Kristján Kristjánsson also known as KK () is an
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
ic blues and folk musician.
Early life and career
KK was born on March 26, 1956 in Minnesota,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, to Icelandic parents but moved to Iceland with his family around the age of 10. He attended music school in
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal pop ...
, Sweden for four years and then played his way across Europe from 1985 until 1990, when he returned to Iceland. He has been nominated for the Gríma Prize twice and has been awarded the Icelandic Music Prize twice.
["KK á Gljúfrasteini"]
Mál og Menning 13 June 2009
In 2007 he toured to
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
with Magnús Eiríksson ("Maggi") and Óttar Felix Hauksson in advance of the release of their next recording there and in Iceland. In 2010 he played with his band at the World Expo in Shanghai, representing Iceland.
KK appeared as supporting character "Gunnar", an Icelandic musician that is the father of
Tuppence Middleton
Tuppence Middleton (born 21 February 1987) is an English actress known for her performances in film, television and theatre. In 2010, she was nominated for the ''London Evening Standard'' Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer.
Middleton appea ...
's character, Riley Blue/Gunnarsdóttir, on the Netflix series ''
Sense8
''Sense8'' (a play on the word '' sensate'' ) is an American science fiction drama streaming television series created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski for Netflix. The production companies behind ''Sense8'' included ...
''.
Personal life
The singer
Ellen Kristjánsdóttir is KK's sister. He composed "When I Think of Angels" and he and Ellen perform it in memory of another sister who died in a car crash in 1992. A video of them performing the song produced by the Icelandic Red Cross is used for
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...
fundraising.
Traditionally, KK and Ellen perform Christmas music every year in
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
.
KK and Ellen
, Things to Do, VisitReykjavik.is, 2 December 2010.
Discography
Singles
;Solo
*2012: "Frelsið" (ICE #1)
;as KK & Magnús Eiríksson
*2013: "Á sjó" (ICE #9)
Albums
Solo
*1991: "Lucky One" (KK)
*1995: "Gleðifólkið" (KK)
*1997: "Heimaland" (KK)
*2001: "Galfjaðrir" (KK)
*2002: "Paradís" (KK)
*2004: "Upphafið" (KK)
*2006: "Blús" (12 Tonar)
*2008: "Svona eru menn" (JPV)
KK Band
*1992: "Bein leið"
*1993: "Hotel Föroyar"
KK and Magnus
(at times, credited as KK og Magnus Eiríksson)
*1996: "Ómissandi fólk"
*1999: "Kóngur einn dag" (Japis)
*2000: "Lifað og leikið" (Zonet)
*2003: "22 Ferðalög" (Zonet)
*2005: "Fleiri ferðalög" (Zonet)
*2007: "Langferðalög" (Zonet)
*2011: "Þrefaldur" (Zonet 044) (three-disc set including ''Ómissandi fólk'', ''Kóngur einn dag,'' and ''Lifað og leikið.'')
*2013: "Úti á sjó"
KK and Ellen
*2005: "Jólin eru að koma"
*2011: "Jólin"
References
Sources
* Einar Kárason
Einar Kárason (born 24 November 1955 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Euro ...
. ''KK: þangað sem vindurinn blæs''. Reykjavík: Almenna bókafélagið, 2002. (biography)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kk
1956 births
American emigrants to Iceland
Icelandic musicians
Living people