Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.11.2018, Síða 20

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
Iceland A
irw
aves Special 20
18
20
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 en-
dearing, and it underlines that
she’s still acclimatising 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
artist. She started playing gui-
tar at 11, and the majority of her
musical experience comes from
being one half of a jazz duo. “I
met this guy who saw me playing
and we started playing togeth-
er at restaurants, 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 pre-
miering her work at one of the
biggest festivals 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-assuredness
way beyond that of most artists,
regardless of age. She knows
her sound in a way many young
musicians don’t. Smooth and
breathy, sultry but dancey, her
music walks the line between
mainstream pop, indie elec-
tronica and R&B in a way that’s
completely 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
simplicity crosses over from po-
tentially cheesy to nakedly hon-
est. “I was really in love at the
time,” Bríet explains. “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 re-
ally 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.”
Bríet is currently working on
a new album, 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.”
BRÍET
THU 8th, 17:00, Stúdentakjallarinn
THU 8th, 19:50, Art Museum
SAT 10th, 16:00, Landsbankinn
SAT 10th, 18:00, Sundhöllin
“I wanted to do a love
song about being
happy, then I got the
idea to start with a girl
who is happy, but has
to go through the hard
stuff of love.”
BRÍET’s authentic pop is personal,
catchy and completely new
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Hörður Sveinsson
Angelic
Electronic