Jónsi: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Icelandic musician (born 1975)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=DecemberJune 20192023}}

| background = solo_singer

| name = Jónsi

| image = Sigur Rós, Victoria Park, London (Citadel Festival) (27836688703).jpg

| caption = Jónsi at the Citadel Festival, [[Victoria Park, London|Victoria Park]], London, 2016

| birth_name = Jón Þór Birgisson

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1975|4|23}}

| death_date = =

| origin = [[Iceland]]

| instrument = {{hlist|Guitar|bass guitar|vocals|[[keyboard instrument|keyboards]]|[[banjo]]|[[ukulele]]|harmonica|[[sampler (musical instrument)|sampler]]}}

| genre = {{hlist|[[Avant-Experimental rock]]|[[ambient music|ambient]]|[[worldbeat]]|[[contemporary classical music|contemporary classical]]}}

| current_member_of = [[Sigur Rós]]
| associated_acts = {{hlist|[[Sigur Rós]]|[[Jónsi & Alex]]|Dark Morph|[[Alex Somers]]|[[Carl Michael von Hausswolff]]|[[Klive]]|[[A. G. Cook]]|}}

| label = =

| years_active = 1992–present

| website = {{URL|https://jonsi.com}}

'''Jón Þór''' "'''Jónsi'''" '''Birgisson''' ({{IPA-|is|ˈjouːn ˈθouːr ˈpɪrcɪsɔːnˈpɪrcɪsɔn, ˈjounsɪ|pron|Is-Jón Þór Birgisson, Jónsi.oga}}; born 23 April 1975) is an Icelandic musician; he is the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the Icelandic [[post-rock]] band [[Sigur Rós]]. He is known for his use of a cello [[bow (music)|bow]] on guitar and his "angelic" [[falsetto]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/09/11-amazing-falsetto-vocalists.html |title=11 Amazing Falsetto Vocalists |last1=Larsen |first1=Luke |date=23 September 2011 |work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|access-date=4 May 2014}}</ref> or [[countertenor]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Hunter|first=James|date=26 November 2002|title=Shades of Gray|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-11-26/music/shades-of-gray/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422233314/http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-11-26/music/shades-of-gray/|archive-date=22 April 2014|website=The Village Voice}}</ref> voice. He is blind in his right eye from birth as a result of a broken optic nerve from the brain. He is [[coming out|openly]] [[homosexuality|gay]].<ref name="economist">{{cite news |title=Icelandic rock |url=http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_GVVSVD |date=14 June 2001 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |archive-date=14 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514050501/http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_GVVSVD |access-date=2 December 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="price">{{Cite news|last=Price|first=Simon|date=17 July 2005|title=At last! The populist person's thinking band|periodical=[[The Independent on Sunday]]|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P2-1956425/rock-pop-at-last-the-populist-person-s-thinking|url-status=dead|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004222913/https://www.questia.com/read/1P2-1956425/rock-pop-at-last-the-populist-person-s-thinking|archive-date=4 October 2013}}</ref> Apart from Sigur Rós, Jónsi also performs together with his ex-partner [[Alex Somers]] as an art collaboration called [[Jónsi & Alex]]. They released their self-titled first book in November 2006, which was an embossed hardcover limited to 1,000 copies.<ref name="alarmmag">{{cite web |title=Riceboy Sleeps Announces First U.S. Exhibition |url=http://www.alarmpress.com/647/art-news/riceboy-sleeps-announces-first-us-exhibition/ |date=5 July 2007 |access-date=15 January 2008 |work=ALARM Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512133734/http://www.alarmpress.com/647/art-news/riceboy-sleeps-announces-first-us-exhibition/ |archive-date=12 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The two also released the album ''[[Riceboy Sleeps]]'', in July 2009. They announced their separation in 2019, after having been together for 16 years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Albertson|first=Jasmine|date=17 October 2019|title=Jónsi and Alex Somers on Waking Up Riceboy Sleeps, Trading Glaciers for Sunny Beaches and Working Together Post-Breakup|url=https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/10/17/jonsi-and-alex-somers-waking-riceboy-sleeps-trading-glaciers-sunny-beaches-and-working-together-post-breakup/|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.kexp.org}}</ref>

On 1 December 2009, Jónsi's official website, jonsi.com, was launched in anticipation ofreleased his debut solo album, ''[[Go (Jónsi album)|Go]]'', which was released on 5 April 2010. After the release of the album, Jónsi promptly started a tour across North America and Europe, featuring songs from the album plus a few other selections, planning to tour from March to September. A decade would pass before Jónsi would release his second studio album, ''[[Shiver (Jónsi album)|Shiver]]'', which was released on 2 October 2, 2020. He would release his third album ''Obsidian'' a year later in conjunction with the exhibit of the same name. He has also collaborated with his ex-partner [[Alex Somers]] and has contributed to the scores for the films ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (2010 film)|How to Train Your Dragon]]'' and ''[[We Bought a Zoo]].''

Since 1994, Jónsi has been the singer and guitarist for [[Sigur Rós]]. To date, they have released seveneight studio albums.

Aside from his many years with Sigur Rós, Jónsi has collaborated with his ex-partner [[Alex Somers]]<ref name=sfchron>{{Cite news |url=httphttps://articleswww.sfgate.com/2010-04-04/entertainment/20833823_1_sigurarticle/Sigur-rR-s-bandsinger-sprepares-musicfor-stageU-S-solo-tour-3193685.php |title=Sigur Rós singer prepares for U.S. solo tour |date=4 April 2010 |access-date=14 April 2010 |periodical=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |first=Aidin |last=Vaziri }}</ref> under the [[moniker]] [[Jónsi & Alex]], releasing their album ''[[Riceboy Sleeps]]'' in 2009. In April 2010, Jónsi released his first solo album, ''[[Go (Jónsi album)|Go]]'', and began a multi-nation tour to promote the album from March through September across North America and Europe.

Jónsi recorded "Sticks and Stones" for the score to the 2010 film ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (2010 film)|How to Train Your Dragon]]'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Richardson|first=Matthew|date=3 March 2010|title=Jonsi Stars in New Documentary, Does Song For 'How To Train Your Dragon' (Video)|url=http://www.prefixmag.com/news/jonsi-stars-in-new-documentary-does-song-for-how-t/38194/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613201719/http://www.prefixmag.com/news/jonsi-stars-in-new-documentary-does-song-for-how-t/38194/|archive-date=13 June 2011|access-date=20 May 2010|website=Prefixmag.com}}</ref> for which [[DreamWorks Animation]] released a music video on 17 December 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXV2fCimTsE|title = Jonsi's "Sticks and Stones" Music Video|author = DreamWorks Animation|via = YouTube|date = 17 December 2010}}</ref> His song "Tornado" was featured in the arena show adaptation of this film. In 2014, Jónsi co-wrote the song "Where No One Goes" for the sequel, ''[[How to Train Your Dragon 2]]'', with the film's music composer [[John Powell (film composer)|John Powell]]. He also co-wrote the melody for "For the Dancing and Dreaming". Jónsi additionally wrote a rough demo (entitled "Mama's Boy") for the film, which was eventually replaced by "Flying with Mother". He wrote and performed the song "Together from Afar" for the final installment of the franchise, ''[[How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World]]'', in which he also provided the vocals for the track "The Hidden World".

Jónsi and his ex-partner [[Alex Somers]] completed their first album together, ''[[Riceboy Sleeps]]'', under the name [[Jónsi & Alex]]. The instrumental album was recorded in Iceland, played solely on acoustic instruments, and mixed in Hawaii. The album features appearances by the Icelandic string quartet [[Amiina]] and the Kópavogsdætur choir.<ref>{{cite web |title=eighteen seconds before sunrise – sigur rós news |url=http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/news/?m=20090417 |date=17 April 2009 |work=sigur-ros.co.uk |access-date=2 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606160613/http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/news/?m=20090417 |archive-date=6 June 2011 }}</ref>

On 5 April 2010, as promised, the album was released in Iceland and the United Kingdom, with a worldwide release date of the following day. The album was sung mainly in English, marking a change from the majority of Jónsi's previous work, which was sung mainly in Icelandic and [[Vonlenska]]. The album charted at No. 20 on the UK album charts on 12 April 2010<ref>{{citeCite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/albums/ |title=UK top 40 albums 12 APR 2010}}</ref> and reached No. 23 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].

Jónsi went a decade without releasing any solo material. On 3 April 2020, Jónsi took to Instagram to announce that he was releasing music later that month,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jónsi on Instagram: "🎹I'm releasing new music later this month 🎹 follow me on @spotify and @youtube for updates via the link in my bio"|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B-e-ljMhEA4/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/B-e-ljMhEA4 |archive-date=26 December 2021 |url-access=registration|access-date=2020-08-10 August 2020|website=Instagram|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> which would be the lead single, "Exhale", to his second studio album, ''[[Shiver (Jónsi album)|Shiver]]'', with an accompanying music video directed by Jónsi and [[Giovanni Ribisi]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tan|first=Emily|date=23 April 2020-04-23|title=Jónsi Makes Epic Return With 'Exhale' Video|url=https://www.spin.com/2020/04/jonsi-makes-epic-returns-with-exhale-video/|access-date=2020-08-10 August 2020|website=Spin}}</ref>

The album was made in collaboration with English music producer, singer and head of record label [[PC Music]], [[A. G. Cook]]. Jónsi had no expectation for his and Cook's initial meeting, but the more they talked, the more he realized they might be perfect collaborators.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shiver, by Jónsi|url=https://jonsi.bandcamp.com/album/shiver|access-date=2020-08-10 August 2020|website=Jónsi}}</ref>

Jónsi released another single, "Swill", for the album on 24 June 2020, with an accompanying music video directed by Barnaby Roper.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ewing|first=Jerry|date=25 June 2020|title=Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi releases video for new single Swill|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/sigur-ros-frontman-jonsi-releases-video-for-new-single-swill|access-date=2020-08-10 August 2020|website=Prog Magazine|language=en}}</ref>

Jónsi's first language is [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]. He also speaks English, according to the official Sigur Rós website:<ref name="interview">{{cite web |url=http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/|title=Sigur Rós Official Site |access-date=12 May 2007}}</ref>

<{{blockquote>|On the first three Sigur Rós albums (Von, Von Brigði, Ágætis Byrjun), Jónsi sang most songs in Icelandic but two of them ("Von" and "Olsen Olsen") were sung in '[[Vonlenska|Hopelandic]]'. All of the vocals on ( ) are in Hopelandic. Hopelandic (''Vonlenska'' in Icelandic) is the 'invented language' in which Jónsi sings before lyrics are written to the vocals. It is not an actual language by definition (no vocabulary, grammar, etc.), but rather a form of gibberish vocals that fit to the music and act as another instrument. Jónsi likens it to what singers sometimes do when they've decided on the melody, but haven't written the lyrics yet. Many languages were considered to be used on ( ), including English, but they decided on Hopelandic. Hopelandic (Vonlenska) got its name (from a journalist, not Jónsi himself) from the first song which Jónsi sang on, "Hope" (Von).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gorillavsbear.net/2007/10/sigur-ros-vs-npr.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713234343/http://gorillavsbear.net/2007/10/sigur-ros-vs-npr.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-13 |title=sigur ros vs. NPR |publisher=gorillavsbear.net |date=2007-10-12 |access-date=2012-02-29 }}</ref></blockquote>}}

Jónsi is a vegetarian. He states that he "didn't go vegetarian because of the animals" but became gradually more concerned for their welfare.<ref name="veget">{{cite web |url=http://www.vivaactivists.org.uk/celebs/interview-sigur-ros.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108064901/http://www.vivaactivists.org.uk/celebs/interview-sigur-ros.php|archive-date=8 November 2010 |title=Tonight, I sing for the animals|first1=Fiona |last1=Galbraith|first2=Kate|last2=Montgomery |publisher=[[Vegetarians' International Voice forViva! Animals(organisation)|Viva! Activists]]|access-date=14 June 2016}}</ref> Jónsi elaborated that he would find it difficult to date someone who eats meat, saying "I just love animals and I do not want to kill them, cook them or eat them so it’dit'd be hard for me to watch anyone do that."<ref name="veget"/> He briefly followed a [[Raw foodism|raw food]] diet, although he no longer practices this as he felt it hindered his social life and he was "getting antisocial" when on tour.<ref name="gigwise.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.gigwise.com/features/72800/sigur-ros-interview-we-always-knew-wed-get-back-together|title=Sigur Ros interview: 'We always knew we'd get back together'|access-date=14 June 2016|date=7 May 2012|first=Michael |last=Baggs|website=[[Gigwise]]}}</ref>

Alongside his visual art collaboration with [[Alex Somers]], he has also exhibited his own workartwork. He hadJónsi anhas installationexhibited at the Los Angeles branch of [[Tanya Bonakdar Gallery]] in late 2019 and again in 2023, as well as their New York branch in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/exhibitions/jonsi/installations |title=November 16, 2019 – January 9, 2020 – - Jónsi – - Exhibitions – Tanya Bonakdar Gallery |work=tanyabonadkargallery.com |publisher=[[Tanya Bonakdar Gallery]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/exhibitions/753-jonsi-vox-tanya-bonakdar-gallery-los-angeles |title=November 11, 2023 – February 3, 2024 – - Jónsi – - Exhibitions – Tanya Bonakdar Gallery |work=tanyabonadkargallery.com |publisher=[[Tanya Bonakdar Gallery]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/exhibitions/614-jonsi-obsidian-tanya-bonakdar-gallery-new-york |title=October 30 – December 17, 2021 – - Jónsi – - Exhibitions – Tanya Bonakdar Gallery |work=tanyabonadkargallery.com |publisher=[[Tanya Bonadkar Gallery]]}}</ref>

* Released: 5 April 2010

* Label: XL Recordings, Parlophone

* Formats: CD

* Released: 2 October 2020

* Label: Krunk

* Formats: Vinyl, CD, digital download

* Released: 30 October 2021

* Label: Krunk

* Formats: Digital download

=====[[Jónsi &and Alex]] (with [[Alex Somers]])=====

* Released: 20 July 2009

* Label: XL Recordings, Krunk

* Formats: CD, digital download, vinyl

* Released: 11 October 2019

* Label: Krunk

* Formats: Digital download

=====Dark Morph (with [[Carl Michael von Hausswolff]])=====

* Released: 10 May 2019

* Label: Krunk

* Formats: CD, digital download

* Released: 1 May 2020

* Label: Pomperipossa Records

* Formats: Digital download, vinyl

* Released: 16 September 2022

* Label: INNI

* Formats: digital download

* Released: 9 December 2011

* Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

* Formats: Digital download

* Released: 5 February 2016

* Label: Lakeshore Records

* Formats: Digital download

* Released: 29 April 2021

* Label: Paramount Music

* Formats: Digital download

* Released: 14 December 2010

* Label: Parlophone, Krunk

* Formats: CD, digital download

| ''2000 - 2004''<br /> <small>(as Frakkur)</small>

* Released: 23 November 2018

* Label: Krunk

* Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download

! YearTitle

* Released: 2010

* Formats: DVD

* Released: 20 July 2009

* Label: Krunk

* Formats: Digital, CD, Vinyl

* Released: 22 March 2010

* Label: [[Parlophone]], [[EMI]], Krunk

* Formats: Digital, CD, Vinyl

* Remixes EP

* Released: 16 April 2011

* Label: EMI, Krunk

* Formats: Digital, Vinyl

* Released: November 2021

* Label: Krunk

* Formats: Vinyl

! scope="row" | "Over the Pond" <small>(uncredited vocals)</small>

| Various

| [[Danny Elfman]]

* [http://jonsi.com Official site]

* {{IMDb title|1743706}}

[[Category:English-languageAlternative singersrock from Icelandguitarists]]

[[Category:AnnieMale Award winnerspianists]]