Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.08.2018, Page 44

44The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15— 2018Culture
Brynhildur Karlsdóttir has made some
serious waves in the punk universe as
the incredible singer of the punk band
Hórmónar—'whores, hand, and hor-
mones'—which you can read more about
on page 28. We sat down with the char-
ismatic musician to find out what mo-
tivates her to give it her all on the stage
and then some.
Britney Spears
My first big musical experience was
when I was 6-years-old and my big sis-
ter gave me all her Britney Spears re-
cords. I couldn’t understand the lyrics
in the songs so I made up my own that
sounded correct.
In retrospect, the lyrics didn’t really
matter, it was more about the girl pow-
er, her confidence and the catchy melo-
dies. I just remember wanting to be her,
wanting to dress like her and wanting
to sing and dance like her. The music I
make now with my band, Hórmónar, is
very different from Britney’s music. We
play punk music and the lyrics are fem-
inist and political, but even so, I could
just as easily say, despite everything, I
just want to be Britney Spears. Britney
is a badass, the biggest influence on a
whole generation of girls and no matter
what, there will always be a part of me
that wants to be her.
Björk
I think every Icelandic musician must
be influenced by Björk, especially
women. Her influence is so strong
that, as a singer, a lot of effort goes
into not trying to sound like her. This
is a struggle because her voice and her
music is engraved in me.
She’s been with me in every heart-
break since ‘Vulnicura’. Listening to
that, I would cry with her over our bro-
ken hearts. That album is one of the
few I prefer to listen to as a whole. It’s
ritualistic.
If I listen to a new Björk song and
I don’t necessarily like it right away
then I’ll listen to the same song a year
later and it’ll be my favorite song.
That’s the thing with Björk—she is
always at least a year ahead of us.
Elísabet Jökulsdóttir
One of my biggest idols today is
Elísabet Jökulsdóttir. It can be hard
for an artist to not seem pretentious,
but Elísabet never is. She’s authentic
and possesses extraordinary insight
into her inner life, thoughts and emo-
tions. This longing to be courageous
and transparent in everything I do is
something I have taken to heart.
M.I.A.
M.I.A. has been a great inspiration, not
just because she is a great musician but
also an awesome artist and activist.
She’s political, pointing at problems
such as racism and ignorance, and it’s
truly badass how she allows herself to
be outrageous and controversial. The
aim in my art is often political, like her.
Auður Jónsdóttir
Auður is a writer. She, like Elísabet,
has a deep understanding of people,
their emotions, their thoughts and
their communication. What I like most
about her writing is how she writes
about women in her family. All these
amazing women with their problems
and complicated lives which she de-
scribes in the most beautiful way and
always without resentment.
My family is full of wonderful, loud
and complicated women and I want to
write about them some day. In the book
‘Bréf frá Bergstaðastræti 57’ that Adolf
Smári Unnarsson and I published this
summer, I named my mom, grandma
and great-grandma, but only briefly
because I am still a little self-involved
so the book about the women in my
family won’t be out for some years.
MAKING OF
AN ARTIST
Words:
Brynhildur
Karlsdóttir/Valur
Grettisson
Photo:
Art Bicnick
Badass Women And
Political Art
The Artists That Made Brynhildur
I'd like to keep it on, please
gpv.is/culture
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“I could just
as easily
say, despite
everything, I
just want to
be Britney
Spears.“