The music of Iceland includes vibrant folk and pop traditions, as well as an active classical and contemporary music scene. Well-known artists from Iceland include medieval music group Voces Thules, alternative rock band The Sugarcubes, singers Björk, Laufey, Daði Freyr, Hafdís Huld and Emiliana Torrini, post-rock band Sigur Rós, post-metal band Sólstafir, indie folk/indie pop band Of Monsters and Men, blues/rock band Kaleo, metal band Skálmöld and techno-industrial band Hatari. Iceland's traditional music is related to Nordic music forms. Although Iceland has a very small population, it is home to many famous and praised bands and musicians.
The discography of Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk consists of eleven studio albums, two soundtrack albums, one compilation album, six remix albums, seven live albums, four box sets, three collaboration albums, forty-five singles, ten promotional singles and eight remixes series.
"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song recorded by American singer and actor Elvis Presley for his fourth soundtrack album, Blue Hawaii (1961). It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour", a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as "Can't Help Falling in Love with Him", which explains the first and third line ending on "in" and "sin" rather than words rhyming with "you".
"Because the Night" is a pop-rock song from 1977 written by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith that appears on the Patti Smith Group album Easter, which was released in 1978. On March 2, 1978, the song was released as a single, and was commercially successful, reaching No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 5 in the United Kingdom, which helped propel Easter to mainstream success.
"Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himber, it has been covered by over 200 different artists. Its lyrics are about a couple's romance during the winter season.
Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands (ISO) is an Icelandic orchestra based in Reykjavík, Iceland. Its primary concert venue is the Harpa Concert Hall. The Iceland Symphony is an autonomous public institution under the auspices of the Icelandic Ministry of Education. Iceland Symphony Orchestra made its home in Háskólabíó from 1961 to 2011, but moved into the new 1800-seat Harpa Concert Hall in spring 2011. The orchestra gives approximately sixty concerts each season. Per a 1982 law, the Iceland Symphony's primary financial sources are the Icelandic treasury (82%) and the City of Reykjavik (18%).
"The Nearness of You" is a popular song written in 1937 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Ned Washington. Intended for an unproduced Paramount film titled Romance In The Rough, the studio's publishing division Famous Music reregistered and published the song in 1940. It was first recorded by Chick Bullock and his Orchestra on Vocalion. Despite numerous accounts to the contrary, the song was never scheduled for and does not appear in the 1938 Paramount film Romance in the Dark.
American singer and songwriter Norah Jones has released nine solo studio albums, seven collaborative studio albums, 4 compilation albums, five extended plays, 23 singles, and three live DVDs on Blue Note Records. Her most recent studio album, Visions, was released on March 8, 2024, through Blue Note Records.
Jonathan Michael Batiste is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists including Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, Lenny Kravitz, Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Rey, Roy Hargrove, Juvenile, and Mavis Staples. Batiste, with his band, Stay Human, appeared nightly, as bandleader and musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022.
Imagine Dragons are an American pop rock band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and currently consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and bassist Ben McKee. The band first gained exposure with the release of their single "It's Time", followed by their debut album Night Visions (2012), which resulted in the chart-topping singles "Radioactive" and "Demons". Rolling Stone named "Radioactive", which held the record for most weeks charted on the Billboard Hot 100, the "biggest rock hit of the year". MTV called them "the year's biggest breakout band", and Billboard named them their "Breakthrough Band of 2013" and "Biggest Band of 2017", and placed them at the top of their "Year in Rock" rankings for 2013, 2017, and 2018. Imagine Dragons topped the Billboard Year-End "Top Artists – Duo/Group" category in 2018.
Harpa is a concert hall and conference centre in Reykjavík, Iceland. The opening concert was held on 4 May 2011. The building features a distinctive colored glass facade inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland.
30 is the fourth studio album by the English singer and songwriter Adele. It was released on 19 November 2021 by Columbia Records. Her first studio album in six years following 25 (2015), 30 was inspired by Adele's experiences and anxiety following her divorce and its impact on her son's life, along with motherhood and fame. Adele had begun working on the album in 2018 and collaborated with producers such as Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Inflo, Tobias Jesso Jr., Ludwig Göransson, Shawn Everett, and Shellback. Musically, 30 is a pop, soul, and jazz album, which incorporates dance-pop, gospel, and R&B elements. The album was promoted with the television specials Adele One Night Only and An Audience with Adele. Three singles were released from the album. The lead single, "Easy on Me", reached number one in several countries, including the US and UK. The follow-up singles, "Oh My God" and "I Drink Wine", charted in the UK chart's top five simultaneously with it.
Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, known professionally as Beabadoobee, is a Filipino-born English singer and songwriter. From 2018 to 2021, she released five extended plays under the independent label Dirty Hit: Lice (2018), Patched Up (2018), Loveworm (2019), Space Cadet (2019) and Our Extended Play (2021). Her debut studio album, Fake It Flowers, was released in October 2020 and received critical acclaim. Her second studio album, Beatopia, was released on July 15, 2022.
Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir, known as Laufey, is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and record producer. She achieved prominence in the early 2020s for her success as a jazz-inspired pop artist, with critics stating that her jazz-inflected songs have received considerable success for a genre that has largely declined commercially.
Gabríel Ólafs is an Icelandic pianist, composer, producer, Decca Records US recording artist, and cofounder of the Reykjavík Orkestra. He is known for instrumental music for piano, strings, choir, and electronics, influenced by classical music, Icelandic poetry, Norse tradition, film, fantasy, and the natural world.
Bewitched is the second studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey, released on 8 September 2023 through AWAL. Described by Laufey as "a love album, whether it be a love towards a friend or a lover or life", Bewitched deals with a variety of romantic themes in its songs.
Everything I Know About Love is the debut studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey, released on 26 August 2022 through AWAL. The deluxe version was released on 14 October 2022.
Typical of Me is the debut extended play by Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey, released on 30 April 2021. The EP was self-published by Laufey and later released on 12-inch vinyl through AWAL.
"From the Start" is a single recorded by Icelandic singer Laufey. The song was released via AWAL.
"Falling Behind" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey. It was released through AWAL on 11 August 2022, as the fifth single from her first studio album, Everything I Know About Love (2022).
