He had a musical childhood, singing at private functions, with choirs and for media advertisements, but was affected by bullying in school and tension between his parents at home.

He released his first album, Stuð (Groove), in 1993 while in New York City, and also sang with Icelandic groups Milljónamæringarnir (The Millionaires) and Casino while establishing a career as a solo artiste.

Paul Oscar came to international attention when he performed "Minn hinsti dans" ("My Final Dance"), Iceland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1997.

In Reykjavík, Paul Oscar performs regularly as a disc jockey in clubs and appears on radio and TV shows.

The youngest of seven children[2] of Hjálmtýr E. Hjálmtýsson, a bank clerk, and Margrét Matthíasdóttir, a writer,[3] Paul Oscar was born on 16 March 1970 in Reykjavík.

[7] His first leading role in a professional theatre production was at 12 years of age in the musical version of Rubber Tarzan, a popular Danish children's novel by Ole Lund Kirkegaard (1940–1979).

"[8] Paul Oscar rediscovered his voice at the age of 18, singing bass with the Hamrahlíð college choir for two years.

In October 1993, Paul Oscar started singing with a band called Milljónamæringarnir (The Millionaires),[7] which released the albums Milljón á mann (A Million for Each, 1994),[10] Allur pakkinn (The Whole Lot, 1999) and Þetta er nú meiri vitleysan (This is Completely Foolish, 2001).

He performed the song "Minn hinsti dans" ("My Final Dance"), which he co-wrote, backed by four women dressed in latex playing suggestively on a sofa behind him.

Although the song only reached 20th place in a field of 25, the daring presentation attracted wide attention, especially amongst gay audiences, and made him known internationally.

[6] At home in Reykjavík, Paul Oscar performs regularly as a disc jockey in clubs and appears on radio and TV shows.

Matthías Matthíasson, Director of Samtökin '78, Iceland's gay and lesbian rights group, has commented: "He says things I could never say.

"[6] Paul Oscar's father Hjálmtýr E. Hjálmtýsson (5 July 1933 – 12 September 2002),[16] with whom he had a difficult relationship, had roles in the Icelandic comedies Með allt á hreinu (On Top, 1982),[17] Löggulíf (A Policeman's Life, 1985),[18] and Karlakórinn Hekla (The Men's Choir, 1992).

Speaking of the issue on Icelandic radio station Rás 1 on 5 February, he made remarks about Jewish people infiltrating European countries and thus making it hard for them to condemn Israeli policies: “The reason why the rest of Europe has been virtually silent is that Jews have woven themselves into the fabric of Europe in a very sly way for a very long time.