Peder Elias (right) collaborated with South Korean singer-actor Cha Eun-woo on the song 'Hey Hello'. Photo: Peder Elias/Instagram
When Norwegian singer- songwriter Peder Elias dropped his single Bonfire in 2019, he had no idea it would light the fuse for his meteoric rise three years later.
As the world came to standstill during the pandemic, his song was crossing borders until it found an “unexpected” home in South Korea.
It later reached Cha Eun-woo, a popular member of the K-pop boy band Astro, who messaged Elias on Instagram, though it slipped through the cracks at first.
“This was just as my social media accounts were blowing up with hundreds of messages daily. I’m still surprised that I wasn’t in some way alerted about a message from someone with a verified account like him,” the 27-year-old said in a statement.
Thankfully, Elias’ manager was able to connect with Astro’s team, and the two stars met in Seoul in 2022.
Together, they recorded a cover of Bonfire on Cha’s YouTube channel, where it has since garnered over 9.5 million views.
“After singing together, I added him to my secret list of dream collaborators,” he added.
That dream materialised in August when they joined forces for the energetic track Hey Hello, which soared to No.1 on the Taiwanese music streaming platform KKBox.
But even before Hey Hello, Elias was already making waves among Korean celebrities.
In April 2022, the singer received an unexpected boost when Jungkook of K-pop supergroup BTS serenaded fans with his song Loving You Girl during an Instagram Live session.
Among the big names Elias has worked with include BSS (a subunit of boy band Seventeen), fellow Norwegian artiste Alan Walker and Indonesian singer Putri Ariani.
These collaborations expanded his reach across various corners of the world – including China, Japan and Brazil, among others.
“I’ve only begun my journey up the staircase I want to climb, so I want to reach for the stars. In the long term, I just want to reach more people and make their lives better through my music,” he told StarLifestyle.
Humble beginnings
Elias was exposed to music at a young age.
His journey began at just six years old, when his mother encouraged him to join a church choir. It was there he learned how to sing and his passion for music developed.
“We were practising so much. On average, it was like 10 hours a week, which is a lot for kids in Norway,” he reminisced.
At 13, Elias left the choir as he didn’t want to do classical music anymore. The singer’s interests had shifted toward pop, and he taught himself to play the guitar.
“Music was still a hobby then. I was more of a football boy,” he added.
It wasn’t until Elias turned 20 that he decided to pursue music full-time.
He released his debut track Simple under Sony Music Entertainment Norway in 2018, followed by singles like Good For You, Back In The Game and Home, among others.
In April 2022, Elias dropped his first album Love & Loneliness, which went 6x Platinum in South Korea and Platinum in Taiwan.
His international success earned him the Best Pop Artiste prize at the 2022 Genie Music Awards and the International Success of the Year laurel at Spellemannprisen, Norway’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards.
Before Elias knew it, he’s already performing in South Korea, London, Taipei (Taiwan), Manila (the Philippines) and more.
Going from a regular choir boy to commanding global stages is no easy task.
For one, Elias had to step away from a “normal life”.
“This job is something you can never switch off. Going outside is a challenge... I can’t relate to the lives my friends have. There are some days when it makes you feel down, and it’s hard to not take things personally,” he said.
Although Elias acknowledged that this was the lifestyle he signed up for when he decided to pursue a career in showbiz, he made it clear that the journey was worthwhile.
“I feel so privileged to be where I am... to make a living from doing something I love.
“I enjoy making music, so it doesn’t necessarily feel like work. It’s easier to put in the effort when you’re doing what you love,” he added.
When asked what keeps him motivated in the face of challenges, Elias said it was the simple thought of offering listeners comfort through his music.
“The idea that I’m able to be a friend to others and make them smile at concerts is already rewarding for me,” he said.
Taking flight
Last year, Elias topped charts in China with his song Twinkle Twinkle.
He released his sophomore album Youth & Family earlier in March and most recently teamed up with Chinese artiste Wu Yuheng on the song First Flight, which captures the essence of longing in a long-distance relationship.
The song was crafted by Wu’s team in mainland China, who then sent Elias the idea, hoping he could enhance it further.
“I rewrote some parts and changed some of the melodies in my home studio in Oslo. We sent the demo back and forth a couple of times and the rest is history,” he said.
Elias described his experience working with Wu as “very good”, noting that it marked his first time releasing a song with an artiste from China.
“But I haven’t met him in person yet, so I’m really looking forward to that. I just love meeting new people and making memories with different cultures,” he said.
Presently, Elias is finalising songs for his upcoming album, which will be released “very soon”.
He’s also gearing up for his Asia Tour, which will kick off in Seoul on Nov 16. Other stops include Taipei, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.
“I also heard from fellow artistes that South America is a cool place to tour, which excites me.
“I’ve also seen comments with Brazilian flag emojis in recent years, so I hope to grow a lot in that market in the future,” he said.
