Further Information

Who is Jóhanna Seljan?

My name is Jóhanna Seljan Þóroddsdóttir and I'm a 42 year old singer, songwriter and an entertainer. I've been writing poems and lyrics since the age of eight and my music career spans over two and a half decades. I was brought up in the beautiful Mývatnssveit (lake Mývatn) and now I live in Reyðarfjörður with my family. I sing with the vocal group Fjarðadætur and The Borrowed Brass Blues Band.

Platan Seljan

Seljan and its nine songs have a broad spectrum. You can find a lot of different elements as the melodies are written over a period of 22 years. The lyrics are both in English and Icelandic, inspired by feelings and human behavior. They are little stories, some based on real life experiences while others are fabricated. The album is a bit like myself: It travels here and there, to different places, but is at the same time sincere and not afraid or ashamed to be what it is. The idea for the album came in 2007. I went to studio Hljóðriti in Hafnarfjörður in January 2008 and recorded a cover song with lyrics by me. Then I meant to make an album but that turned out to be more complex than I had imagined. So here I am, twelve years later, completely set on making my dream come true with your help.

Here below you can listen to the song I recorded in 2008. It's called "Á morgun" or "Tomorrow".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1toEzuxyliU&t=

My right hand....

My producer and right hand in this all is the illustrious and accomplished Garðar Eðvaldsson. He assists me with the arrangements and takes care of things like writing sheet music, mixing and mastering. But not only does he do that. His faith and passion for the project has been a big encouragement for me. Talent, creativity and precision are the fundamentals of Garðar's work. Here you can check out his web-page:

https://www.gardaredvaldsson.com/

The band

I'm blessed with having extremely talented people working with me on my album.

First of all I would like to mention Jón Hafliði Sigurjónsson, he has been a part of the album process from the start by assisting with arrangements, making demo's, inspiring and supporting me. He will be playing the bass. Jón has played in many bands throughout the years, f.ex. Búálfarnir, Rufuz, Urð, Héraðssandar, Ranghalar, Austurvígstöðvarnar, The Borrowed Brass Blues Band and my personal favorite Omnia 621. He is an extremely skilled bass player, has a strong talent for writing and arranging music and has a heart of gold.

On the guitar is Jón Hilmar Kárason. He has been working as a musician and a guitar instructor for over 20 years and has had the opportunity to work with prestigious musicians through out the years. He played in Gítarveisla Bjössa Thor along with some of our greatest guitar players and has performed on a number of albums. He has been in charge of various projects, music festivals and seminars, given lectures and today he teaches mostly via the internet. You can honestly say that Jón Hilmar is a powerful force when it comes to the music scene here in the eastern part of Iceland and he is truly one of the country's top guitar players.

On the drums we have Birgir Baldursson. He was already playing at the age of ten, first with Skólahljómsveit Kópavogs and bands with other youngsters. He has adopted all kinds of styles when it comes to rhythm and plays everything from jazz to punk. He has played with bands such as S.H. Draumur, Hættuleg hljómsveit Megasar, Sálin, Unun and Blue Ice Band. He has also played on number of albums and in theaters. Birgir is an outstanding and brilliant performer that I'm truly honored to be working with.

Background vocals

My lovely and talented girls from the vocal group Fjarðadætur will be singing background vocals. They are: Hjördís Helga Seljan Þóroddsdóttir, Berglind Ósk Guðgeirsdóttir, Bryndís Guðmundsdóttir, Rebekka Rán Egilsdóttir and Þórunn Hyrna Víkingsdóttir.

From left: Þórunn Hyrna, Bryndís, Rebekka, Hjördís og Jóhanna.

From left: Hjördís, Jóhanna, Bryndís, Rebekka og Berglind Ósk.

Studio Síló

Studio Síló is where I will record my album in the middle of April. It is a professional five room Recording Studio within the Fish Factory Creative Centre of Stöðvarförður. They offer both digital and analog recording. Check them out:

http://inhere.is/recording-studio/

Making a dream come true....

Ever since I was a child I have been dreaming about making my own music and releasing an album. It has literally taken blood, sweat and tears to get to where I am today and now I'm asking for your help so I can take the final steps towards making my dream come true.

To you guys, that have decided to support me and my project, I would like to say this: My heart is full of love and gratitude. Thank you for the support.

My first big musical performance was in collage (Framhaldsskólinn á Laugum) in 1995, Hair:The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.

A rockshow (BRJÁN) on Broadway (Reykjavík) 2009. The theme was music from the fifties and sixties.

Singing at the annual ball of Alcoa Fjarðaál in 2010.

Álbandið (The aluminium band) in 2012.

Fjarðadætur 2013 on a photo shoot at the War museum in Reyðarfjörður.

BRJÁN: A tribute to David Bowie at the Græni Hatturinn (Akureyri) in 2016.

Fjarðadætur in 2016 with Daníel Dillýarson .

Fjarðadætur on board the ferry Norröna travelling to the Faroe Islands for a concert tour in August 2017. Accompanied by the piano/harmonica player Þórður Sigurðarson.

Fjarðadætur at their Christmas concert in 2017 with Hera Björk, The Borrowed Brass Blues Band and KórRey.

The Borrowed Brass Blues Band after a great concert at Kaffi Lára in Seyðisfjörður in April 2018. From left: Jón Hafliði Sigurjónsson, Hinrik Þór Oliversson, Jóhanna Seljan, Friðrik Jónsson and Kristinn Harðarson.

Fjarðadætur were a part of Hera Björk's Christmas tour: Ilmur af jólum in 2018. In the picture you can see Hera Björk, Björn Thoroddsen and Ástvaldur Trausta performing in Vogafjós (at lake Mývatn) along with Hera's daughter Þórdís and Fjarðadætur.

Aretha Franklin tribute show in Eskifjörður 2019. Fjarðadætur and hljómsveitin BUFF.