Biography
“At a time when many of her Icelandic peers strive to fill space from the get-go with attitude but end up sounding bombastic, Sunna delivers a euphoric tune that begs to be played on repeat, hinting at greater things to come”
The Line of Best Fit
For some artists, music seems to flow naturally. Some choose to play it through channels they’ve visited many times before, often for fear of the unknown. Others choose to assume the impalpable strangeness of the worlds that inhabit them as much as the one that surrounds them. Sunna Margrét’s music belongs to this second category, combining an inspiration bathed in naturalness and spontaneity, which fully embraces a certain complexity and sonic ambition.
“I’m very inspired by strange encounters with people, by human interactions that are a little bizarre”
A vision of reality that permeates this artist’s approach to music. Born in Iceland, Sunna Margrét took up music at an early age, it was the discovery of jazz music that opened up a new field of expression for her. On leaving her teens, she suddenly found herself traveling the world to play music. She later moved to Switzerland and began studying art. A change of life and environment, coupled with motherhood, encouraged her to create free-spirited music, bathed in varied aesthetic experiences but always imbued with a science of melody and curiosity.
Sunna Margrét’s late-2023 Chocolate is a gentle mix of spoken word, ambient pop and soaring vocals. The song evokes the impossibility of going back to change the course of a love story that ends badly. “It’s a desperate situation with a comic outcome” explains Sunna. Chocolate received praise from BBC Radio 6 Music presenters Jamz Supernova, Deb Grant & Tom Ravenscroft, Radcliffe & Maconie, Radio X’s John Kennedy and Simone Marie Butler on Soho Radio. Sunna Margrét’s distinctive vocals lead this leftfield pop gem, blending pulsating beats and deep bass, evoking both melancholy and determination.
Of most recent single Come With Me, Under The Radar Magazine said, “…an icy and hypnotic ode to female pleasure, guided by immersive beats, shadowy post punk guitars, and sinuous synth lines. Sunna Margrét lists Depeche Mode and New Order as influences, but the track feels more futuristic than retro, full of glitchy loops and left-field rhythms.” The single’s February 2024 release was accompanied by the news that Sunna will release her debut full-length album Finger on Tongue via her own label No Salad Records on 28th March.
Sunna’s EP Art of History received the Icelandic Kraumur Award (they’re evident of the Mercury Prize), as well as two nominations for the Icelandic Music Awards. Sunna was nominated again for the Kraumur Award in 2023 for her EP Five Songs for Swimming.
Tag: icelandic