Amiina Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Amiina
amiina in Minneapolis, 2007. Left to right: Maria, Hildur, Edda, Sólrún.
Background information
Also known as	Amína
Origin	Reykjavík, Iceland
Genres	Indie pop, Minimalism, neoclassical, folk, ambient, post-rock
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Bláskjár, Ever, Kitchen Motors, Rumraket, Speak'n'spell, The Worker's Institute, Shake,
Associated acts	Sigur Rós, Kippi Kaninus

Members	Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir Magnús Trygvason Eliassen Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson

Past members	Hildur Ársælsdóttir Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir

Amiina (formerly Amína) is an Icelandic band. The current members are Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen, and Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson. They have often played live and recorded with the famous Icelandic band Sigur Rós.

Amiina creates music using many different instruments. Their style includes elements of minimalistic sounds, modern classical music, calm ambient sounds, and electronic loops. When they perform, each member plays several instruments. They sometimes even move around the stage, switching instruments during a song!

History
Instruments
See also

History

How it Started

The band started with four friends: Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir (born in 1980), Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir (born in 1977), Hildur Ársælsdóttir (born in 1980), and Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir (born in 1978). They met while studying string instruments at the Reykjavík College of Music in the late 1990s. Maria and Hildur played violin, Edda played viola, and Sólrún played cello. Later, they chose the name Amiina and began playing many different types of music with various bands in Reykjavík.

Working with Sigur Rós

In 1999, the quartet started playing with the Icelandic band Sigur Rós on stage. This partnership continued for many years. Amiina added string sounds to Sigur Rós's music, both on tour and in the recording studio. They worked on famous albums like ( ), Takk..., and Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Amiina also recorded strings for the Sigur Rós album Valtari.

First Albums and Tours

Amiina's first recording that people could buy was a four-song collection called animamina. After that, they released their first single, Seoul. Their first full album, Kurr, came out on March 21, 2007. They released it on their own music label, Bláskjár. It was later re-released by Ever Records.

Amiina went on their first solo tours in Europe and America in late 2006. After Kurr was released in 2007, they toured North America and Europe. The song "Hilli" was released as a single from Kurr in December 2007. It featured vocals by Lee Hazlewood, which were some of his last recordings before he passed away.

Amiina also appeared in the 2008 Icelandic movie Brúðguminn.

New Members and New Sounds

In late 2007, drummer Magnús Trygvason Eliassen (born in 1985) joined Amiina for their tours. He added percussion to the band's music. A few months later, Amiina started working with electronic artist Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson (born in 1978), also known as Kippi Kaninus. This collaboration began when they were preparing a show for the Reykjavík Arts Festival.

The mix of Kippi Kaninus's electronic sounds and rhythms with Amiina's music and Magnús's drumming led to the six musicians working together more often. In 2009, Magnús and Guðmundur officially became permanent members of the band.

The band started recording their second album, Puzzle, in 2010. It was released in September 2010. The songs on Puzzle have stronger rhythms and use more electronic sounds than their earlier work. However, Amiina still kept their love for light melodies and open-minded use of instruments.

Special Projects and Recent Work

In 2009, Amiina began performing their own music for old animated films by German filmmaker Lotte Reiniger. These films were silhouette animations of classic fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Aladdin. This project, called Animagica, has been performed at many festivals around the world, including the Sydney Festival and the Perth International Art Festival. When performing Animagica, Amiina usually plays as a trio or quartet.

In late 2012, Amiina recorded The Lighthouse Project. This was a project they started in 2009 and released as a shorter album (EP) in June 2013. These songs were recorded "live" in the studio to capture the intimate feeling of their original performances.

Between their work with Amiina, the band members have also played and toured with other artists. Some of these include Yann Tiersen, Spiritualized, Efterklang, and múm.

In 2015, Hildur Ársælsdóttir and Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir left the band. On November 25, 2016, Amiina returned as a four-member band and released their album Fantômas. Their newest album, Pharology, is planned for release on June 25, 2021.