Alejandro Fuentes

As followers of American Idol well know, the impact of the series on the popular music landscape has been staggering and inescapable, and the situation is no different in many of the 30-plus countries to which the franchise has extended. Norway is no exception -- indeed, as the country that boasts the surprise winner (Kurt Nilsen) of the first and only World Idol competition in 2003, it may be truer there than anywhere, and nearly all of the finalists on Norwegian Idol have parlayed their winnings into significant pop careers. Chilean-born Alejandro Javiero Fuentes' hushed, hu...