Árný Margrét is – in her own words – a “country girl from Ísafjörður” in her early twenties. Slowly, word got out that she was a major talent and before long she was singing with local celebrity Högni Egilsson and working on her debut album with some of the best producers in Iceland. Her delicate folk sound seems to flow effortlessly through her; magical songs where she works through the joys and sorrows of the everyday.

Axel Flóvent wasn’t particularly interested in learning songs that already existed when he got his first guitar at the age of ten. He immediately started writing his own songs and hasn’t let up since. Despite his young age, Axel is a mature musician constantly inspired by all the little tragedies he sees unfold around him every day.

The indie band Between Mountains comes from two small communities in the Westfjords. Katla Vigdís and Ásrós Helga played their own material for the first time when they participated in Músíktilraunir, Iceland's Battle of the Bands, in 2017. Which of course they won. They draw their uniqueness from the Westfjords where the songs often come into being at night when they can sit by the piano in peace.

The rapper Birnir started writing lyrics as a fourteen year old in the Reykjavik suburb of Kópavogur. Birnir hung out on Soundcloud and learned from the best but didn't start recording until he felt he was ready for it. In his first concert, he performed for an audience of one in an empty bar but his reputation as one of Iceland's most exciting rappers was quickly established.

Bríet, as a kid, wanted to become an actress, but music was always around her and at the age of fifteen she found herself singing jazz in restaurants. Bríet has a universal appeal, she sings about things close to her heart but at the same time you might think she's the latest electro-R&B from a big American city. A lot of people are waiting to see what she does next, but Bríet is absolutely calm, she just wants to let things happen.

The duet BSÍ professes to be singularly interested in traffic culture. Undeniably an unusual inspiration for music, this manifesto is reflected both in the duet’s name, which refers to the Reykjavík bus centre, and the energetic, hypnotic drumming of Sigurlaug Thorarensen, one half of the duo with Julius Rothlaender. Despite a paucity of opportunities to perform in the past few months, the duo has not been idle and has concentrated on eating lots of candy and writing enough material to record a second album, just waiting to be released.

dj. flugvél og geimskip [dj. Airplane and Spaceship] is a “dj” because it seemed less intimidating than calling herself a musician. That way, she could perform her own songs at the college where she started out without anyone knowing she had written them. At first, people found her pretty weird, but ears are now opening up all over the world and more and more people are discovering that she is simply a very progressive artist.

“East of my Youth, west of my future” is where Jack Kerouac found himself once he was halfway across America in On the Road. That’s also how 25 year-old actress Thelma Marín and composer Herdís felt when they met at a bar in Berlin, hence the name. Their songs directly channel the pure moments of inspiration that happen when you least expect.

As a child, GDRN wouldn't stop singing. Later she told herself she was awful and stopped singing, focusing on the violin instead. A few years ago she found the inspiration to sing again. Ideas for songs often come to her as sentences which she then sends to herself on Facebook. For GDRN, music serves as an outlet for emotional energy and she can draw inspiration from everything she hears, whether it's a simple piano melody or industrial heavy metal.

gugusar ,which is the stage name of Guðlaug Sóley Höskuldsdóttir, first entered the scene in last year’s Músíktilraunir, where she won the title “rafheili tilraunanna”. At the tender age of sixteen, she has never been busier than during the pandemic, which is natural, since she is so new to music that she hardly knows any other reality. Guðlaug has described her composition work as a way to escape reality and destress. Many of us would probably like to escape with her these days and through her music, we get to enter the bubble for a time.

Herra Hnetusmjör [Mr. Peanut Butter] started rapping as a joke when he was eleven. Eight years passed until his first song was released but once it was out, things happened fast. Now, Joe Frazier sends him a beat on Friday, Herra Hnetusmjör lays down a verse on Saturday, the track is ready on Sunday and online by Monday. On Thursday, the kids are already dancing.

Hipsumhaps first caught Icelanders’ ears in 2019 with an impassioned call for a more simple living and finding happiness in the little things, like going to the pool by yourself. This is where Hipsumhaps excels: with lyrics that are not too serious and not too frivolous, not too sincere and not too ironic. Now Fannar Ingi’s music project, Hipsumhaps, has cemented its position on the scene with a well-received sophomore album this past summer.

Huginn played football and first entered a studio only two years ago. Since then things have happened fast. He had always found pleasure in creating music so he went all in and his first full length album, “Eini strákur”, came out last summer. Huginn has mostly been called a rapper but he hardly knows if he’s rapping or singing, so he tries to skip all definitions of himself.

Iceland Airwaves has for years been a great addition to Icelandic culture and an important platform for Icelandic musicians. We are proud to be among the festival’s main sponsors.

Vaka, Egill Gauti and Elías got to know each other in MH High School and founded Inspector Spacetime when the pandemic was first tearing through Iceland. But you wouldn’t hear it in the music, which is decidedly made for tightly packed dance floors after midnight. Following a couple of runaway hits last summer, their new single ‘Bára’ shows us how they intend to keep the party going once life is back to normal.

JóiPé & Króli exploded onto the scene in 2017 with a bang that echoed across all media almost before they were fully formed. They have released almost 40 songs since, developing an intensely personal pop world, rooted in hip-hop. This spring they released the album In the midst of a nuclear winter - in the midst of a pandemic - a diverse, fragmented and ambitious album, set to secure their place once and for all in Icelandic music history.

Music had been pulling at Júníus Meyvant for a long time before he finally yielded to it. When he started composing he emerged as a fully developed musician combining raw creativity with meticulous arrangements worthy of long contemplation.

Kælan mikla was born almost by accident, at a poetry slam contest in school six years ago. They play freezing cold Dark Wave and have been reaching a growing audience outside Iceland, touring and playing festivals around Europe. It might seem odd but their next goal, following a new album release in November, is to reach the ears of more of their fellow Icelanders.

Krassasig is the artist name of one Kristinn Arnar Sigurðsson. “Brjóta heilann” is his solo debut. Still, word has been out in the local underground for a while that he is a first-rate songwriter and performer, best known for the many ear-worms let loose by his band Munstur – and some truly eye popping videos. Munstur is taking a break and passing the mantle onto Krassasig. This summer will see the release of an EP and a string of exciting live performances.

Kolbrún Óskarsdóttir writes, produces and sings dreamy electropop, that she releases under the name KUSK. She and Hrannar Máni work closely together, share a studio, and form the duo KUSK x ÓVITI.

Most would agree that many of the most entertaining lyrics and coolest grooves of the last couple of years have come from the cornucopia of Moses Hightower. It is far from empty, as proven by their newest album, Lyftutónlist. The album was released at mid-September and follow-up has suffered from - you guessed it - Covid-19. It’s time to rectify this.

RuGl [Nonsense] is put together from the first few letters in the members’ names: Ragnheiður and Guðlaug Fríða. They first performed at a school competition in February, made waves at the annual Battle of the Bands, and were opening for legendary Icelandic rock acts before spring. Despite being only fifteen years old, their music and lyrics seems to come from a much older soul.

Superserious, a four man band from Garðabær, was founded in 2021. The band won the musical contest of newcomers: Sykurmolinn that same year with melancholic indierock – and they of course take themselves very seriously.

After eight years in hibernation, Sykur released its third album, JÁTAKK, last year. The album was premiered at Iceland Airwaves 2019; Sykur has not performed since. It was a sweet sensation, seeing them finally perform “Lost Song” - a song that had been lost on the band’s hard disks for almost 15 years - and the mystical hit “Svefneyjar”.

Tómas Welding has observed musicians through the lens ever since he got his first camcorder on the day of his confirmation. But it was only a year ago that he felt like holding the microphone himself. Not taken seriously by his friends to begin with, it was when he nailed the vocals for his debut single ’Sideways’ in one take – even improvising the lyrics on the spot – that they realized his talent. With seventy demos on his hard drive, he’s sure to persuade the rest of us before long.

Una Schram has been writing songs since she was ten years old, but it was only earlier this year that she released original music. Love is a constant source of inspiration for Una, and all of the songs of her recent EP “Energy” have to do with her boyfriend in one way or another. He is a native English speaker, which is one of the main reasons Una is determined to keep singing in English. Still, Una maintains there is no ‘right’ way to do things. Her own music is the result of talking things through and trying things out with her production duo Ra:tio. The outcome is for our listening pleasure.

Una Torfa has been making music for as long as she can remember, mastering the art of relatable lyrics and catchy melodies. She writes most of her songs playing the guitar in her room, with an open diary in front of her.

Vök was founded with the purpose of participating in Músíktilraunir, an annual “battle of the bands” competition drawing young bands and musicians from all over Iceland. They promptly won, surprising no one, except perhaps themselves. Vök’s music has since charmed listeners wherever it sounds, a careful combination of digital beats, guitar, brass and Margrét Rán Magnúsdóttir’s hypnotic vocals.

Young Karin's roots can best be described as downtown Reykjavík and the last three decades of music history. Their debut song “Hearts” immediately won acclaim, seeking influences from a variety of sources but at the same time creating a sound that is completely new. Young Karin is an ambitious act that aims high and has many waiting in anticipation for their next step.

Iceland Airwaves

KUSK x Óviti

Superserious

Una Torfa

RuGl

Árný Margrét

Bríet

Inspector Spacetime

Hipsumhaps

Herra Hnetusmjör

GDRN

JóiPé & Króli

Huginn

Június Meyvant

Tómas Welding

gugusar

Young Karin

Moses Hightower

Sykur

Kælan mikla

East of My Youth

Dj. flugvél og geimskip

Between Mountains

BSÍ

Vök

Krassasig

Una Schram

Axel Flóvent

Birnir

Auður

Off-venue

We take corporate responsibility and its role in the Icelandic community seriously. Part of that is supporting young and aspiring musicians. The acts presented here are only a few examples of the flourishing music scene in Iceland.

Iceland Airwaves + Landsbankinn