Reykjavík Grapevine - dec 2023, Qupperneq 9

9
Musician
By Night The Youth Worker
“I got this job kind of because of music.”
WORDS Iryna Zubenko
IMAGE Art Bicnick
KUSK burst onto the
Icelandic music scene after winning
the local battle of the bands, Músík-
tilraunir, in 2022. She’s been steadily
dropping new tracks following her
debut album release, all while jug-
gling her studies and a day job.
Kolbrún Óskarsdóttir, aka KUSK, 20,
musician and student of theatre and
performance
Since the University of the Arts is
more expensive than other univer-
sities in Iceland, I feel like I have
to support myself with a day job. I
don’t make enough money and don’t
want to view music and gigs solely
through a financial lens. Alongside
school and music, I work at Hitt
Húsið, a youth centre for people
aged 16 to 25.
A DAY AT HITT HÚSIÐ
I start work at 17:00 and finish at
22:00. I welcome people, chat with
them, assist people who come to
book our studio and I’m partly in
charge of tidying up the studio. I
also plan and host events such as
concerts and clubs. It varies a lot,
depending on how many people
come to the centre each day. Some-
times, I just guard the place – the
centre is open to everyone, so there
needs to be someone at all times
until it closes.
I do love this job. Sometimes I spend
time at the centre even when I’m
not working. Hitt Húsið is far from
everything – it’s hard to get there by
bus, so it’s challenging to get people
to realise that it’s there. My favour-
ite part of the job is when people
come and say, “We saw a poster and
we wanted to come see what it is.”
Then, I show them around and pres-
ent the centre’s possibilities. The
hardest days are when few people
come, and you’re mostly chilling.
But it’s a very nice job in that aspect
because I can do my homework
and I can also just open Logic on
my computer and make some new
songs or finish other songs.
I love hosting concerts. We reach
out mainly to up-and-coming bands
who have just started or perhaps
participated in Músiktilraunir and are
growing their fan base. As a musi-
cian, it’s so much fun to offer other
musicians and people in the same
boat as I am a platform to come and
perform their music.
WORKPLACE DUETS
This job wasn’t a thing until last year,
because the centre would always
close at 17:00. But then my co-work-
er Hrannar (stage name Óviti) and I,
were asked to work this later shift.
Hrannar and I started making music
together over a year before we got
this job. We were always coming to
the studio at Hitt Húsið. We got to
know everyone working there. So,
when the idea to have the centre
open in the evenings came up, we
were the first people they talked to.
We can relate to almost everything
in each other’s lives because we’re
together a lot doing music, and then
we’re working at the same place. We
work different shifts, but sometimes,
the other one just comes to the cen-
tre and we brainstorm new ideas.
KUSK-TOMISING SAVINGS
I limit the things I use the money for.
It depends on how much I’m work-
ing and what my income is. Right
now, I’m trying to be more mindful
of where I spend my money. I’m very
lucky to still live at home, so I don’t
have to pay rent, and I can always
have a meal at home or eat with my
family, which is very nice for me as a
young musician. But I would say the
trick I use most is having two sepa-
rate bank accounts. When I get paid,
I transfer all the money into one ac-
count. So, each time I use my card, I
have to transfer money from the oth-
er account. This way, I’m much more
conscious about my spending.
AIRWAVES ANTICIPATION
Both Hrannar and I are releasing
singles a day before our gig, which
is fun because we get to elevate
our programme by incorporating
new songs. We’re also playing an
off-venue gig at 12 Tónar, and we’ll
play there with a live band, which
is exciting because we mostly play
with playback and vocals. I’m also
excited to see all the artists playing
this year. I’ve already made a list of
all the artists I want to see and when
and where they’re playing.
Catch KUSK and Óviti at KEX on
Nov. 4. They hit the stage at 21:20 as
part of the Iceland Airwaves official
program.
Want to share how you’re making
ends meet? Email us at grapevine@
grapevine.is with the subject line
“Side Hustle.” We’ll happily keep
your identity anonymous.

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