Words by

Andie Sophia Fontaine

Photo by

Magnús Andersen

At long last, the nominees for the 2018 Icelandic Music Awards are here, and nearly everyone who’s anyone has been invited to the party.

Interestingly, there is a lot of overlap with the winners of the Grapevine Music Award, amongst them that GDRN has been nominated for Album of the Year and Prins Póló was nominated for Song of the Year.

Without further ado, the nominees are as follows:

Album of the Year: Rap and hip-hop
JóiPé & Króli – Afsakið hlé
Elli Grill – Pottþétt Elli Grill
Birnir – Matador
Herra Hnetusmjör – KBE kynnir: Hetjan úr hverfinu
Cyber – Bizness

Album of the Year: Rock
Valdimar – Sitt sýnist hverjum
Benny Crespo’s gang – Minor Mistakes
Vintage Caravan – Gateways
Dr. Spock – Leður
Hórmónar – Nananabúbú

Album of the Year: Pop
Prins Póló – Þriðja kryddið
John Grant – Love Is Magic
Jónas Sig – Milda Hjartað
Svavar Knútur – Ahoy! Side A
GDRN- Hvað ef

Album of the Year: Electronic
Auður – Afsakanir
aYia-aYia
Kælan Mikla – Nótt eftir nótt
Andi – Allt í Einu
Hermigervill – II

Male Singer of the Year
Auður
Valdimar Guðmundsson
John Grant
Króli (Kristinn Óli Haraldsson)
Svavar Knútur

Female Singer of the Year
GDRN (Guðrún Ýr Eyfjörð Jóhannesdóttir)
Margrét Rán
JFDR (Jófríður Ákadóttir)
Brynhildur Karlsdóttir
Bríet

Song of the Year: Rock
Benny Crespo’s Gang – Another Little Storm
Valdimar – Stimpla mig út
Une Misere – Wounds
Hórmónar – Kynsvelt
Hatari – Spillingardans

Song of the Year: Pop
Auður – Heimskur og breyskur
Prins Póló – Líf ertu að grínast
Vök – Autopilot
GDRN ft. Floni & ra:tio – Lætur mig
Bríet – In Too Deep

Song of the Year: Rap and hip-hop
JóiPé & Króli – Í átt að tunglinu
Logi Pedro – Dúfan mín
Birnir – Út í geim
Herra Hnetusmjör & Ingi Bauer – Upp til hópa
Cyber – Hold

Lyricist of the Year
Auður – (Auðunn Lúthersson)
Jónas Sig
GDRN (Guðrún Ýr Eyfjörð Jóhannesdóttir)
Svavar Pétur – Prins Póló
Valdimar

Songwriter of the Year
Auður – Auðunn Lúthersson
GDRN (Guðrún Ýr Eyfjörð Jóhannesdóttir)
Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson
Jónas Sig
Valdimar

Music Event of the Year
Aldrei fór ég suður
Fiskidagstónleikarnir á Dalvík.
Háskar
Valdimar – Útgáfutónleikar
John Grant – Love is Magic

Performer of the Year
Hatari
Auður – (Auðunn Lúthersson)
Vintage Caravan
Hórmónar
JóiPé & Króli

Brightest Hope (This award is given in cooperation with Stöð 2)
Bagdad Brothers
Bríet
ClubDub
Matthildur
Une Misère

Music video of the year (This award is given in cooperation with Albumm.is)
Auður – Afsakanir – Leikstjóri: Erlendur Sveinsson
Between mountains – into the Dark – Leikstjóri: Haukur Björgvinsson
GDRN – Lætur mig ft. Floni & ra:tio – Leikstjóri: Ágúst Elí
Herra hnetusmjör – Fóbó – Leikstjóri: Eiður Birgisson
Hugar – Saga – Leikstjóri: Máni Sigfússon
Ólafur Arnalds – re:member – Leikstjóri: Thora Hilmar
Special-K – Date Me I’m Boerd – Leikstjóri: Kristín Helga Ríkharðsdóttir
Teitur Magnússon ásamt Mr. Silla – Orna – Leikstjóri: Logi Hilmarsson

Album of the Year: Folk
Ylja – Dætur
Ásgeir Ásgeirsson – Travelling through cultures
Umbra – Sólhvörf
Umbra – Úr myrkrinu
Teitur Magnússon – Orna

Album of the Year: Alternative
Sunna Friðjóns – Enclose
Maximús Músíkús og Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands – Maximús fer á fjöll
Gyða Valtýsdóttir – Evolution
Hekla – Á
Kjass – Rætur

Album of the Year: Theatre and Film Soundtracks
Atli Örvarsson – Lói þú flýgur aldrei einn
Davíð Þór Jónsson – Kona fer í stríð
Gyða Valtýsdóttir – Mihkel
Veigar Margeirsson – Efi, dæmisaga
Jóhann Jóhannsson – Mandy

Song or composition of the year: Alternative
Snorri Hallgrímsson – I know you´ll follow
Arnór Dan – Stone by stone
Gyða Valtýsdóttir – Moonchild
Veigar Margeirsson – Efi
JFDR – Gravity

Album cover of the year
The Vintage Caravan – Gateways
Jóel Pálsson – Dagar koma
Jónas Sig – Milda hjartað
Skálmöld – Sorgir
Umbra – Sólhvörf

Recording engineer of the year
Jónas Sig. – Milda hjartað – Ómar Guðjónsson
Ylja – Dætur – Guðmundur Óskar Guðmundsson
Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson – Johann Sebastian Bach – Christopher Tarnow
Auður – Afsakanir – Auðunn Lúthersson, Addi 800, Glenn Schick
John Grant – Love Is Magic – : Ben Edwards
Valdimar – Sitt sýnist hverjum – Pétur Ben, Magnús Öder, and Alan Douches

Classic and Contemporary Music: Album of the Year
Anna Þorvaldsdóttir – AEQUA
Jóhann Jóhannsson – Englabörn & Variations
Þráinn Hjálmarsson – Influence of buildings on musical tone
Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson – Johann Sebastian Bach
Erla Dóra Vogler og Eva Þyri Hilmarsdóttir – Söngvar Jórunnar Viðar
Nordic Affect – He(a)r

Classic and Contemporary Music: Composition of the Year
Farvegur – Þuríður Jónsdóttir
From My Green Karlstad – Finnur Karlsson
Loom – María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir
METACOSMOS – Anna Þorvalds
Silfurfljót – Áskell Másson
Spectra – Anna Þorvalds
Split thee, Soul, to Splendid Bits (attn.: no eternal life/light this time around) – Bára Gísladóttir

Classic and Contemporary Music: Male Singer of the year
Benedikt Kristjánsson
Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson
Oddur Arnþór Jónsson

Classic and Contemporary Music: Female Singer of the Year
Hallveig Rúnarsdóttir
Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir
Valgerður Guðnadóttir

Classic and Contemporary Music: Individual Performers
Sæunn Þorsteinsdóttir
Una Sveinbjarnardóttir
Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson

Classic and Contemporary Music: Group Performers
Barokkbandið Brák
Kammersveitin Elja
Schola Cantorum
Nordic Affect
Strokkvartettinn Siggi

Classic and Contemporary Music: Music Event of the Year
Budapest Festival Orchestra og Iván Fischer – Tónleikar í Eldborg, Hörpu
#bergmálsklefinn
Brothers
Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson – útgáfutónleikar, Bach
Barokkbandið Brák – Spíralar Versala
Edda II: Líf guðanna – 23. mars / SÍ og Schola Cantorum
Íslendingasögur – Sinfónísk sagnaskemmtun – hátíðarviðburður fullveldisafmælisins 1. desember
Myrkir músíkdagar
Óperudagar í Reykjavík
Reykholtshátíð

Jazz and Blues: Album of the Year
Karl Olgeirsson – Mitt bláa hjarta
DÓH Tríó – DÓH
Sunna Gunnlaugs – Ancestry
Agnar Már – Hending
Scott McLemore – The Multiverse

Jazz and Blues: Composition of the Year
Mitt bláa hjarta – Composer: Karl Olgeirsson / Text: Karl Olgeirsson
Norðurljós – Composer: Sigmar Þór Matthíasson
Ancestry – Composer: Sunna Gunnlaugs
To catch a glimpse – Composer: Scott McLemore
Bugða – Composer: Agnar Már Magnússon

Jazz and Blues: Songwriter of the Year
Karl Olgeirsson
Sunna Gunnlaugs
Scott McLemore
Agnar Már Magnússon
Sigmar Þór Matthíasson

Jazz and Blues: Music Performer of the Year, Individuals
Kjartan Valdimarsson
Sunna Gunnlaugs
Magnús Trygvason Eliassen
Jóel Pálsson
Daníel Helgason

Jazz and Blues: Music Performer of the Year, Groups
Stórsveit Reykjavíkur
DÓH – Tríó
Ingi Bjarni Trio

Jazz and Blues: Music Event of the Year
Blúshátíð í Reykjavík
Tónleikaraðir Jazzklúbbsins Múlans
Tónleikaröð Stórsveitar Reykjavíkur
Jazzhátíð Reykjavíkur
Freyjujazz