Melting Pot Of Creativity
by Elin Brimheim Heinesen
The Faroe Islands
are a melting pot of creativity – music, singing, song-writing, alternative rock
music festivals and modern art all play a very important role in life in the
Faroes today.
Some believe that the Faroese must have a special
creative gene, because the amount of music and artworks pouring out of these
islands is astonishing – especially when you consider the modest number of
inhabitants in the Faroes of approximately 50,000 people. No more than could fit
in an average football stadium in a major city.
Still, everything is on the menu
here: Traditional singing and dancing, choir music, folk music, jazz, blues,
rock, metal, punk and so on. Tórshavn – a small town with only 20,000 people –
even has a symphony orchestra, which most people would consider impossible! (Go
to: www.fso.fo - only in Faroese though).
 The most famous must be the Faroese singer-songwriter Teitur.
His records are
selling well both in the US and in Europe. He is one of the artists that
contributed to the compilation album “Songs for Tibet – the Art of Peace” along
with other very famous names like Sting, Alanis Morisette, John Mayor, Dave
Matthews, Rupert Hines, Joan Armatrading and others.
Teitur released his first CD in the UK in
2009 – one of the most difficult markets to penetrate in the world – and has had
fantastic reviews there. Teitur won the title of male vocalist of the year in
Denmark in 2008 and got an award for best singer songwriter album in 2009
at the Danish Music Awards (see: http://www.teitur.com )
Music Week – an English music magazine for
professionals in the music business - had an article last year about the Faroese
music scene with a headline that probably says all about the success of Faroese
musicians at the moment: “The IN sound from way out”. (Read
the article here:
http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=29850 )
Creative people in the Faroe Islands may
have a special advantage – ahead of many others – by the mere fact that their
inspiration comes from a life far way from the trend-chasing life in the big
cities. It’s just real. And you can feel it! And many of the young people in the
Faroes have understood how to make the most of it.
Some of these people started the G! Festival some
years ago – a rock music festival which takes place in the middle of an idyllic
Faroese village surrounded by spectacular nature. The festival was touted as the
second-best music festival in Europe by several European music magazines last
year (only the Roskilde Festival in Denmark ranked higher). (see
http://www.gfestival.com).
But the Faroese are also trying to take over the
world themselves. Linda Andrews is now on everybody’s lips in Denmark, after she
won the final round in the very popular TV programme X-Factor in front of 2.6
million Danish TV viewers in 2009 (see
www.myspace.com/misslindaandrews). But she is just one in
a line of successful Faroese musicians/bands.
 The Faroese band ‘Boys in a Band’ won the Global
Battle of the Bands competition in London in 2008, earning them the prize of $
100,000 and a world tour. They blow the house down with their infectious
enthusiasm and energy and receive praise from reviewers wherever they perform.
(see
http://www.clashmusic.com/news/success-boys-band and
www.myspace.com/boysinaband )
 
The Faroese singer Lizzie (http://www.myspace.com/musicbylizzie
) and the Faroese punk-rock band The Dreams (http://www.thedreams.dk
) have climbed to the top of Danish charts in 2008 and 2009.
 
Týr (www.myspace.com/tyr1)
and SIC (www.myspace.com/SIC)
are also very successful bands outside the Faroe Islands with steadily growing
numbers of very dedicated fans. Týr is actually the best selling “Danish” heavy
metal band outside the Danish Kingdom at the moment. The band The Ghost and
Høgni Lisberg have also caught international attention. All bands are on world
tours right now and are getting spectacular reviews all over.
Eivør (http://www.eivor.com),
another Faroese singer, continues to receive a number of Danish and Icelandic
nominations and awards.
Faroese singer Jógvan also won the
Icelandic version of the talent show X-Factor in 2007. (http://www.myspace.com/jogvanmusic).
And Brandur, also a
Faroese singer songwriter, participated in Melodifestivalen – the Swedish
nominations for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009. (http://www.brandur.com)
A new generation of musicians, artists, and
fashion designers are taking on the stages and the catwalks. With one foot
solidly planted in tradition and the other one in the creative sphere, they are
now entering the international scene and are gaining international recognition
in increasing numbers. None has had an international breakthrough or gained
superstar status yet, though some are very close to making it.
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