As a trio, Kim and the musicians draw inspiration from all sorts of genres, but folk music is always at the bottom. Everything from medieval ballads, rhymes and hymns to MGP get their place in the trio's concerts.
Kim Rysstad is an award-winning vocalist and A-class queer from Rysstad in Valle Municipality in Setesdal, now living at Jessnes in Ringsaker. He has released the following albums: "Tak hardt uti hand", "Vegen" (nominated for Spellemann), "Timeglas" and the critically acclaimed Christmas album "Snøen Laver Ned", with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (the best Christmas record of the decade).
After several years of teaching classical singing, he chose in 2003 to study folk music. He has been a student of Kirsten Bråten Berg, Ragnhild Furholt and Agnes Buen Garnås, but has also learned a lot from fiddle player Ånon Egeland. He has studied at the Folk Art Study in Rauland and at the Ole Bull Academy in Voss.
Rysstad also works a lot across genres and draws inspiration from country, bluegrass and pop music.
Kim Rysstad participated in the Melodi Grand Prix in 2012, where he sang Så Vidunderlig »with lyrics and melody by Elin Nygård. The duet that Rysstad did with Anne Grete Preus did its part to make other Norwegian artists notice the distinctive voice from Setesdal. So Kim has been a guest artist on many different releases such as "Berre meg" with Ingebjørg Bratland, "Unclouded" with Silje Nergaard, "Friaren" with Aasmund Nordstoga and "Sandkorn" with Sigrid Moldestad.
He has also won many awards, such as Solo of the Year for the release "Tak hardt uti hand" on Folkelarm, named Young Folk Musician of the Year in INTRO-folk by Rikskonsertene and FolkOrg, nominated for Spellemann Prize for the album "Vegen", and Best Male Folk Music Song of the Year on Folk Off! Awards in Liverpool. Rysstad was also in 2018 appointed Setesdal Ambassador by Setesdal Regional Council and awarded the Aust-Agder County Municipality's Culture Prize for 2019.
