ELIN BRIMHEIM HEINESEN is a Faroese singer-songwriter who has been active on the Faroese music scene since the mid-70’s. Elin is perhaps best known as one half of the duo NALJA, which in the late 80’s released a cassette tape with very popular songs like “Á, Tann deiliga Havn”, “Sjeikurin” and “Eitt dýpi av dýrari tíð”.
Although Elin has been active for a long time as a musician, she has only released three albums:
- The album “NALJA” together with Kári Linderoth Jacobsen, where they wrote five tracks each. The album was released in 1988 as MC, and again in 1998 as CD. Listen to the album on your favorite platform online here: https://album.link/i/1019759045
- The album “Yndisløg – Ein ferð aftur í farnar tíðir” (Treasured songs – a trip down memory lane) with Ad Libitum, containing different well-known evergreens, released in 2010. Listen to the album on your favorite platform online here: https://album.link/i/1317126745
- The album “Handan stjørnurnar” (Beyond the Stars”), which was her first solo album with 12 of her own songs, released in 2018. Listen to the album on your favorite platform online here: https://album.link/i/1406252217
Her fourth album “Eitt dýpi av dýrari tíð / A Chasm of Precious Time” will be released in November 2023.
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DOES ELIN PLAY?
The very lively song tradition on the Faroe Islands where Elin grew up, has of course influenced her a lot since childhood – and of course her music.
In the seventies Elin was very much into jazz and blues because of her engagement in the Tórshavn Jazz Club – so this has had a huge influence also. In the eighties she formed a duo with Kári Jacobsen and made the pop album “Nalja”, which was kind of a reaction against the political correctness in music, which was very common in those years. Elin has always insisted on making music, that has a right in itself – and not only as a mean to promote something else… anything else but true feelings whether it is joy and happiness or sadness and despair.
Elin has made music of many different kinds all of her career. In the seventies she made songs which you can label folk songs. She has sung jazz, musicals, revue songs, pop rock – even performed with a heavy rock band. Lately she has composed several symphonic songs.
Her previous album as a leading music artist “NALJA” was a pop album, that in many ways reminded of other pop albums from the eighties – but it was also unique in a very ‘Faroese’ way, and became very popular as such. The songs on the album which was re-released in 1998 still get a lot af air play at the Faroese radio channels.
The album “Yndisløg” (Treasured Songs), released in 2010, has a very different relaxed and easy listening feel to it. While her solo album “Handan stjørnurnar”, released in 2018, had a whole other, more kind of a pop rock expression.
Elin has composed many other songs not published yet that also might be labeled as pop rock – but that is a very general term that tells nothing about, what the music really sounds like.
