Ólöf Arnalds (born 4 January 1980) is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and indie musician who has been active within the Icelandic music scene since the early 2000s. She was a touring member of

múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in ...

for five years from 2003 before launching her solo career and has released three albums to date. She has collaborated with bands and artists such as

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

, Stórsveit Nix Noltes, Mugison, Slowblow and

Skúli Sverrisson Skúli Sverrisson (born 23 October 1966) is an Icelandic composer and bass guitarist. He has worked with musicians Wadada Leo Smith, Derek Bailey (guitarist), Derek Bailey, Lou Reed, Jon Hassell, David Sylvian, Arto Lindsay, and composers ...

. Between 1988 and 2002, Ólöf studied violin and classical singing, and from 2002 to 2006 she studied composition and new media at

Iceland Academy of the Arts Iceland University of the Arts ( ) is an Icelandic institution of higher art education, located in Reykjavík, which offers the only university-level degrees in the arts in Iceland.Lisa Z. ValdimarsdottirIceland Academy of the Arts, Department of ...

. In 2007, her debut album '' Við Og Við'' was released by 12 Tónar. The album features a set of songs performed mostly in a traditional

troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

style. Her second album, '' Innundir skinni'', was released by One Little Independent Records in September 2010. Her third album is '' Sudden Elevation'' and was released (again by One Little Independent Records) in February 2013.

''Við og Við''

Ólöf's debut album ''Við og Við'' was originally released in Iceland in 2007 by 12 Tónar, but was not released in the United Kingdom and the United States until 2009, after she had signed to One Little Independent Records. Word of mouth – including Björk's patronage – earned ''Við og Við'' high-profile plaudits in the US, ranking in Paste Magazine's Top 100 Albums of 2007 and eMusic's editor's list of the Best Albums of 2008. The success of ''Við og Við'' in the US led to Ólöf touring with Blonde Redhead, Jonathan Richman,

, The Dirty Projectors and

Jeff Mangum Jeffrey Nye Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Comp ...

, and to her being covered extensively in US publications including '' Vanity Fair'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', '' Village Voice'' and ''

Time Out New York ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition became ...

''.

''Innundir Skinni''

Ólöf's second album ''Innundir Skinni'' was released in 2010 by One Little Independent Records. It marked a departure from her previous work by including three English language songs, including the single ''Surrender'', which features Björk's distinctive vocal in the background. The album was produced by then

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...

members Kjartan Sveinsson and Davíð Þór Jónsson, and featured contributions from Björk, Skúli Sverrisson (

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

), Shahzad Ismaily (

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

Plastic Ono Band The Plastic Ono Band was a rock band and Fluxus-based artist collective''John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band'' book by Yoko Ono and John Lennon, published by Thames & Hudson Ltd, October 2020, pp. 17-19 formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1968-9 fo ...

, Bonnie "Prince" Billy), María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir ( Amiina), and Ragnar.

''Sudden Elevation''

Ólöf released her third album ''Sudden Elevation'' in 2013 on One Little Independent Records and it is her first album sung entirely in English. Produced again by long-time collaborator, Skúli Sverrisson, ''Sudden Elevation'' was largely recorded in a late autumn 2011 stint in a seaside cabin in

Hvalfjörður Hvalfjörður (, "whale fjord") is situated in the west of Iceland between Mosfellsbær and Akranes. The fjord is approximately long and wide. The origin of the name Hvalfjörður is uncertain. Certainly today there is no presence of whales i ...

, western Iceland.

Discography

Albums

* '' Við Og Við'' (2007) * '' Innundir skinni'' (2010) * '' Sudden Elevation'' (2013) * ''Palme'' (2014) * ''Palma'' (2014, Icelandic language version exclusive to Pledge Music)

EPs

* '' Ölof Sings'' (Sept. 2011) * '' The Matador EP'' (Oct. 2013)

Singles

* ''7" Maria Bethânia/Sveitin milli sanda'' (August 2009) * ''7" Innundir skinni/Close My Eyes'' (June 2010) * ''7" Crazy Car/Sukiyaki'' (September 2010) * ''7" Surrender/Instans'' (March 2011)