Yoik, harp and seven-eight different languages ​​for this year's Arctic Sounds

- Greenlandic, Icelandic…

- Norwegian, English, Danish, Swedish, two Sami, Nunavik, and – is that also Nunavut?

In a room somewhere at the Sisimiut Music School, the organizers behind the Arctic Sounds Festival are counting how many languages ​​will be sung in at this year's music festival.

Sermitsiaq speaks with festival director Jacob Froberg and his colleague Maria Kristiansen via an online connection. Somewhere in the stage – away from the camera – sits Laura Lennert Jensen, who is also a co-organizer of the festival and is counting.

- Seven or eight languages ​​at least, is the final conclusion from Jacob Froberg, who founded the festival at the time.

This year will be the 12th time that singers, songwriters and musicians from the Nordic region, the Arctic and abroad will gather in Sisimiut to celebrate original music.

The first year Arctic Sounds took place was in 2014.

- Arctic Sounds was, from the very beginning, a festival with a focus on songwriting. And we also love when people sing in their own language, says Jacob Froberg.

Soon, residents and visitors to Sisimiut will be able to experience a multitude of concerts, talks and workshops all around the town and in the mountains again, when the Arctic Sounds Festival takes place during the Easter holidays from 2nd to 6th April.

Sápmi takes over Friday

Something that Jacob Froberg and Maria Kristiansen are really excited about this year is the Friday program, which this year is dedicated to Sápmi.

They have been trying for a long time to get more Sámi artists to play at the concert, and through a collaboration with the Northern Norwegian and Sámi music festival Riddu Riđđu, they have finally succeeded.

- Riddu Riđđu will take over the entire Friday and present Sámi music, Sámi food and hold various workshops, says Jacob Froberg.

Among other things, you can refine your yoik (traditional Sámi song, ed.) or learn about various craft techniques.

Some of the Sámi artists you can experience on Friday are the electronic duo Hildá Länsman & Tuomas Norvio and the band Gabba, both of whom will be playing at the School of Minerals.

In addition, Jacob Froberg highlights the festival's conference program, which takes place prior to the festival itself, which this year focuses on strengthening musical and cultural ties across the Arctic and the Nordic region.

In the same spirit, a group of musicians from Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Denmark have spent time producing music together, which will culminate in a concert at the festival, where they will also collaborate with a local choir from Sisimiut.

A great program – subject to weather

In addition to the Sápmi takeover on Friday and various collaborative projects, there are also some concerts that the festival organizers are personally looking forward to attending.

- About Me, for example, Laura Lennert Jensen says in the background when Sermitsiaq asks.

About Me – or Laura, as she is also called – is a Danish music artist who has also played at several major festivals such as Roskilde Festival and Smukfest.

Maria Kristiansen is looking forward to the American artists, Küf Knotz & Christine Elise:

- It's rap and harp put together. It's cool!

- And Angu Motzfeldt, Laura Lennert Jensen interrupts.

- Yes! The last time I saw him was in Aalborg back in the 90s, when he released his second album. And it was a fantastic concert, says Jacob Froberg.

One of the artists who has never played a concert before and will be making his live debut at the festival is musician and rapper Ole-Kristian Lyberth, who goes by the stage name OK.

- I'm so excited to see what he comes up with, says Maria Kristiansen.

The festival program has been published and will be continuously updated on the festival's website, among other things. Subject to changes due to weather and logistics.

- We would like people to land by plane before we can set a fixed program, says Maria Kristiansen.

I guess it's an Arctic festival.

For the same reason, it's difficult for them to answer how many people they think will show up for the festival concerts this year. However, they are counting on around 600 people, including artists, network guests, volunteers and local sponsors.

- We usually sell between 250 and 300 tickets, says Jacob Froberg.

- But ticket sales typically only happen right up to and on the day we start, says Maria Kristiansen.