“The 2019 music year will long be remembered for many reasons. The creativity and daring of Icelandic musicians did not escape anyone’s notice, neither here at home nor abroad,” a press release from the Icelandic Music Awards states. The press release highlighted Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Oscar-winning music for the film Joker as well as her score for the TV series Chernobyl, adding that there were also many fresh faces and exciting new developments on the scene.
Rock band Vök received the most nominations this year, with eight in total for their album In the Dark. The bands Hatari, Sykur, and Grísalappalísa have each received five nominations.
Within classical and contemporary music, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra boasts five nominations this year, and the Icelandic Opera three. Pianist Ingi Bjarni Skúlason’s album Tenging received the most nominations (five) within the jazz category.
Hildur Guðnadóttir, unsurprisingly, has three nominations in the category of music in film and theatre. Of Monsters and Men has been nominated for Album of the Year, Rock Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year.
A full list of the nominees is available in Icelandic on the Icelandic Music Awards website.
