About
Sævar Jóhannsson is an award-winning pianist and composer based in Reykjavík, Iceland. His music explores the full spectrum of human emotion and experience; at times melancholic, but also playful and warm. Through his composition he ponders questions such as, ‘Do our places of origin matter—and what is our relationship with them?’ There’s a German saying ‘Ich bin Weltbürger: überall zu Hause, überall fremd’ which roughly translates to ‘I’m a world citizen: I am everywhere at home and everywhere a stranger’. Sævar believes this is a phrase which describes him well; London his birthplace, being partly raised in Germany and now residing in Iceland.
Jóhannsson has released five albums to date: ‘LUCID’ (2018), ‘Disconnect’ (2020) and ‘RAMMI’ (2021) under his previous artist name ‘S.hel’, and 2022’s ‘Whenever You’re Ready’ (distributed by Sony), his first album as ‘Sævar Jóhannsson’ and winner of the ‘you should have heard this’ award from the Reykjavík Grapevine Music Awards 2023. His fifth album ‘Where the light enters’ came out in August this year. With each album Sævar builds and expands on the last, exploring new styles such as ambient electronics, prepared piano techniques, complex rhythms inspired by his jazz background, and lush string arrangements.
His expertise draws from a rich and diverse musical background. Growing up, he played saxophone in a marching band, piano in a big band, as well as taking part in various garage bands with friends. Ultimately Sævar pursued his art to degree level, achieving a BA in composition from the Icelandic University of the Arts. In addition, Sævar is a proud employee of MetamorPhonics, a Community Interest Company which creates unique, inclusive environments for music making, with students in higher education and adults in recovery, including people with lived experiences of homelessness.
Alongside his solo work, Sævar has composed and produced original music and accompanying soundscapes for three major theatre productions. He also created the score for the documentary “Ég Sé Þig” by Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir and the score for short film “Weather Rules the Field, but Whim the Child” by Katla Sólnes.
Sævar is currently Preparing the release of his next solo album, sheet music of his piano works and soundtrack EP of the short film mentioned before.