How Gen Z brought Icelandic folk music back from extinction

Icelandic traditional music was on the verge of disappearing, and now a new generation is bringing it back.In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast, Jakob Fjólar and Sindri Gunnsteinsson share how they are reviving Icelandic folk traditions and two-voice singing techniques that were almost lost over time. What once faded due to cultural shifts and social pressure is now being rediscovered, practiced, and shared again through a modern lens.Both Jakob and Sindri grew up deeply connected to folk music through family and community. From early exposure to festivals, church singing, and traditional gatherings, music was never something separate from life — it was embedded in it. That foundation shaped how they approach music today: not as a trend, but as something living and inherited.They break down how Icelandic traditional singing works, including the unique two-voice harmonization where singers shift roles dynamically, creating movement within the melody itself. Unlike most modern music systems, these traditions were never formally written down. They were passed from person to person, making them powerful, but also fragile.At one point, this music nearly disappeared entirely, with only a few people continuing the practice.What makes this story powerful is what’s happening now. Instead of staying locked in history, Jakob Fjólar and Sindri Gunnsteinsson are part of a new wave bringing this sound into modern contexts, through TikTok, international audiences, and new interpretations of cultural heritage.They also touch on an unexpected dynamic: how foreign audiences often show more interest in Icelandic traditional music than locals, creating a shift in how this culture is valued and preserved.This episode is both a cultural deep dive and a strategic insight for artists: how to take something ancient, meaningful, and nearly lost — and make it relevant again.This episode is about preservation, identity, and the power of music to outlive generations.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Welcome to the Oktaves podcast🎙️ Talks with musicians! Where we uplift local musicians voices.This podcast is about chatting about and sharing with each other tips and tricks on how to succeed in the music industry as an independent musician, with an emphasis on branding and marketing, and overall management, whether your goal is to stay forever independent or get label-ready. We are very passionate about breaking the cycle of gatekeeping in the industry, so we strive towards bringing you conversations where these layers of the onion will be peeled one by one.We are also here to uplift and shed light on independent (or previously independent) musicians in our community, who are so kind to share their struggles, their wins, successes, their strategies, and advice or some secrets possibly to how they got there.🔗 Follow Oktaves:https://instagram.com/withoktaveshttps://facebook.com/oktaveshttps://tiktok.com/@withoktaves