Marja Mortensson - Norway
Marja Mortensson - photo: Jørn Kristensen
Tinting works: Jaevrie-gaske - The land between two seas
Marja Mortensson was born into a reindeer herding family in the Svahken Sïite reindeer herding district in Hedmark. Her life and her music are deeply rooted in the Southern Sami way of life. Sami identity, the close relationship with nature and the love of reindeer herding are recurring themes in her songs, and she is committed to protecting and promoting the Southern Sami language.
At a very young age, Marja Mortensson began studying recordings of traditional joik, and for many years she has collaborated with the Sami musician Frode Fjellheim to bring out the old treasures. She has learned the South and Ume Sami joik tradition, and has distinguished herself as a strong mediator of a tradition and a language that only around a thousand people speak today. She received the Hedmark County Cultural Prize in 2013, and was named Young Artist of the Year at the Riddu Riddu Festival the following year. Her debut album came in 2017 with Aarehgïjre, and in 2019 she received the Spellemannprisen for the album Mojhtestasse. Her third album, Båalmaldahkesne , was released in 2024.
“ Joiking has always been a part of me, despite the fact that my family stopped joiking several generations ago. For me, it’s as if the melody of a joik is something that everyone, regardless of background, can feel, take in and understand on a deeper level. ”
Today, Marja Mortensson is one of our most sought-after and respected Sami artists. With strong musicians such as Daniel Herskedal on tuba and bass trumpet and Jakob Janssønn on percussion in her regular trio, she has created an intimate and distinctive soundscape that has long since given her a large international audience.
The Norwegian Parliament is supported by the Arts Council.
Marja Mortensson – composition, joik, song
Daniel Herskedal – tuba, bass trumpet
Jakop Janssønn – percussion
Kristian Olstad – guitar
Time and place for the concert to come.