Iceland, meet Texas.
Iceland Airwaves will bring its unique flavor of Nordic charm to SXSW, showcasing four of Iceland’s best up-and-coming artists at the Austin showcase festival. Acts performing include singer-songwriterAxel Flóvent, indie goblins Myrkvi, art-pop multi-instrumentalist JFDR, and Ásgeir collaborator and prodigy Arny Margret.
Iceland Airwaves at South by Southwest
8:00 - 8:40 PM
Myrkvi
9:00 - 9:40 PM
Axel Flóvent
10:00 - 10:40 PM
Arny Margret
11:00 -11:40 PM
JFDR
The artists
Magnús Thorlacius, known as Myrkvi, emerged in the music scene by winning the Icelandic Battle of the Bands (Músíktilraunir) in 2014 with his band Vio, also earning the best singer award. Vio gained fame in the mid-2010s, receiving nominations at the Icelandic Music Awards and producing hits like 'You Lost It'. Launching his solo career in 2020 as Myrkvi (Icelandic for “eclipse”), Magnús released his debut single ‘Sér um sig’, which was a success in Iceland. His debut album came out on October 30, 2020, during a global pandemic.
Axel Flóvent is from the small fishing village of Húsavík. He gained recognition in 2015 with his debut EP "Forest Fires," earning over 78 million Spotify streams. He released several EPs and his acclaimed first album, "You Stay by the Sea," in 2021, praised for its storytelling and sonic craftsmanship. His music, accumulating millions of streams, has been performed worldwide. In 2022, Flóvent released "Coexist," a collaborative EP. By the end of 2023, he began unveiling singles like ‘When The Sun Goes Down,’ ‘Asymmetry,’ and ‘Have This Dance’ from his anticipated second album, set for 2024 release on Nettwerk.
Arny Margret
Arny Margret is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from the Westfjords of Iceland. Born and raised in a small town called Ísafjörður, she attended a music school from six, learning to play the piano. When she was 14, she got her first guitar and spent hours and days in her bedroom teaching herself to play it, slowly reaching the confidence to write her music.
JFDR
JFDR is Jófríður Ákadóttir. As a 14-year-old in Reykjavik, Ákadóttir began her musical career exploring the vast universe of experimental music while retaining a massive heart at her core. Over the past 12 years, Ákadóttir has released 12 records, including as a member of Pascal Pinon & Samaris, collaborated with renowned artists Ólafur Arnalds and Damien Rice, scored the award-winning Icelandic film Backyard Village, and garnered fans across the world – including Björk who cites Ákadóttir as an inspiration. Following 2017’s Brazil, her first record as JFDR Ákadóttir returned with 2020’s New Dreams, “very haunting electro-pop music that’s very subtle, very inward-looking” (NPR Music) and “the kind of album that might give you space to reach your own small revelations” (Stereogum). Her new album, Museum, is out now.
Take a journey through the soundscapes of Iceland across indie, alternative, and ambient—all one-of-a-kind.
Iceland Music invites you into this world of soundscapes that are unlike any other by listening to those icons and up-and-comers Axel Flóvent, JFDR, and GRÓA in the playlist “Iceland Music Indie” along with other iconic recordings any music-lover would already be familiar with.
Iceland Airwaves Festival
Iceland Airwaves is an award-winning multi-genre music festival that takes place in Iceland‘s beautiful and vibrant capital, Reykjavík. Each year in November, music lovers and adventure seekers from around the world gather in the city for three days and nights of music in venues across downtown Reykjavík, including a church, a museum, and the city's iconic music venues.
Secure your festival pass for November 7-9, 2024
Icelandic musicians on the road
If you love live music, discover well-known artists from the Icelandic music scene, whose talents have crossed international borders. This intelligent feed is updated automatically for you not to miss out their upcoming concerts abroad!
Many artists from all styles, from Jazz, to Classical music, passing by Metal, can be found on this interface and also in our Iceland Music LIVE playlist on Spotify.