Lååje – Dawn

Marja Mortensson – winner of a Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian Grammy Award) in 2018 – writes ‘we could only ever become more knowledgeable about the past, whereas the future still remains unclear.’ The 24-year-old South Sámi joiker grew up in the reindeer herding community of Svahken Sïjte in Norway's Hedmark Count. She holds her past close.

In collaboration with tuba and bass trumpet player and composer Daniel Herskedal, she has created an arresting statement of tradition and our connection with our natural environment that draws on the past to speak about the most urgent questions of our future on this planet. On seven of the tracks, the duo are joined by the Trondheim Soloists String Quartet.

Joiking has a shape-shifting quality. The singer is said to take on the identity and voice of an animal or place. In this case, two songs joiked in 1911 by Kristina Johansson evoke ‘Tjájhnie – The Woodpecker’ and ‘Riäksage – The Ptarmigan’. Elsewhere, Mortensson confronts ideas of progress and climate change in self-penned songs ‘Gubpede Böötim – Where Did I Come From?’ and ‘Årrode Våårege – Be Cautious’. And all the while, in the shadows stands Frode Fjellheim, celebrated South Sámi musician, producer and founder of the Vuelie label.