Jónsi

Jónsi channels the emotional depth and expansive imagination that first distinguished his contributions to Icelandic post-rock outfit Sigur Rós when he records under his own name. His 2010 solo debut Go presented an exploratory approach to pop songcraft, while film scores for titles such as How to Train Your Dragon in 2010 and Boy Erased in 2018 extended his established atmospheric sensibility. Able to move between such varied collaborators as Troye Sivan and Swedish composer Carl Michael von Hausswolff, he placed these contrasting impulses side by side on the 2020 album Shiver.

After 16 years serving as Sigur Rós’ singer and guitarist, Jon Thor Birgisson stepped outside the group to record with his partner and recurring creative associate Alex Somers under the name Jónsi & Alex; their July 2009 album Riceboy Sleeps incorporated the Icelandic string quartet Amiina together with the Kópavogsdætur choir. Adopting his nickname as a solo alias, he issued his first full-length effort, Go, on his long-standing label XL the following April. Crafted with producer Peter Katis and featuring input from Nico Muhly, Samuli Kosminen, and Somers, the record’s primarily acoustic textures, more concise song structures, and mainly English vocals marked a clear departure from his Sigur Rós catalog. The album reached number 20 on the U.K. Album Charts and number 23 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, and a limited-edition box set paired it with the concert film Go Quiet. In November 2010 Jónsi followed with Go Live, a CD/DVD package that paired live recordings from the European tour dates on the audio disc with footage of pre-tour dress rehearsals on the visual component. That December he supplied the track “Sticks and Stones” to the soundtrack of the popular children’s film How to Train Your Dragon, an assignment that also led him to compose songs and music for the sequels How to Train Your Dragon 2 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World; the same song prompted further soundtrack work with director Cameron Crowe on the 2011 feature We Bought a Zoo.

Sigur Rós reclaimed Jónsi’s attention after the 2011 release of their live audio and video project Inní, keeping him occupied with the band for several subsequent years. During that period the group delivered 2012’s Valtari and 2013’s Kveikur and mounted an extensive tour in 2017. The ambient multimedia endeavor Liminal surfaced in 2018, coinciding with Jónsi’s resumption of solo activity. Alongside the song “Who Are You Thinking Of?” and the Troye Sivan collaboration “Revelation” for the film Boy Erased, he also released the demos and rarities collection Frakkur. In 2019 he launched the environmentally focused project Dark Morph with Swedish composer Carl Michael von Hausswolff, whose self-titled debut arrived that May. The same year marked the tenth anniversary of Riceboy Sleeps, prompting a commemorative tour and the October release of the follow-up album Lost & Found with Somers. Jónsi additionally presented his visual artwork at a Los Angeles gallery before year’s end. Following a guest appearance on Juliana Barwick’s album Healing Is a Miracle, he delivered his second solo album, Shiver, in October 2020. The record included contributions from Elizabeth Fraser and Robyn and carried executive production by PC Music’s A.G. Cook, balancing luminous electronic pop with darker passages and sonic detail.