Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2016, Síða 38

“Everything surprises me in mu-
sic,” says Sigga Eyþórsdóttir, the
eldest of the three sisters who,
along with DJ Oculus, make up the
house band Sísý Ey. “When people
recognise us, or know who we are,
I’m surprised.” While Sigga and
her sisters Elísabet and Elín may
come from a musical family, she
admits she was surprised when
their song “Ain’t Got Nobody” rose
to the top of Icelandic charts when
it was released in 2013.
Full Circle
Elín Eyþórsdóttir, the youngest
of the three sisters, is known by
many for the folk-inspired solo
singer-songwriter fare she per-
forms as Elín Ey, while Sísý Ey
makes powerful and skilfully pro-
duced dance tunes that are driven
by their three-part harmonies.
“House and electronic music is do-
ing a huge takeover in the music
scene all over the world,” Elín says
about the transition from folk to
house. “There was a mutual friend
of ours who thought it was a good
idea to try it, and it worked out
well, because we can harmonize
very well together,” Sigga explains.
“We’ve been singing together
since we were kids so it’s kind of
easy for us.”
Since “Ain’t Got Nobody” was
released, Sísý Ey has been rela-
tively quiet on the production
front, releasing only a few singles
in the past few years. Instead, the
band has been focusing on their
live shows. At the end of June they
will be playing at the Glastonbury
Festival, alongside some of the
world’s biggest music names. “I
think the live show has gone full
circle,” Elín says. “Now, I think,
live shows are relevant for musi-
cians.”
Bass So Loud
Elísabet Eyþórsdóttir says she
and her sisters tried a lot of dif-
ferent things at first to make Sísý
Ey shows special. “We wondered if
we had to be in similar clothes, or
this and that,” she says. “But what
worked best was just to be our-
selves, and try to just connect to
the crowd.”
Sísý Ey’s shows also stand out
from other house music because
everything you hear on stage is
done live. “Oculus, he performs
everything he does,” Elísabet ex-
plains. “I think people sometimes
think he is just pressing play and
then we sing, but it is so not like
that.” The sisters agree that sing-
ing to house also present chal-
lenges. “On the stage the bass is
sometimes so loud you can’t hear
anything,” Elísabet says. “We are
used to being acoustic singers,”
Sigga adds. “But you cannot be a
perfectionist with this kind of mu-
sic. You have to just kind of go and
do your best.”
“We don’t really know what
we’re getting into,” Sigga says
about their upcoming show at
Glastonbury. But for fans who are
waiting for a debut album from
the band, Elín has good news. “We
have an album ready. We’re just
waiting for the right way to re-
lease it to the world.”
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Next Stop: Glastonbury
House music sensation Sísý Ey
gears up for round two
Words ISAAC WÜRMANN Photo ART BICNICK
38The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 8 — 2016
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