No Ordinary Geyser - Hot Press Interview with Ásgeir

Ásgeir Trausti Einarsson’s melodic folk has quite literally gone through the roof in his native Iceland (okay, not literally, but you know what we mean). Not only has he topped the charts, his first album In The Silence (we’re not going to attempt to spell, let alone pronounce, the original title!) has become the biggest selling debut album in Icelandic history. Not bad going in a country that produced Bjork and Sigur Ros, was ravaged by a recession, and where an album probably costs about the same as a bottle of vintage champagne.

“It's a really strange surprise,” the 20-year old exclaims. “I never planned on releasing anything. My dream was simply to release one song, not to do a record. The producer really believed in the music and was extremely encouraging.

“Within a few weeks, I was suddenly a singer. The success of my record is very surprising. I don’t have to work as a tree planter or in a hotel.”

Ásgeir returns to these shores for another visit after charming the congregation in St. James’ Church in Dingle for Other Voices.
“We really connected with the audience and the country,” he enthuses. “We drove to Dingle and what struck me was how similar the countryside is to Iceland. In some cases the landscape was exactly the same as in Iceland.

“The small towns we passed through were built differently. Still, I was reminded of Iceland. The show in the church was gorgeous and the response really warm.”

One thing we share with Iceland is a topsy-turvy economy.
“It’s getting a lot better from the way things were in 2007 and 2008,” Ásgeir reveals. “I was 15 at the time. I never would’ve taken much interest in politics or the economy. Fortunately, it didn’t affect my family, friends or community as badly as the rest of Iceland. Of course, there was some impact. While it has certainly improved, people don’t trust politicians anymore.”

Not content with setting new sales records in his native Iceland, Ásgeir has just released an English language version of his debut album, with a little help from one-time Icelandic resident John Grant.

“I never expected to perform to an audience, let alone tour the world. The album was so phenomenally successful in Iceland we decided to do an English language version. It was difficult in the beginning to get used to singing in English. I got there.

“It was great working with John Grant. He lived in Iceland at the time. I called him up in autumn 2012. I liked Queen Of Denmark a lot. I love the way he expresses himself and the quality of his lyrics. I had heard his songs on radio. It was the first time I had a full conversation with someone in English outside school. We had a small window of only five or six days to do the record.”

It’s got to be said that Ásgeir has perfect English for a guy who claims that his first full conversation happened relatively recently.

“We do get to see a lot of English and American TV shows and hear a good few songs with English lyrics on radio, although Danish really is the second language. Most people learn from the age of six, I started late, at 11."

One thing Ásgeir still finds a little hard to adjust to is new-found fame. “I’m not really used to going out and meeting people. I tend to stay in my comfort zone,” he says. “When I go downtown now it can be pretty hard walking the street, especially when people have been drinking. For me it’s very strange, because I come from a tiny town in the North West of Iceland. It's a close knit community where everyone knows everyone else. It's been amazing for them and they are incredibly proud of me.

“It feels like the success of the album has done something for them too. I am representing the area and am very proud. All the fishermen and teachers have been so incredibly nice to me.”

For a man with the world at his feet, Ásgeir isn’t looking beyond the end of this tour, which should keep him preoccupied well into next year.

“In a few weeks I’m going on an American tour,” he says. “It's beginning to get very busy, which is a bit strange because I’ve been touring non-stop for a year and a half already. This tour will take me into 2015. When that is finished, I’m going to take some real time off and not just think about it for a while.”

Ásgeir plays the Sugar Club, Dublin (April 11) and Roísín Dubh, Galway (12)