Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.11.2018, Blaðsíða 34

Angelic &
Electronic
BRÍET’s authentic pop is personal, catchy and,
above all else, completely new
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
At only 19-years-old, Bríet Elfar,
aka BRÍET, has the composure
of someone far older. When she
speaks, the young musician picks
her words carefully, sometimes
seeming surprised that she’s being
interviewed at all. It’s endearing,
and it underlines that she’s still ac-
climatising to the overnight fame
she found after releasing her first
single, “In Too Deep.” Released
eight months ago, the video has in
excess of 120,000 view on YouTube
and it has amassed almost 600,000
Spotify plays. For an unknown
artist from a small country, that’s
pretty much unheard of.
Starting small
Bríet’s background in music is
atypical for an electronic pop art-
ist. She started playing guitar at
11, and the majority of her musi-
cal experience comes from being
one half of a jazz duo. “I met this
guy who saw me playing and we
started playing together at restau-
rants, like dinner programmes,”
Bríet explains. “That’s actually my
favourite type of concert.”
Moving from small, intimate
restaurants to the big stage was
difficult. “The first time I ever
stood on stage and was like ‘hi,
I’m Bríet, and this is what I am
writing,’ rather than playing some
Billie Holiday song, I was at Sónar
Reykjavík.” She laughs quietly at
the absurdity of premiering her
work at one of the biggest festi-
vals in the country. “I was shaking
backstage, like: ‘What am I doing
here?’”
Pure authenticity
But if anyone was meant to be at
Sónar, it’s Bríet. Her music has a
polished self-as-
s u re d ness w ay
b e y o n d m o s t
artists, regard-
less of age. She
knows her sound
in a way many
young musicians
d on’t . S m o o t h
and breathy, sul-
try but dancey,
her music walks
the line between
mainstream pop,
indie electronica
and R&B in a way that’s complete-
ly authentic. No matter what your
taste is, you can’t deny she’s got
something.
“In Too Deep” is illustrative of
this. While the lyrics are more-or-
less typical for pop songs, her voice
is so emotive that their simplic-
ity crosses over from potentially
cheesy to nakedly honest. “I was
really in love at the time,” Bríet ex-
plains. “I wanted to do a love song
about being happy, but then I got
the idea of changing it: to start
with a girl who is happy, but then
has to go through the hard stuff of
love.”
Airwaves elation
The single was enough to win
her that coveted Sónar slot and a
tonne of international attention,
but playing Airwaves is still a big
deal for Bríet—especially in 2018,
the first gender-balanced edition
of the festival. “I love that,” she
smiles. “More and more girls are
coming out playing and I am really
excited to go out there and perform
as a woman. That said, it’s sad that
it’s happening now,
when it could have
happened so much
sooner.”
Br íet i s c u r-
rently working on
a new a lbum, a
follow up to the EP
she released earlier
this year, and she is
taking on a variety
of projects in the
meantime. “Last
night I played with
one of the most
famous Icelandic singers, Friðrik
Dór, at his concert,” she says. “I’m
so tired.” She laughs. “But it was
amazing. It’s all been amazing.”
Music
Bríet Elfar, in orange
“I wanted to do a
love song about
being happy, but
then I got the
idea to start with
a girl who is hap-
py, who has to go
through the hard
stuff of love.”
Suðurgata 41
101 Reykjavík
www.thjodminjasafn.is
tel +354 530 22 00
Hverfisgata 15
101 Reykjavík
www.safnahusid.is
tel +354 530 22 10
National Museum of Iceland
The country’s largest
museum of cultural
history from settlement
to present day.
The Culture House
Manuscripts, fine art, natural
specimens, curiosities and
archeaological findings form
the exhibition Points of View.
National
Museum of
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The
Culture
House
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537 99 00
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