Heidrik

Heiðrik (Hi´drik) is the sound of a new musical generation hailing from the Faroe Islands. Mixing dark electronic baselines with melodic haunting choirs and strings with his powerful, emotive yet fragile vocal, Heiðrik fires the imagination.

Heiðrik, 24, was born and raised in Tórshavn, the capitol of Faroe Islands. Situated northwest of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway, and with a population of only about 50.000, the Faroe Islands are one of the North Atlantic’s smallest and best kept secrets. The harsh and yet beautiful nature of the geography is reflected in the passionate and dramatic depths in Heiðrik´s music and voice.
He started making music at the age of 16 but it wasn’t till 17-18 when he was confident enough to perform. His early performances were as singer/backing vocalist in a local (Faroese) techno band. However it wasn’t until he started to perform Faroese traditional songs when he realised his talent, as he gained confidence and felt comfortable as a performer. This lead into him performing his own songs, which he had wanted to do for years.

Although Faroese is his native language, Heiðrik writes both Faroese and English lyrics, always taking great inspiration from traditional music and mixing it with new, refreshing sounds. He co-produces and arranges all his songs in a style that spans from the uncompromising force of folk music to orchestral, pop and electro. In short, Heiðrik isn't afraid of mixing his influences.

"When I think about the Faroe Islands there is a lot of mystery and, quite literally, a mist surrounding everything. This is what I reflect in my music,” says Heiðrik.

The Faroese language has its roots in Old Norse, from the Viking age. One of the main reasons for the survival of the language is Faroese dance. The special features of the Faroese dance are the song and story. There is no instrumental accompaniment, only the voices and feet are heard. "When I make music I always use my voice for everything - like drums,
baseline and so forth. Then later on I translate it into real instruments. I do this because I was raised that the voice is the strongest instrument," he says.

Heiðrik´s lyrics are reminiscent of little fables. The content of his filmic and mystical lyrics draws heavily from his daydreams and some of the frustration in his isolated country. His eccentric and surreal imagination paints stories of life, blended with the power of myth and legend, creating new and unusual perspectives…for instance, the way in which ‘Maria’s Donkey’ pays tribute to the simple animal carrying a whole religion on its back.

He has worked a lot in Iceland, Denmark and the Faroe islands as a graphic designer, film editor and photographer. Whilst working in Reykjavík he started writing his first album ‘An Invisible Gun’ which he self-released late 2007. During this time he undertook some classical vocal training and this album consist of tracks he had been writing throughout this period of development. His new work expands from this base, and reflects his growing maturity, both as lyric writer and composer…..moving into a bigger landscape of sound.

See www.heidrik.co.uk for gigs, reviews, videos, etc