Hans-Marius Johnsen — known professionally as HM Johnsen — was born in 1996 in a small village off Bergen, on the West Norwegian Fjords. He picked up the guitar at age 9, inspired by a family friend, and quickly fell in love with the music of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Def Leppard. By his early teens he had grown into blues, then jazz, then began writing and singing his own songs — a journey that would take him from local stages to international venues and recording studios.
At just 17, HM hatched an extraordinary plan: he would record his debut album at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. With no budget and no label, he spent over a year cold-calling companies, walking into offices unannounced, and pitching sponsors across Norway’s fish, mechanical and clothing industries. He secured over 30 sponsors, convinced NRK (Norway’s national broadcaster) to send a TV crew, and at 18 flew to London to record — with the whole country watching.
The debut album “Chased” was released in 2017 and earned HM international music awards and over 50 international bookings, including shows in Germany and the US. He followed it with the “Serenity” EP (2020) — recorded partly in Berlin, where he had moved to write in isolation — and the album “Black & Gold” (2023), a deeply personal record about materialism, memory and what truly matters in life.
In 2025, HM embarked on his most ambitious project yet: a “Oslo–Casablanca” road trip tour — a journey from Norway through France, the Netherlands, Sweden and into Morocco — promoting a new album where modern HipHop meets traditional acoustic singer-songwriter music. He also produced the debut album of Norwegian artist Silje Steen, showcasing his growing role as a producer and collaborator.
HM Johnsen is not just a performer — he is a storyteller, a self-starter and a restless creative who has built his career entirely on his own terms.
