Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson
Encyclopedia
Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson or Jónsi (born June 1, 1977) is an Iceland
ic singer and member of the band Í Svörtum Fötum ("In black clothing"). He participated on behalf of Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004
and finished 19th. He has also competed at Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2007
, which is a television show to pick Iceland
's song for the Eurovision Song Contest
with the song Segðu Mér.
in the northern part of Iceland. Having been singing ever since he can remember, Jón Jósep moved to Reykjavík in 1997 and decided to try for a career in music. He soon got several opportunities as a singer and in 1998 he joined a group of friends who had formed a band and were looking for a singer. The band was named Í Svörtum Fötum (Dressed in Black) and they debuted on January 1, 1999, dressed in black suits, white shirts, wearing black ties. After releasing the single "Nakinn" ("Naked") in spring 2001 they earned national recognition when the song reached number two on the Icelandic Chart.
The band landed a four album agreement with Skifan Records in September 2001 and started preparations for their second album. The band has been known for their active live performances and for busy tour schedules. During summer 2002 they worked on finishing their second album Í Svörtum Fötum, a gold selling album that got good reviews. They kept on strengthening their popularity and working on their songwriting in 2003, having even greater success with the third album Tengsl.
Jonsi was nominated Vocalist of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards 2003 for his powerful performance. He has repeatedly been awarded Male Vocalist of the Year and Best Live Performer by popular radio stations’ listeners poll.
For the past two years Jón Jósep has performed and recorded with many of Iceland’s biggest names and in 2003 he was featured in the starring role of Danny Zuko in the musical Grease, with Birgitta playing Sandy, making Grease one of Iceland’s biggest theater block busters.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic singer and member of the band Í Svörtum Fötum ("In black clothing"). He participated on behalf of Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
and finished 19th. He has also competed at Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2007
Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2007
Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2007 was the show in which Iceland selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, held in Helsinki, Finland....
, which is a television show to pick Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
's song for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
with the song Segðu Mér.
Biography
Jónsi is the nickname of Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson, one of the most popular Icelandic male singers according to 2004 public vote. He was born on June 1, 1977 in AkureyriAkureyri
Akureyri is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area and fourth largest municipality ....
in the northern part of Iceland. Having been singing ever since he can remember, Jón Jósep moved to Reykjavík in 1997 and decided to try for a career in music. He soon got several opportunities as a singer and in 1998 he joined a group of friends who had formed a band and were looking for a singer. The band was named Í Svörtum Fötum (Dressed in Black) and they debuted on January 1, 1999, dressed in black suits, white shirts, wearing black ties. After releasing the single "Nakinn" ("Naked") in spring 2001 they earned national recognition when the song reached number two on the Icelandic Chart.
The band landed a four album agreement with Skifan Records in September 2001 and started preparations for their second album. The band has been known for their active live performances and for busy tour schedules. During summer 2002 they worked on finishing their second album Í Svörtum Fötum, a gold selling album that got good reviews. They kept on strengthening their popularity and working on their songwriting in 2003, having even greater success with the third album Tengsl.
Jonsi was nominated Vocalist of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards 2003 for his powerful performance. He has repeatedly been awarded Male Vocalist of the Year and Best Live Performer by popular radio stations’ listeners poll.
For the past two years Jón Jósep has performed and recorded with many of Iceland’s biggest names and in 2003 he was featured in the starring role of Danny Zuko in the musical Grease, with Birgitta playing Sandy, making Grease one of Iceland’s biggest theater block busters.