Free and Vibrant Music: Recommended Icelandic Artists — Popular Singers and Bands

SexfaldurAmiina

Amiina – Sexfaldur

Amiina is a string quartet formed in the 1990s by four female graduates of the Reykjavík College of Music—Hildur, Edda, María, and Sólrún.

They began performing strings with Sigur Rós in 1999, released two EPs in 2005, made their album debut with Kurr in 2007, and released their second album, Puzzle, in 2010.

With the addition of two male members, the group is now a mixed-gender sextet.

Sexfaldur is a track from their debut album.

Sing SwimSeabear

Seabear – I Sing I Swim

Seabear is a seven-piece indie folk band from Iceland.

It began in 2003 as Sindri’s solo project, played as a trio in 2005, and expanded to seven members in 2006.

Alongside Seabear, all members are active in other bands, solo projects, and visual art projects.

I Sing I Swim is included on their debut album, The Ghost That Carried Us Away, released by Morr Music in 2007.

Cat Piano was used as an insert song in the BBC’s Neverland.

In 2010, We Built a Fire was released.

PaperSVALA

SVALA – Paper (Official Music Video)

SVALA, born in 1977 in Reykjavik, Iceland, is a singer-songwriter.

She began singing at age seven as a backing vocalist for her father, Björgvin Haldórsson, scored a No.

1 hit at age nine, and had a second hit at eleven with the Christmas song “Ég hlakka svo til.” She studied ballet for seven years and, at sixteen, formed a band called Scope with a DJ and a producer.

In the mid-1990s, she had a hit with a cover of “Was That All It Was,” signed with Iceland’s largest record label, Skífan Records, and after several releases joined the indie-dance funk band Bubbleflies.

At eighteen, she began recording with Scottish producer Ian Morrow, and in 1999 signed a six-album deal in North America with EMI and Priority Records.

She moved to Los Angeles in 2000, but after the label was acquired and transferred to Capitol Records, her album “The Real Me” achieved platinum sales in Iceland around the time she left Priority Records.

In 2005, she released the solo album “The Bird of Freedom,” which went gold in Iceland.

In 2006, she formed the electro band Steed Lord with her husband, Einar “Mega” Egilsson, and his brother, gaining traction on MySpace.

They began touring and were remixed by Crookers, DJ Mehdi, and Jack Beats.

Also in 2006, she became a WeSC activist, joining the Swedish clothing brand, and in 2007 she was approached by H&M.

In 2016, she formed the duo Blissful and released their first single, “Elevate.” In 2017, Svala represented Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Paper,” reaching the semifinals.

Á kaf liveVAR

VAR – Á kaf live

VAR is a five-piece post-rock band from Iceland centered around female singer-songwriter Myrra Rós.

They released their debut EP in 2014, drawing attention as an emerging band, and in 2016 put out a Japan-exclusive compilation album, VETUR.

Ambient sounds from synthesizers and guitars, along with delicate, ephemeral vocals, evoke the distinctive sonic atmosphere of the Nordic region, making their music well-suited for quiet film soundtracks and nature-oriented visuals.

All The Pretty GirlsKaleo

KALEO – All The Pretty Girls (Official Video)

Kaleo is a four-piece rock band from Mosfellsbær, Iceland, formed in 2012.

The band’s name, Kaleo, comes from the Hawaiian word meaning “sound.” Three of the members have been close friends since childhood and formed the band when they were 17, and one member joined in 2012.

All the Pretty Girls is a 2014 single that has been streamed over 23 million times on Spotify; in 2015, the band signed with Atlantic Records and based themselves in Austin.

All the Pretty Girls is a track from their debut album A/B, released in 2016.