Anne Grete Preus: Norwegian singer-songwriter and rock musician

Musical career and style

Preus began her career in band settings, gaining attention with groups such as Veslefrikk and Can Can before pursuing a solo path. Her songwriting combined rock energy with introspective, melodic compositions, often delivered in Norwegian and noted for clear vocal delivery and thoughtful lyrics. Across her recordings she explored acoustic and electric arrangements, moving between driving band pieces and more intimate, singer-songwriter material.

Awards, influence and legacy

Throughout her career Preus received repeated recognition in Norway's music community. She won several Spellemannprisen awards and was widely praised by critics and peers. Musicians and listeners remember her for both the immediacy of her early rock work and the depth of her later songs. Her influence is visible in Norwegian popular music through artists who cite her melodic sensibility and lyrical directness as an inspiration.

Health, final years and death

Preus faced serious health challenges later in life. She was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2007, a condition reported in contemporary accounts (liver cancer (2007)). In February 2019 she received a diagnosis of kidney cancer, noted in media reports (kidney cancer (2019)). Anne Grete Preus died in Oslo on 25 August 2019; her passing was covered nationally and internationally (death notice).

Key facts

• Born: 22 May 1957, Haugesund, Norway.
• Best known as: singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
• Bands: Veslefrikk, Can Can; later a solo career with nine solo albums.
• Awards: multiple Spellemannprisen wins and other national honors.
• Death: 25 August 2019, Oslo; illnesses reported include liver and kidney cancer.

Her body of work remains part of Norway's modern music heritage, and she continues to be celebrated in retrospectives, radio programming and by artists who followed in her footsteps.