Eivør

A singer and songwriter from the Faroe Islands, Eivør Pálsdóttir has shaped a long and eclectic path through jazz, country-folk, experimental rock, chamber pop, and electronic avant-pop. Regional recognition came first, followed by wider international attention in 2015 after her atmospheric compositions were featured in the BBC historical drama The Last Kingdom. Building on that momentum, she issued an English-language edition of her 2015 album Slør in 2017 and delivered her ninth studio album, Segl, in 2020.

Born July 21, 1983, and raised in the small village of Syðrugøta on Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands—part of the Kingdom of Denmark yet culturally and geographically nearer to Iceland—she entered the public eye at thirteen by appearing on national television and winning a singing contest. At fifteen she assembled the rock group Clickhaze, and the following year she issued her self-titled debut solo album, interpreting traditional Faroese ballads through a jazz lens. (Only those first two solo releases carried her full name; thereafter she has been credited simply as Eivør.) At eighteen she relocated to Reykjavík to pursue studies in jazz and classical music, joining the jazz ensemble Yggdrasil as vocalist. That same year she released an EP with Clickhaze and joined the band on a successful Nordic tour. After issuing her second solo album, Krákan (“Crow”), in 2003, she received the Icelandic Music Awards for Best Singer and Best Performer—an uncommon distinction for an artist outside Iceland.

Her subsequent records marked a shift toward country-folk. The 2004 album Eivør, her first to incorporate English lyrics, included guitarist Bill Bourne, while 2007’s Mannabarn was produced by Dónal Lunny and also appeared in English as Human Child. Larva, released in 2010, adopted an experimental rock approach, and Room followed in 2012 with its lush chamber-pop textures. The pair of 2015 releases, Bridges and Slør (“Veil”), leaned further into electronics; the latter revisited Faroese musical traditions by pairing ancestral melodies with avant-pop arrangements and stark throat singing. Across this stylistically diverse body of work that established her as a star throughout the Nordic region and cultivated an international following, the enduring elements remained memorable melodies and her striking, adaptable voice, which has invited comparisons to Kate Bush—she has even performed a cover of “Hounds of Love.”

Alongside her popular output she has maintained a classical practice, most notably through collaborations with British composer Gavin Bryars. In 2015 composer John Lunn invited her to contribute vocals and songwriting to the soundtrack for The Last Kingdom, set in the ninth-century Kingdom of Wessex, further broadening her audience; her music has likewise appeared in Homeland, Game of Thrones, and the games God of War and Metal Gear Survive. Capitalizing on the resulting interest, she released an English-language edition of Slør in 2017. Three years later she returned with Segl, her ninth long-player, which included a guest appearance by Icelandic singer Ásgeir and co-production from Dan Heath.