Marja Mortensson
{{Short description|Sámi singer from Norway (born 1965)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
File:Marja Mortensson Cosmopolite 2019 (191814).jpg
File:Marja Mortensson and Little Amal Trondheim 28JUL2023 IMG9268.jpg at Olavsfestdagene in July 2023.]]
Marja Helena Fjellheim Mortensson (born 1995) is a South Sámi singer from Engerdal in Innlandet county, Norway. She won the 2018 Spellemannprisen (described as "Norway's equivalent of the Grammy Awards{{cite news |last1=Nelson |first1=Michael |title=Watch Kvelertak Perform At Norway's Spellemann Awards |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1635381/watch-kvelertak-perform-at-norways-spellemann-awards/news/ |access-date=1 August 2024 |work=Stereogum |date=20 January 2014 |language=en}}) in the folk/traditional music category for her album Mojhtestasse – Cultural Heirlooms, and in 2021 for Raajroe – The Reindeer Caravan.{{cite web |title=Vinnere av Spellemannprisen 2018 |url=https://spellemann.no/vinnere-av-spellemannprisen-2018/ |website=spellemann.no |publisher=Spellemann Prisen |access-date=1 August 2024 |language=nb-NO |date=30 March 2019 |trans-title=Winners of the ...}}
Life
Mortensson comes from a family of reindeer herders, and grew up in {{ill|Svahken sijte|no}}, a Siida in Hedmark county. Her family belongs to the South Sámi ethnic minority, whose language and culture are important influences for her music.{{cite web |title=Bio |url=http://www.marjamortensson.no/bio |website=Marja Mortensson |access-date=1 August 2024}} Mortensson sings in her native language, Southern Sámi, which is only spoken by about 500 people today. The traditional South Sami joik has also largely disappeared from her area and so an important part of her music is based on old recordings and lyrics as well as individual traditions.{{cite web |last1=Bitustoyl |first1=Kjell |title=Marja Mortensson – Mojhtestasse |url=https://www.folkemusikk.no/marja-mortensson-mojhtestasse/ |website=Folkemusikk |access-date=1 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314024434/https://www.folkemusikk.no/marja-mortensson-mojhtestasse/ |archive-date=14 March 2022 |date=22 June 2018}} In addition to her own research, she studied joik and Sami culture at the Nord University in Levanger under the Sami musician Frode Fjellheim,{{cite web |title=Lyst til å studere joik ved Nord universitet på Levanger? |url=https://vuelie.no/lyst-til-a-studere-joik-ved-nord-universitet-pa-levanger/ |website=vuelie.no |access-date=1 August 2024 |language=nb-NO |trans-title=Want to study joik at Nord University in Levanger?}} who is also the producer and co-composer of her 2017 debut album Aarehgïjre – Early Spring.
In 2018, Mojhtestasse – Cultural Heirlooms followed, a collaboration with Daniel Herskedal and Jakop Janssønn, which contains a mixture of traditional joiks and new compositions and was created on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first Sami country meeting in Trondheim in 1917.{{cite web |last1=Hivand |first1=Pål |title=Marja Mortensson søker nye klanger med joik og tubanger med joik og tuba |url=https://www.nrk.no/sapmi/marja-mortensson-med-nytt-album-_mojhtestasse_-1.13980282 |website=NRK |access-date=1 August 2024 |language=nb-NO |date=26 March 2018 |trans-title=Marja Mortensson seeks new sounds with joik and tuba}} The third album Lååje – Dawn, released in 2019, is also a collaboration with Herskedal. She can also be heard on his album A Single Sunbeam (2024).
In 2017, she was appointed as Fylkesjoiker (County Joiker) in the county of Troms for the year.{{cite news |last1=Andreassen |first1=Rune N. |title=Hun er den nye fylkesjoikeren |url=https://www.nrk.no/tromsogfinnmark/hun-er-den-nye-fylkesjoikeren-1.13578267 |access-date=1 August 2024 |work=NRK |date=27 June 2017 |language=nb-NO |trans-title=She is the new county joiker}}
She is one of the main characters in the 2023 Swiss documentary film {{ill|Beyond Tradition: Kraft der Naturstimmen|de|Beyond Tradition}} (Beyond Tradition: Power of Nature's Voices), in which she talks about what traditions and joik mean to her.{{cite web |title=Beyond Tradition: Kraft der Naturstimmen |url=https://beyondtradition.ch/ |website=Beyond tradition |access-date=1 August 2024 |language=de-CH}}
Discography
- Aarehgïjre – Early Spring (2017, Vuelie)
- Mojhtestasse – Cultural Heirlooms (2018, Vuelie) (with Jakop Janssønn and Daniel Herskedal)
- Lååje – Dawn (2019, Vuelie) (with Daniel Herskedal and Trondheim Soloists String Quartet)
- Raajroe – The Reindeer Caravan (2021, Vuelie) (with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Daniel Herskedal, Jakop Janssønn)
- Båalmaldahkesne – Entwined (2024)
Awards
- 2013: Hedmark Fylkeskommunens Kulturpris{{cite news | url=https://www.nrk.no/innlandet/kulturpris-til-marja-helena-1.11379449 |title=Kulturpris til Marja Helena | access-date=1 August 2024 | website=nrk.no |first=Linda | last=Vespedat}}
- 2014: Riddu Riđđu Young Artist of the Year
- 2016: Sami Music Awards{{cite news | url=https://www.nrk.no/sapmi/her-er-vinnerne-av-sami-music-awards-1.12790456 |title=Her er vinnerne av Sami Music Awards|website=nrk.no | access-date=1 August 2024 | first=Vaino Natasha | last=Rensberg |trans-title=Here are the winners of the ...}}
- 2018: Spellemannprisen (In the category Folk Music/Traditional Dance)
- 2021: Áillohaš Music Award{{cite news|url=https://www.nrk.no/sapmi/marja-mortensson-_26_-mottok-arets-ailloha_-pris-1.15442715 |title=Marja Mortensson fikk årets Áillohaš-pris|trans-title=Marja Mortensson received this year's Áillohaš award| website=nrk.no|access-date=1 August 2024 | date=3 April 2021 | first=Johan Ante | last=Utsi}}
- 2021: Spellemannprisen (In the category Traditional Music){{cite web|url=https://spellemann.no/arkiv/?sok=Marja+Mortensson |title=Arkiv: Marja Mortensson |access-date=1 August 2024 |website=spellemann.no |date=2 September 2019 |language=no}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.marjamortensson.no/}}
- {{discogs artist|Marja Mortensson}}
- {{IMDb name|15058717}}
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Category:Norwegian folk singers
Category:Norwegian women folk singers
Category:Norwegian Sámi musicians