Folktronica Songwriter Ásgeir Channels His Vocal Heroes, In-Studio episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 9, 2026 · 27 MIN

Folktronica Songwriter Ásgeir Channels His Vocal Heroes, In-Studio

from Soundcheck · host WNYC Studios

Folktronica songwriter Ásgeir didn’t plan on becoming a singer. When he was younger, all he wanted to do was to make music with his garage band. He only found himself singing in front of a microphone because “somebody had to do it.”  As he grew into his musical identity, Ásgeir immersed himself in the music of his vocal heroes, including Jeff Buckley, Jónsi of Sigur Rós, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Their ethereal falsetto tones influenced his own approach to singing and a new Icelandic star was born. Ásgeir’s first record, titled Dýrð í dauðaþögn, became the best-selling debut album in Iceland to date in 2012, beating the debuts of Björk and Sigur Rós. Since then, he’s been singing his songs mostly in English, often with lyrics borrowed from the poetry of his father, Einar Georg Einarsson. In his fifth studio album, Julia, Ásgeir takes the pen in his own hands for the first time, interpreting his life experiences from a singular lens. He plays some songs from that record and reflects on their inception. (- Sırma Munyar) 1. Smoke 2. Ferris Wheel 3. Sugar Clouds Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Icelandic folktronica singer-songwriter Ásgeir has some new songs to share from his fifth studio album, Julia.

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Folktronica Songwriter Ásgeir Channels His Vocal Heroes, In-Studio

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This episode was published on July 9, 2026.

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Folktronica songwriter Ásgeir didn’t plan on becoming a singer. When he was younger, all he wanted to do was to make music with his garage band. He only found himself singing in front of a microphone because “somebody had to do it.”  As he grew into...

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