Words by

Jóhannes Bjarkason

Photo by

Joana Fontinha

Folk artist Árný Margrét shares her diary on sophomore LP I Miss You, I Do

Árný Margrét’s rise to stardom has been rapid. In a matter of months, the young artist progressed from playing in her bedroom to securing a record deal with One Little Independent. Contemplating personal development and reverberating American folk music tradition, Árný Margrét’s sophomore album I Miss You, I Do is out on March 7. 

It’s been three years since Árný debuted with her album they only talk about the weather — a title referring to Icelanders’ quintessential habit when making small talk — and the young musician has since slowly but surely demonstrated her force as a folk artist. Her contemporary rendition of American folk and country music has enamoured millions and led her to perform at a few high-profile music showcases. 

Before all that, Árný was a shy teenager experimenting with playing the guitar and writing songs with the backdrop of the Icelandic Westfjords. 

“I got a guitar when I was 14 and started playing some chords and covers. Gradually, at around 16, I started writing,” Árný Margrét reminisces. “It was a big secret and only happened in my bedroom. Nobody could know.” She stresses could, underscoring the covert nature of her musical endeavours.

“At this time, I found it very difficult to perform in front of other people. I didn’t really want to do it, but when I did, it was fun! People knew who I was and listened, but it wasn’t an aspect I pursued. I found it good to keep it in my room where nobody knew. But then it just happened,” she explains, repeating that refrain multiple times during the interview. 

Climbing up the ladder

Having only played a handful of shows in her hometown, Árný’s musical career quickly took off.  Through a mutual acquaintance, Árný was introduced to Högni Egilsson of Hjaltalín fame — a connection Árný admits to having not actively sought out. 

“He tells me I need to meet Kiddi (Guðmundur Kristinn Jónsson) from Hjálmar — because he’s very seasoned when it comes to recording acoustic guitar. So I went there — he wasn’t expecting me — and I didn’t really know who he was,” she giggles. “I played ten songs, forgot my notebook with all my lyrics, went back, and he asks if I have more. So I play more. And there, the ball starts rolling with our collaboration. He helped me with a lot of things, and in a short time, we had struck a deal with One Little Independent and booking agencies in America, the U.K. and Europe. It happened before anything was released.”

Showbiz graduation

In a matter of months, Árný Margrét had graduated from her bedroom to the big stage, debuting at the 2021 Iceland Airwaves festival.

“I’d say I’m braver onstage, more confident in my ability and vocal use. The 2021 Iceland Airwaves was a big jump for me. It was that moment I decided to never bring my notes up on stage,” she confesses. “I could get so nervous that I just blacked out. So it was a big decision to just go for it.”

In Árný’s opinion, the speed with which she became acquainted with the music industry was by no means a part of a larger plan. In her own words, “It just happened. I’ve never been like, ‘I’m going to be something.’ Music is just a part of who I am. And writing music is just like journaling. It’s something I would still be doing even if I weren’t signed or releasing it,” Árný explains. 

According to Árný, her fast-paced introduction to a music career was in large part driven by Kiddi. A member of bands Baggalútur and Hjálmar, Kiddi is also a manager at studio Hljóðriti — a legendary music studio in Iceland’s capital area. Looking around Árný’s creative team, his name keeps popping up in the credits. Photographer, video director, instrumentalist — Kiddi lends a versatile helping hand. 

“When I first met him, I had to Google him,” Árný confesses jovially. “In the beginning, he wanted to introduce me to people around him. We tried working with all kinds of people on the first album, and it became pretty sustainable,” she continues. “We work well together in the studio because we have the same taste in a lot of things. We just know what works and what doesn’t, and we tend to agree,” Árný smiles. 

But Kiddi’s involvement in Árný’s material is not a one-way street, says Árný. “I’ve been helping around all kinds of projects he’s associated with. And we’re best friends,” she professes.

Great American songbook

For Árný, writing music is as natural as her journaling. Writing down her thoughts on a piece of paper and physically storing it — only to turn the page onto a new idea — was a major stepping stone in the birth of her debut. 

“The debut is very raw and open and honest. I think it’s strange to listen to it,” Árný smiles. “Now I’m like, ‘Wow you’re so small and you decided to write about this.’ Nothing is being hidden, there are no instruments or anything happening. It just revolves around the voice and lyrics,” she says as her cat meanders into the room. 

In Árný’s opinion, I Miss You, I Do highlights her artistic and personal maturity — a transformation — over the years. Recorded in collaboration with different producers — Brad Cook, Josh Kaufman, Andrew Berlin, and Kiddi — the studio sessions were initially conceived as an experiment but ended as the final result. 

Written for the most part during Árný’s overseas tours to the U.S., I Miss You, I Do references the oft-covered wandering soul of American folk culture and 20th-century literature. Images of Greyhound stations and North Carolina weather are portrayed, creating delicate connections with the giants of American folk music and a life on the move. 

Although it seems bare at first glance — perhaps due to the excellent protrusion of Árný’s songwriting crux —  I Miss You, I Do utilises an extensive array of arrangements which seep further as each listening session goes by. Starting with the title track, it seems as if Árný opens up her journal — and her heart — to the listener in the first seconds of the album. 

But despite the artist’s honest and tender subject matters, there’s a perceptible distance between the words and their voice. Surprisingly, that’s what Árný intends. 

“The music that I listen to is very rooted in folk music and sung in English,” she references. “I contemplate words a lot. [Singing in English]  I feel more distance,” Árný admits. “There’s a big difference between writing in Icelandic and English. I have one song in Icelandic released [“raddupptaka_001”]. It’s so different because it’s so easy to be totally…” she pauses for words. “It’s so easy to be cringy. You get very vulnerable, and you have to choose your words wisely.”

With plans on releasing more Icelandic lyrics in the future, Árný’s current hopes for the album are simple. “That [listeners] think it’s as fun as I had creating it. [The album] can be a bit hard and borderline tragic at times,” she explains. “But bright and fun. Music should stir up some emotions. That’s my goal at least, always.” 

Árný Margrét’s second album is out now on available streaming platforms. For more information on physical copies, tour dates and all things Árný, visit arnymargret.com.