Mari Boine – A Sound Universe of One’s Own

Voice Rising Radio Show hosted by Kara Johnstad
Aired on Thursday, May 16, 2019

Mari Boine – A Sound Universe of One’s Own

With her exotic voice informed by the long time oppressed shaman culture of the Norwegian Sami, an indigenous people often compared to Native Americans, and her almost trance-like folk music, Mari Boine created together with sámi guitarist Roger Ludvigsen, a sound universe of her own. Today she is revered as a truly unique artist whose trajectory led her to release more than a dozen highly-acclaimed solo albums and collaborate with stellar Norwegian jazz musicians like Jan Garbarek and Bugge Wesseltoft. From the start, Mari Boine has been one of the most outspoken and important representatives of the Sami culture. As an artist and activist, she has worked tirelessly for the recognition and preservation of the indigenous Sami culture, thus inspiring younger generations to be proud of their unique roots. Even though Boine draws heavily on her musical heritage (Christian Lestadian hymn singing, Sami joik chants, and Norwegian folk music), she masterfully blends these influences with modern musical elements from jazz, rock, and pop.

At a time when the vast majority of popular singers seems to follow predetermined patterns, Mari Boine has managed to stand out as one of a kind. Constantly evolving, changing, modernizing, and daring, but never bending to the rules of the recording industry.

Join voice master Kara Johnstad and Mari Boine for a compelling discussion on creating a sound universe of one’s own.

On Mari Boine:

It’s completely irrelevant what you call her music. Her music blends seamlessly into the rhythms and sound picture of our times. She could have sung her songs a thousand years ago or a thousand years into the future and still retained the same depth and resonance. In other words, it is like Mari Boine’s voice reveals just the smallest sliver of eternity,”

— Jörg Eipasch on Boine’s album Gávcci Jahkejuogo (Eight Seasons).