Lay Low at Pohoda 2022
Lay Low is the first confirmed artist from Iceland to play at the Café Kušnierik. There is a lot of symbolism in it, as Juraj Kušnierik was an avid admirer and promoter of Icelandic music and also wrote an excellent book about it, Music of the Island. Lay Low was one of his favourites; her first planned concert at Pohoda was confirmed with us in the backstage after the concert with Emiliana Torrini in Vienna already in February 2009. In the end, the performance did not take place, and we are all the more looking forward to her appearance this year.
31. May 2022
LAY LOW is the alter-ego of Icelandic singer/songwriter Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir. She was born in London to a Sri Lankan father and Icelandic mother. She started as a pianist and bass guitar player; she has jammed on keyboards and synthesizers with Benny Crespo’s Gang, found her voice in blues folk and a little honky tonk bop. Lay low combines “a rich chocolate sound with a sweet cinnamon rasp and a sip of whisky to take the edge off”. She came about in 2006, when she released her debut “Please Don’t Hate Me”, an intoxicating take on Americana. The record topped the Icelandic charts and brought Lay an award for the best singer, most popular artist, and best cover.
For her second album “Farewell Good Night’s Sleep”, she drew inspiration from Icelandic nature, travelling to the remote countryside. She collaborated on it with producer Liam Watson [White Stripes, Pete Molinari & Holly Golightly]. The iTunes music team tipped her as one of the discoveries of 2008 based on this album. In 2009, she toured with Emiliana Torrini and performed at Glastonbury, Into The Great Wide Open, and End of the Road festivals. In 2012, Lay Low toured North America and Europe with Of Monsters and Man.
The third album “Brostinn strengur” (Broken String) worked with Icelandic female poetry over the last 150 years. She sang the lyrics in Icelandic and created an enchanting sound of soothing folk complemented by experimental indie twists. Nominated for 5 Icelandic music awards, the album was commended as her most experimental record yet, showing a confident use of her broad range of musical styles. After several projects in Icelandic, Lay Low returned with new English lyric album, “Talking About The Weather”, produced by Ian Grimble.
In recent years Lay Low resides at her home in the countryside of Iceland where she has been writing music for TV, films, and other music projects along with her own new material. As a well-known instrumentalist, she plays guitar and bass in various projects. Her song “Með hækkandi sól” was performed by Systur and represented for Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Her newer stuff has a trip-hop touch, but Lay Low’s musical journey holds on to roots and constantly offers a refined and experimental sound. The strongest side of Lay Low are the unique, musically playful performances that radiate warmth and a deeply personal experience, which she will also offer to the visitors of Pohoda.