Ole Paus (1947–2023) was a Norwegian singer-songwriter and poet, widely regarded as one of the most innovative Norwegian musical figures of the 20th century and "Norway's most significant troubadour at the time of his death." Emerging during the Norwegian ballad revival (Norwegian: visebølgen), Paus was instrumental in defining the genre's direction. Over a career spanning five decades, he released around 40 albums, authored novels, poetry collections, and travelogues. His works spanned from protest songs and satirical ballads to deeply reflective hymns and love songs. He was seen as not merely a musician but a cultural provocateur, using song as a vehicle for political and philosophical exploration. Paus was known for his distinctive individualism, social criticism, and rebellious stance, standing "fearlessly up for the weakest against the powers that be." Often called Norway's "national troubadour," his song "Mitt lille land" became a unifying anthem after the 2011 Norway attacks.
Born in Oslo into an aristocratic family with close ties to Henrik Ibsen, Paus grew up as the son of a general in a sometimes dysfunctional family marked by loss, anxiety, upheaval, and emotional distance. After his mother's early death he was raised by his grandmother Ella, who had come to Norway as a Jewish refugee from Vienna in 1938. In 1967, he started performing as a singer-songwriter in Oslo, a profession that "did not exist at the time," and was discovered in 1969 by Alf Prøysen and Alf Cranner.
