1) Jón Þór Birgisson, aka Jónsi, is the guitarist and vocalist for the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. He is universally known for his soft inimitable falsetto voice. He has also released an album as one half of Jónsi & Alex with his boyfriend Alex Somers, formerly of the band Parachutes. Jónsi’s solo album, Go, was released on April 6th 2010. In his solo venture Jónsi departs from the ethereal, dreamy landscapes present in Sigur Rós’ music and instead concentrates on shorter, more instant ‘portrait’ tunes. It would still be foolish to place Jónsi in a specific genre, however; he again manages to create an isolated, unique sound which only he could do without being dubbed ‘cheesy’. Birgisson grew up in Iceland, raised by parents who weren’t particularly musical; his early memories include playing The Beatles at double speed on his turntable and listening to and playing along with Iron Maiden records. You can hear him speak at length about his musical past and loves in an upcoming episode of All Songs Considered, in which Birgisson plays guest DJ. His history as Sigur Ros’ singer and guitarist spans 16 years, during which time the band has released five studio albums and coined a unique sound that has yet to be matched by any act since. 2) Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson or Jónsi (born June 1, 1977) is an Icelandic singer and member of the band Í Svörtum Fötum (“In black clothing”). He participated on behalf of Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 and finished 19th. He has also competed at Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2007, which is a television show to pick Iceland’s song for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Segðu Mér. |
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