About
STÍNA ÁGÚSTSDÓTTIR
It takes a lot to tell yourself the truth, but Ágústdóttir has made it a joyful rebellion:
“I have the power to say what I truly feel now, through the safety of music creation; it gives me power” muses Stina.
“Yours Unfaithfully” is unapologetic, completely addictive, and perfectly unique.
Overflow with the singer’s insurgent desires and alluring musical complexities, the new studio album by STÍNA ÁGÚSTSDÓTTIR, “Yours Unfaithfully”, makes stirring, rambunctious theater of her entirety; a spectacle that serves, in no uncertain terms, as her poetic prison break.
Tackling what had long left her feeling trapped in the cellophane straight jacket of societal life, Stina found solace with bold companion songwriters - subversive women collaborators like Maïa Davies (Canadian 12 x top ten hit maker) and Sweden’s notable Yrsa Schau, as well as the genre bending Icelandic producer/guitarist Mikael Máni Ásmundsson. The collaborative couplings became her diving boards, ones she leaped off into unknown waters - recklessly, then tumbling elegantly - landing in a fantastical return to her deepest self, her “Glitter Blood” if you will. She delved into every kind of musical magic she remembered : Nancy Sinatra nostalgic kitsch cowboy, the Court and Spark melodic dreamcore of Joni Mitchell, and all the treasures collected in her deep jazz subconscious. Moving so naturally through the innovative, jagged musical arrangements, Stina plates layer upon layer of gooey good food for the soul, delivered with sparkling, champagne-raising vocal panache. Here, she naturally lands somewhere between the tonal spell of Nico and the synthy ethereality of Queen Kate Bush. Stina’s thoughtfully composed jazz forms flow and zagmorph into rivers of innovative, warm pop. The whole stratta of the opus is welcoming, and though Stina treads on somewhat unorthodox instrumental ground, the songs have an instantly classic feel to them.
The album conjures up an unpredictable Technicolor of raw self-affirmation (“Suffocating Good girl, just let me breathe”, "Cuteface"), injects intellectual beckoning “(gentle persuasion of promiscuous intentions”, "Chaotic"), and delivers vulnerable, leave-it-all-on-the-studio-floor performances (“Perfect Box” and “Deadheart” vocal tours de force). Let us not leave out the provocative and charged sexuality of her monologue (“And please don’t stop til I see God”, "Fountains").
‘Yours Unfaithfully” is Stína Ágústsdóttir’s new, 12-song feminist anthem of liberation, self-actualizing in its honesty and magnitude of expression.
The album was recorded in the fall of ’23 in Reykjavik, at the Sigur Rós world-class studio, amidst the backdrop of Iceland’s otherworldly, commanding landscapes. Curated recording personnel included producer and recent Iceland Music Awards winner Mikael Máni Ásmundsson (ACT Jazz), famed engineer Albert Finnbogason (Sólveig, Sigur Rós), pianist/synth legend Magnús Jóhann Ragnarsson, Swedish bass phenomenon Henrik Linder (Dirty Loops), and most-in demand drummer Magnús Trygvason Elíassen (ADHD, Moses Hightower).
The accomplished result can be summed up in one word: Freedom. Freedom in the experimental arrangements, freedom in the hop along pop hooks, freedom in the sensual R&B jazz motifs. All of it crowned by haywire not-so-nice-girl poignant observations and deep musings on sex (“I want to seduce your mother,” “Chaotic”). Through it all, the divergent journey of her screaming lust for transformation captivates our attention, never letting go. In each whimsical performance of the record Stina Agustdottir’s vocals float iridescent, emotionally compelling. At all the right moments, her star power voice is so moving, it hurts (“Your life is your life, don’t let it be clubbed into dark submission,” “Laughing Heart"). As an added treat, she gracefully swings bilingually between English and her native Icelandic (“Rokkur,” “Fountains”). At this pivotal stage of her life and career, Stina has built a raft, on which she adamantly journeys, escapes suburban boredom, and sails into “The (real) role of her life” (“Perfect Box”).
STÍNA ÁGÚSTSDÓTTIR is one of Iceland’s top jazz and jazz-pop artists, and, throughout her faceted career, has shone Scandinavia-wide on the jazz scene, known for her incomparable voice.
Her discography includes to this day 5 studio albums, and an artistic journey that has seen her paired with legendary talents Morgan Ågren (Zappa), Henrik Linder (Dirty Loops), producer Bjarki Ómarsson, and jazz heavyweights Hilmar Jensson, Carl Bagge, Dave Turner, and more. Stina has toured Europe extensively and is a jazz festival always-invited darling. Both European and North American tours are planned to support the new release.
Recognition
Icelandic Music Awards (Nominee)
Multiple Grant Laureate
Best of Montreal, two-time winner
Other Projects
AXXE, TGRSS
