Sóley

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Sóley.

Sóley
Sóley performing in Reykjavík
Background information
Birth name	Sóley Stefánsdóttir
Origin	Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
Genres	Indie folk, indie pop
Years active	2006-present
Labels	Morr Music

Sóley Stefánsdóttir, better known simply as Sóley, is an Icelandic singer and musician.

Career

Sóley studied classical and jazz style piano as a child and later went to the Icelandic Art Academy to study composition to become a proficient pianist and guitarist. Although hailing from Iceland, she sings primarily in English both in her solo and group work. She became part of the seven-piece Icelandic indie-folk band, Seabear, in 2006. Signed to the record label, Morr Music, the band have so far released two albums and an EP, on which Sóley predominantly provides piano and backing vocals.

Under the same label, Sóley released her first solo EP in 2010, titled Theater Island. The following year, she went on to release We Sink, her first full length album. Critical response was largely positive, with praise often aimed at the "delightful and beautiful" piano play and the delicate vocal delivery. The songwriting was also celebrated for its "dream-like" quality and "dark surrealism". Sóley herself described her lyrics as "Dreamy, surrealistic and in their own world", expressing her hope that listeners will decipher their own meaning from the words.

A piano album composed and performed entirely by Sóley, entitled Krómantík, was released on 18 July,2014 along with sheet music and illustrations to accompany each of the pieces. About the album, Sóley elaborated, “I always wanted to do a piano album, ever since I was in the art academy,” she explains. “Some of the pieces on Krómantík were written while studying – and the first track ‘Stiklur’, for example, was originally part of a bigger composition for piano that I wrote. However, in the end I didn’t use that many pieces from school, just because I liked doing new songs, and so a lot of them were written for a bigger art project I worked on during the summer after I finished We Sink.” She further described the mood of the album, stating, "In the night or when it’s cold and rainy outside, sit in a chair in your living room and listen. If you feel like it, move a little. Imagine a little out-of-tune piano in one corner, then imagine old hands. Those old hands have a story to tell. Those hands are almost unreal but it’s hard to tell only by listening. Those hands will play until Krómantík fades into silence and your closed eyes slowly start seeing something much deeper and darker.”

Work is already underway on a second LP as well, which is to be released sometime in 2015. Appearances are planned for ATP Iceland, Rauðasandur Festival and Iceland Airwaves in 2014 to promote the upcoming material. Sóley then hopes to return to touring worldwide.

Personal life

Sóley performing in 2012

Sóley was born in Hafnarfjörður, a small town outside of Reykjavík but now lives in the Capital with her boyfriend, Héðinn. She finds her writing inspiration mostly from poets and comes from a musical family, with her father being a trombone player and music teacher and her younger brother, Eiríkur, and younger sister both playing instruments. She took a brief break from recording and touring when she gave birth to her first daughter in March 2014.

Discography

Seabear

• The Ghost That Carried Us Away (2007, Morr Music)
• We Built a Fire (2010, Morr Music)
• While the Fire Dies EP (2010, Sound of a Handshake)

Solo

• Theater Island EP (2010, Morr Music)
• We Sink (2011, Morr Music)
• Krómantík, Piano album (2014, Morr Music)
• unnamed second LP (2015, Morr Music)