Svavar Knútur

Under the name Svavar Knútur, Svavar Knútur Kristinsson has been developing from Iceland a repertoire of acoustic folk and singer‑songwriter material where intimate melodies, Nordic traditions and songwriting in both Icelandic and English intersect. Linked to the northwest of the country and the Eastfjords, he established himself on the independent scene with Kvöldvaka (Songs by the Fire) in 2009, followed by Amma (Songs for my Grandmother) in 2010 and Ölduslóð (Way of Waves) in 2012, an album marked by a collaboration with Markéta Irglová. His discography continues this thread—spare ballads, folk arrangements and a melancholic tone—on Brot (The Breaking) in 2015, My Goodbye Lovelies in 2017, AHOY! SIDE A in 2018, Bil in 2020 and AHOY! SIDE B in 2024. He has also worked with Kristjana Stefáns, notably on Glæður in 2011 and Faðmlög in 2020, and took part in the 2023 project Unanswered with Lucy Ward and Adyn Townes. Alongside tours in Europe, Australia and North America, Svavar Knútur is a co‑founder of the Melodica festival, for which he has also handled programming in Reykjavík.