The wunderkind of Norwegian Music, singer-songwriter Lerche had made four tours of the US before the age of 22. He was spotted in his native Bergen as a teenager by producer H P Gundersen. His songs are mostly in English and have achieved considerable success in the American market as well as the Norwegian. His debut album Faces Down (2002) made Rolling Stone's 10 best debuts list and was among its choices for the 50 best albums of that year, selling more than 20,000 copies through his US label Astralwerks. He counts Burt Bacharach, the Beatles, Beck, the High Llamas and Beach Boy Brian Wilson among his songwriting influences. His second album, Two Way Monologue, also on Astralwerks was released in 2004.

Lerche released the jazz album Duper Sessions in February 2006. This was followed in February 2007 by Phantom Punch, a primitive rock album with a more aggressive sound than his previous work, recorded and mixed in Los Angeles.

Lerche's worldwide management is Stageway and he has a number of sub-agents in North America and Europe.