The raw rebirth of the joik

At the beginning of 2017, she released her acclaimed debut album Aarehgïjre – Early Spring.

A mere year later, she released her second album Mojhtestasse – Cultural Heirlooms, which won her Spellemannprisen – the Norwegian Grammy Award – in the category Folk/traditional music.

“Despite the continuous battles to maintain our languages and cultural identity, there has been a positive change in recent years. Today, it feels safe to be Sami.”

Returned to the Sami roots

As a South Sami, Mortensson has not been exposed to joik to the same extent as Eira, who grew up in the north.

“In the South, much of what is left is preserved in archives. The joik has been hidden well.”

As a teenager, however, she decided she wanted to find her roots, so she started researching her own family’s cultural heritage. Mortensson discovered several joiks that belonged to her family.

“Joik is like a whole philosophy. It’s about the connection with nature and the people around you. When I joik, my head gets filled with images, and I feel that I travel – either to a place or into the soul of the person I am joiking.”

“Nature, life, and the universe inspire me. I am not so concerned with genres and boundaries. There is a Sami saying that goes: It is better to be in motion than to stand still”, Eira says.

Mortensson agrees.

“As long as my music is closely related to joik, I allow myself to experiment and bring in new elements, such as drums, tuba, and percussion. Still, the joik philosophy is always the base of my work. What I convey should feel real. That’s the only criterion I have.”