Eivør: Embracing Life’s Experiences
Over the last twenty four years, our ears have been blessed by the work of Faroese singer EIVØR. Earlier this year, she released her eleventh album unto the world, the stunning ENN, which is by far and away one the best releases of 2024. Her brand of Nordic folk meets art pop speaks to the souls of those who listen that helps them connect to the nature that surrounds them. Recently we were incredibly lucky to have a chat with EIVØR herself before she embarked on a European tour about her latest album and the inspiration around it.
Getting to your eleventh album is an achievement in itself and can also be a daunting task for most, EIVØR however took everything in her stride and rose to the challenge. Talking about how she has stayed so fresh this far into her career, EIVØR explains that it was important for her to keep her music “organic and to not get trapped in these voices you have around you, that tell you what you should be doing. I just always try to do what I’m curious about, exploring all these aspects of music that way I keep my spark glowing, it’s important to have that curiosity and playfulness when it comes to creating.”
In many cases, various bands or artists have phoned it in at this point in their careers, but when it comes to EIVØR, it is great to see an artist still be so passionate and always giving 100% after so long. When it comes to releasing her music, EIVØR usually releases it independently. With ENN however, it was different. Opting to release it through heavy metal label; Season Of Mist. Quite the contrast to how her music sounds but with EIVØR describing herself as an “experimental artist”, all the puzzle pieces seemingly fell into place for two worlds to combine to make something raw and real. Talking about her experience with finally working with a label, we are told that there was a “I’m not a metal artist at all, so there was a freshness about working with new people and having a team around me. It just made sense to release the album with them.”
Continuing the theme of trying out new and innovative ways of recording music, EIVØR has ventured into the realm of recording soundtracks, most notably for series; The Last Kingdom and video game franchise, God Of War. A departure from recording an album, but as the discussion turns towards these two IP’s, EIVØR talks about how the experience of working on both of them helped to broaden her mind when it came to writing and recording her own music. “It had a huge impact on me creatively, it has given me new depth in the way that I approach my writing. It’s been a huge inspiration and is now very much a part of the way I write my music now. Everything you touch and see along the way becomes part of what you do.”
The cinematic elements of the music were particularly apparent when it came to creating ENN; it was imperative that EIVØR use her Faroese peers and surroundings. Having lived away for so long, her return to the Faroe Islands was a real homecoming for her. Employing the help of Faroese poet/lyricist Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs to help her, EIVØR explains that “we wrote a few songs together on the album, I was hungry to write music. Somehow the first track is what I wrote and from there it took off.” From this point, everything fell into place for her. The stunning landscapes of the Faroe Islands served as one of the main inspirations of the record, eliciting feelings that gave EIVØR a “melancholic and nostalgic vibe to the whole process of creating ENN.” By allowing herself to tap into those surroundings EIVØR was able to experience a feeling with nature that “triggers something very primal and resets your mind. You feel like a very small dot in a very big picture which is great for writing.”
As the conversation moves along, EIVØR tells us that she was inspired by Faroese traditional music particularly acapella singing which is embedded into its culture, going back to as far as over 1,000 years ago. “I’ve always listened to old, ancient music and acapella singing is a really big part of Faroese singing culture. Many of the songs were written from that point of view, with the melodies coming first. The voice and the storytelling of each song is such a pure thing to combine something very old and very modern was what I was curious to dive into, becoming the outcome of the album.” Moving along, the discussion turns to what this album is truly about.
The wonderful insight that EIVØR has to offer made for a poignant and moving answer in which she describes ENN and its songs; “I was always envisioning floating away from the Earth and watching the world. It’s watching both the physical world and your home around you and analysing the essence of being.” It’s quite the thought provoking answer as she further elaborates on it by saying “it also looks at human nature and all these elements that surround us”. Despite everything going on in the world currently, this album is a momentary escape from all that is bleak. It can almost make you feel pure and cleansed that helps you see all the beauty the world has to offer, EIVØR offers us sage advice that helps guide us through this by explaining that ENN “helps you to look for the light in the darkness, it’s about finding hope and peace amidst the chaos that is happening in the world”.
As the conversation comes to a close, it is apparent that EIVØR has once again taken us on another journey with her. Just like her music, her insight touches your soul, making you wish you could talk to her anything and everything for hours on end. It’s clear that she is an artist who is still very much in her prime who has one eye on the past and one eye firmly on the future and is able to create a magical fusion of music that feels like a healing touch that helps you through the darkest of times.
ENN is out now via Season Of Mist.
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