At just 21 years of age Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir has become a sensation in his domestic music scene - staggeringly, almost 10% of the Icelandic population now owning his debut album Dyrd í dauðathogn – the English version of which to be released worldwide this autumn as In The Silence.
Ásgeir follows May tour with John Grant with July show with Of Monsters & Men.
July 16 London Somerset House
Ásgeir made his UK live debut in May as support to John Grant and now makes his (English) recorded debut with a single, King and Cross,backed with Lupine Intrigue and set for release via One Little Indian on 12th August.
With his deft combination of electronic & organic instrumentation, Ásgeir’s vibrant, airy songs - inset with his distinctive melancholic voice and keen ear for melody - elevate their appeal well beyond the limits of the folktronica tag.
2013 has proved to be a fast paced year for Ásgeir as he warms up to the worldwide release of the English language version of his debut In The Silence: In February he was presented with no less than four Iceland Music Awards and nominated for the prestigious Nordic Music Prize on the eve of his Dyrd í dauðathogn‘s wider release in the Nordic countries. He appeared at Sonar and by:Larm festivals the same month before making his US debut in March, including two SXSW shows. This May saw his first exposure to UK audiences in support to John Grant, with whom he has collaborated on an English language version of Dyrd í dauðathogn - In The Silence, produced by Gudmundur Kristinn Jonsson.
John Grant on working with Ásgeir: "Working with Ásgeir has been quite fun and has also been very inspiring, although on some days I want to tear my hair out at how young and beautiful and talented and simultaneously nonchalant about it all he is. His knack for melody and gorgeous harmonies coupled with his amazing sense of rhythm and virtuosity on acoustic guitar should make him a household name, no matter what language he's speaking. I can say with total certainly, that at the age of 20 that I did not know my asshole from a hole in the ground. Or however that saying goes."
Three exclusive songs recorded earlier this year as 'The Toe Rag Sessions' have been made available for free download via Bandcamp at http://asgeirtrausti.bandcamp.com/
Watch 'On That Day', the second video from 'The Toe Rag Acoustic Sessions' here.