Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.06.2016, Qupperneq 39

Auðunn Lúthersson, who goes by
the stage name Auður, wants what
a lot of young musicians want:
to sound fresh. “Right now, I just
want to sound like 2017,” he says. “I
want to sound like something that
people haven’t heard before.”
And on that last point, Auðunn
is succeeding. Though he’s played
at Airwaves and Sónar, and is
on the upcoming Secret Solstice
lineup, there’s only one song by
the RnB up-and-comer you’ll be
able to find online. But despite the
elusiveness, Auður has hype. His
performances have received rave
reviews, and he was awarded one
of last year’s spots at the presti-
gious Red Bull Music Academy.
“I think that’s the first time that
I’ve got so much attention,” he says
of the response he received to his
sets at Airwaves and Sónar. “And
I also feel, not only am I getting
a lot of recognition from others,
but I also feel that I’m challenging
myself a lot.” And Auðunn has the
musical chops to back himself up.
He studied jazz guitar at Tónlistar-
skóli FÍH, and he’s produced some
of the biggest names in Icelandic
hip-hop, including Emmsjé Gau-
ti’s 2015 hit “Strákarnir.”
Striking a chord
Auðunn credits his recent suc-
cess to a newfound sincerity. “I’ve
been in really proggy metal bands
with these amazing, detailed lyr-
ics about some poem that I read,”
he explains. “But I think I finally
struck a chord when I started to
write lyrics about stuff I knew.”
The one song you’ll be able to
find online is the smooth and
sultry “South America,” which
Auðunn says he wrote when he
was apart from his girlfriend. “My
girlfriend was travelling around
South America and I was living
alone in Iceland,” he says. “So I
felt very depressed and lonely and
horny and in love.” He goes on:
“But also, you know, I just gradual-
ly started realizing that you don’t
have to write about something
else. Everyone has such a unique
personality that if they’re just
themselves, in whatever they do,
they’re way better.”
Making memorable music
Although his apparent elusiveness
may be part of his appeal, Auðunn
says it wasn’t his plan to be secre-
tive about his music. “I’ve been
biting my nails because I’m so ex-
cited about releasing new music,”
he says. “But I’d rather do it well
and release it with some label, or
something, which is finally com-
ing to a reality now.”
The music video that was re-
leased for his single “South Amer-
ica” provides a glimpse at what to
expect from Auður’s live show. It
is unabashedly sexy, with Auðunn
crooning and dancing amid the
stacks of a public library as lov-
ers begin making out around him.
Auðunn says he wants his set at
Secret Solstice to be “memorable.”
“I want them to realize that
they’re seeing me now, right be-
fore something hopefully big hap-
pens,” Auðunn says. “I want it to
be the best show that they see at
Secret Solstice. I really mean that.”
Music New Music
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“One of the most beautiful
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Politiken
Auður brings hype, sin-
cerity to Secret Solstice
Words ISAAC WÜRMANN Photos ART BICNICK
42The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7 — 2016
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