I launched into 'I'm Yours,' they were all singing along. It was as if I was singing the Swedish national anthem. I was stunned.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I did a long concert tour in England and Denmark and Sweden, and I also sang for the Soviet people, one of the finest musical audiences in the world.
And it wasn't until '84 when I was first asked to come to Sweden and do an album and concert tour.
I've always loved to perform in front of people, but it became pretty serious when I participated in 'Sweden's Got Talent.' I thought it would be a fun thing to do, and I was just like, 'OK, why not?' And Mom was like, 'OK, sure, sure, do this!' So I did, and I won it!
It was really strange for me when I started to play concerts in America where the audiences were all sitting down.
There were a lot of heads turning when people found out I was doing music and when they found out it was country, they were like, 'What?'
I started singing in coffeehouses when I was still in high school, in Santa Barbara. I took a job washing dishes and busing tables in the coffeehouse, so I could be there, and would beg permission to sing harmony with the guy who was singing onstage. That was the first time I ever got on a stage in front of people.
People thought me a bit strange at first; a blond haired, blue-eyed Norwegian who sang Mexican folk songs, but I used it to my advantage and got a job. And so the music became my ticket to education.
After 'Rock Star,' I was definitely doing more high profile gigs. I was playing in Iceland. I was playing in Canada.
I get to travel around the world and meet all of these amazing people, and they're singing my songs! And to me, that's crazy.
I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which is a huge deal in America - singing the National Anthem.