Snorri Helgason

Biography

Snorri Helgason is a singer-songwriter from Reykjavik, Iceland. At age 19 years, Snorri decided to devote his life to the only thing that ever truly interested him - music. He taught himself to play guitar, sing and write songs. Two years later, he formed a band called Sprengjuhöllin with a few of his childhood friends. In the band’s short lifespan, Sprengjuhöllin managed to release two best-selling albums, perform at countless sold out shows and becoming one of the most popular bands in Icela...

Snorri Helgason is a singer-songwriter from Reykjavik, Iceland.
At age 19 years, Snorri decided to devote his life to the only thing that ever truly interested him - music. He taught himself to play guitar, sing and write songs.

Two years later, he formed a band called Sprengjuhöllin with a few of his childhood friends. In the band’s short lifespan, Sprengjuhöllin managed to release two best-selling albums, perform at countless sold out shows and becoming one of the most popular bands in Iceland.

Sprengjuhöllin released two albums and – despite singing in Icelandic – scored invites to festivals such as SXSW, Canadian Music Week and The Halifax Pop Explosion.
Their playful indie-pop songs were critically and commercially successful. Under the guise of Sprengjuhöllin, Snorri penned three number one singles, one of which stayed at the top of Icelandic National Radio’s charts for 27 consecutive weeks. Snorri’s song, ‘Verum í sambandi’ (“Worry Till Spring”), also won the prestigious prize of Song of the Year at the 2008 Iceland Music Awards.

When Sprengjuhöllin went on hiatus in 2009, Snorri recorded a solo album focusing on the folk and Americana influences at the centre of his musical tastes. The album, ‘I’m Gonna Put My Name On Your Door’ was released in Iceland in November of 2009 and in Europe and the US in December 2010 through Kimi Records—to the usual critical acclaim.

Since 2009, Snorri has toured excessively, building a diverse and spread-out fan base while honing his craft as a performer and songwriter. He’s played shows in some far corners of the world like Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Faenza, Italy and performed sold-out shows in international music centre points like New York, Berlin and London. His personal, understated yet intense live shows, whether playing solo or with a band, have garnered positive reviews from blogs and magazines from around the world.

With his home grown and self-taught approach to songwriting, Snorri has been favorably compared to singer-songwriter greats like Paul Simon, Harry Nilsson and Neil Young. While his music resonates with past greats, his mixing of diverse influences of everything from soul to Britpop to glam-rock into his primarily folk-based songs—not to mention his Icelandic background—leaves us with something entirely unique.

Snorri released his sophomore solo album, "Winter Sun" in Iceland in August 2011. The album was produced by Icelandic indie-pop great Sindri Már Sigfússon (Seabear, Sin Fang) and has received unanimous critical praise in the local market.

Praise for Winter Sun
"If Snorri were a mango, you should eat him now"
5/5 Dr. Gunni - Newstime (Iceland)
"One of the albums of the year"
4/5 Trausti Júlíusson - The Newspaper (Iceland)
"One of the best songwriter this country has seen in recent years"
4/5 Kavalér Magazine
"A fantastic album in every way with no weak spots"
Georg Atli - Toppfimm
"One of the best things you will hear this year. Not to be missed!"
Just Another Pop Song (IT)

Praise for I’m Gonna Put My Name On Your Door:
"This album proves Snorri's brilliance"
8/10 Andrea Jónsdóttir - Icelandic Radio 2
"The most talented songwriter this country has seen recently"
"...You want to listen to this album again and again."
4/5 Brynjar Vatnsdal - Icelandreview
"Snorri is one of Iceland's most talented musicians. A fantastic debut."
4/5 Freyr Bjarnason - The Newspaper (Iceland)

Live praise:
“Check him out – you will not be disappointed. A songwriter to discover!” (Le Blog des critiques de concerts (BE)),
“… soft, understated and powerful compositions” (Dewesten(GE))
“… a powerful yet delicate voice delivering intimate folk, pop and soul songs” (Heraldo De Aragon(ES)).

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