I first met the Icelandic singer and superstar Ásgeir about seven or eight years ago. He was performing at the IT company I was working for. I was in the marketing department and recorded his performance on my phone. Ásgeir was alone on a small stage with his guitar, and I remember clearly how surprised I was by this artist. Even if I had listened to his music, I was blown away by his earnest and touching performance I approached him to ask him permission to post my recording of his performance online. He was very modest, even shy, and replied: “Do with it what you want.”
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The biggest hit by Ásgeir is King and Cross
But all those years later, Ásgeir is one of Iceland’s most prominent names in music, but he is still the modest guy he has always been. Over one million people listen to him on Spotify every month. His biggest hit, King and Cross, has been played over 55 million times. For me, Ásgeir’s music is very polished, relaxing, reflective, and mentally nourishing. Most importantly, his performance is consistently authentic and honest. I love listening to Ásgeir when working on something that requires deep focus or when I am relaxing at home in my living room.
Us Ásgeir fans are delighted that he is releasing his sixth album, Time on My Hands, on October 28th. He has already released four singles from the upcoming album, including Snowblind (one of my favorite songs) and Borderland.
Hey Ásgeir, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this interview. The songs I have heard from your new album are perhaps a little more like pop songs than your previous material. What inspires this change?
Maybe it was just the pandemic situation. I needed something to pick me, and that’s the result. I also intentionally wanted to have something more upbeat on this record and more songs that would be easily translated into a band setup when we would eventually play these songs live. Most of the songs are a little less part specific and more based on feel, which is usually better when playing with a band.
You have been touring Europe on a hectic schedule. Will my readers be able to see and hear you perform on stage in 2023?
Definitely! We’re finishing the tour schedule for next year as we speak. We’ll be coming to the Scandinavian countries and more cities in Europe. We’ll probably go on a small tour in the US and do a run of shows in Australia and Japan. I always love playing in Iceland, and I’m pretty sure we’ll schedule something there as well, maybe do a run of acoustic shows like I’ve done two times in the past. This will all be confirmed and announced very soon, I hope.
What Icelandic musicians do you recommend to my readers?
Some of my favorite Icelandic artists are Pétur Ben, Júníus Meyvant, Mugison, Hjaltalín, Emiliana Torrini, KK, and GusGus.
What are your favorite places or activities in Iceland?
I live very close to Elliðavatn, which is a big lake and Heiðmörk which is a beautiful area covered in trees and moss with many hiking trails, nearby is also Rauðhólar (Red Hills) which is an old lava field with red pseudo craters. The area looks a bit like you could be on Mars. I only have to walk for 10 minutes to get to these places so I often go there running or walking.
The area I grew up in will always be close to my heart although it doesn’t look as majestic as some other parts of Iceland. There are some hidden pearls there though. This area is in the north-west side of Iceland around a town called Hvammstangi.
Hallormsstaðarskógur in the east is one of the biggest forests in Iceland. It has many trails all over and would be a great place to have a picnic or something. In the east you can also see reindeers which I always found very fascinating. There’s not a lot of big wild animals in Iceland and they always seemed like they came out of a fairytale.
What advice would you give those visiting Iceland for the first time?
I guess it depends on what you’re after. I’m still discovering some new things about Reykjavik although I have lived there for more than ten years now so you could just stay there and get to know the city for a few days. But I guess most people visiting Iceland want to experience nature. Then I would probably recommend driving the ring road around the country and enjoy what it has to offer. Waterfalls, glaciers, lava fields, mountains and natural pools. You’ll find all those things on the way, and don’t be afraid to ask the locals for ideas or direction.
Ásgeir music video: Borderland
Ásgeir music video: Snowblind
