Tiny People and Glaciers

• Main Authors: Hall, Þorbjörg Daphne, Cannady, Kimberly
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2022
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190081379.013.29; https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34725/chapter/374181660

Abstract This chapter examines narratives of Icelandicness in contemporary popular music, with a focus on the Sugarcubes, Björk, and Sigur Rós. These narratives are informed by local historical and contemporary contexts, and external stereotypes of Icelanders that have been around for centuries. The authors explore narratives of Icelandic popular music that often focus on simplified connections between music, nature, and folklore. Through qualitative research, including ethnography, this chapter explores how artists make sense of “borealist” imagery of Iceland that offers a divisive opportunity for unique branding and the embrace of “cool capitalism” in the popular music realm. Musicians simultaneously strengthen these connections through their artistic processes, but they also actively try to work against them when such imagery is seen as more limiting than beneficial. Through this material, this chapter offers a locally grounded perspective on how Icelandic artists negotiate these associations between popular music, place, and marketing.