OUR STORY
Daughters of Reykjavík entered the Icelandic music scene with a bang in 2013. They kickstarted their careers by hosting a rap women night to intimidate the male dominant rap scene. People were shocked by these group of ladies, acting and saying whatever they want, when they want; being sexy, coarse, charming and perceptive all at the same time.
Daughters of Reykjavík in 2015.
In their time they have gone from telling the prime minister to suck their clit on national television to winning MME Awards at Eurosonic. They made a play for The Reykjavík City Theater and given endless interviews about feminism from their point of view.
The Daughters (far left) after accepting the MME awards 2019.
Daughters of Reykjavík consists of 8 women all with diverse backgrounds; radio host, graphic designer, sound engineer, volcano guide, dance teacher, actresses, social media influencer and more. What unites them is first and foremost the music but also their unfailing desire to give the audience and themselves the time of their live. You can’t know what the fuss is about until you’ve seen Daughters of Reykjavík live.
Daughters of Reykjavík in 2022.
DAUGHTERS
BLÆR
Where are you from?
101 Reykjavík, Iceland.
What do you do?
Actress at the Reykjavík City Theatre and rapper.
When did you rap for the first time?
In front of an audience on the first rap women night in 2013. I had been making raps for years before that but never had the guts to show it to anyone.
When did you join the Daughters and why?
Been there from the start. Kolfinna and I got the idea of hosting the rap women night that later turned in to Daughters of Reykjavík. At the time there was only one female rapper in Iceland and about 4 billion male rappers. We figured the women needed a safe space to rap and here we are 6 years later.
DÍSA
Where are you from?
108 Reykjavík, Iceland.
What do you do?
Actress, voice over for tv and movies and read for audio books.
When did you rap for the first time?
I rapped “Dear mama” with 2pac when I was 6 years old, knowing every word but not understanding shit ofcourse. Rapping in public for the first time was at the first rap women night in 2013.
When did you join the Daughters and why?
Since day one. I was very heartbroken at the time and I needed some bad bitches to help me get through it. I needed something for myself that would empower me and hopefully other women as well.
STEINUNN
Where are you from?
Reykjavík, Iceland.
What do you do?
Musician, dance teacher and choreographer.
When did you rap for the first time?
I loved hiphop growing up and rapped along my favourite tunes, but I didn't start writing my own stuff and performing until I joined Rvkdtr.
When did you join the Daughters and why?
My friends hosted these rap women nights and made a song to advertise one of them. The song was called Reykjavíkurdætur and from it the band came to be. I wasn't in the song but my boyfriend produced it. I performed my own song at the night they were advertising and by doing so became part of the group. The song I performed, “Hossa hossa”, actually became the most played song on the Icelandic radio that year. And I've been rapping and making music ever since.
SURA
Where are you from?
Westman Islands, Iceland. Living in Milano, Italy.
What do you do?
Musician, graphic designer, art director and DJ.
When did you rap for the first time?
First time publicly when I was 12 years old in a rap contest. I met a guy at a bus stop outside my school, told him I wanted to be a rapper and asked if he could make me a beat. It was kind of strange when I look back cause I think he was 40 years old or something. I actually ended up winning the competition but there were older boys at my school who gave me a hard time so I stopped rapping until I joined the Daughters.
When did you join the Daughters and why?
I started playing with Rvkdtr as a kind of a substitute DJ for a European tour in the summer of 2016. I loved the group from the very beginning so when they asked me to join as a full time DJ I was all in. Then I slowly started stepping away from the DJ table and released my first song with the group “Hvað er málið” in 2017.
RAGGA
Where are you from?
Wow....around! Born in Höfn í Hornafjörður, raised in Keflavík, living in Hafnarfjörður right now but at heart I’m from Reykjavík.
What do you do?
I own the biggest queer bar in Iceland called Curious, radio host, DJ and a proud hip hop artist.
When did you rap for the first time?
When I finally had the guts to do it. The first song I made was with my friend Margrét Rán from Vök and Emmsjé Gauti, it’s called “Það er komið sumar” and was very popular in the summer of 2011. I didn’t rap much after that until I made a featuring song with the Daughters in 2017.
When did you join the Daughters and why?
I loved them from the very beginning and knew I had to be apart of this group. In 2017 I finally worked up the courage to ask if they wanted to make a feature. I got my friend Blkprty to make a beat and the girls were up for it. The song “Reppa heiminn” came out a few months later and the girls asked me to join the group. After that there was no turning back!
SALKA
Where are you from?
101 Reykjavík, Iceland.
What do you do?
I work as a recording, mixing and mastering engineer as well as well as making music for theatre.
When did you rap for the first time?
When I was seventeen in a bar cellar in downtown Reykjavík. It was the second rap women night. I was so nervous I almost puked backstage but then it ended up being one of the best experiences I've ever had!
When did you join the Daughters and why?
I attended the open mic women rap nights that the group formed from. So I was basically sucked in to this perfect chaos! I think the reason why I wanted to take part was some urgency. I really wanted to say something and I think most of us did. We were occupying space that felt off limits. But we still did it! Yay!
KARÍTAS
Where are you from?
Borgarfjörður, Iceland.
What do you do?
DJ, singer and songwriter.
When did you rap for the first time?
April 2019 when we were writing stuff for our new album in Berlin. I wrote and recorded my first 8 bars I’ve ever rapped in my entire life.
When did you join the Daughters and why?
In June 2018. The band needed a new DJ since Þura was doing more rapping than DJ-ing. The two of us had been doing B2B gigs together here and there so she recommended me to the girls and the rest is history.
STEINEY
Where are you from?
101 Reykjavík.
What do you do?
Rapper, improviser, writer and actress.
When did you rap for the first time?
In 2014 I was working with Blær and Sara for Reykjavík city as street artists (it’s a thing). Both of them were already part of Daughters of Reykjavík and wanted to make rap songs. I was very hesitant at first but ended up doing it so my very first rap performance was on the streets of Reykjavík.
When did you join the Daughters and why?
Blær and Sara wanted to perform one of the songs we had been making at a gig with Rvkdtr. The gig was in Seyðisfjörður which is a 9 hour drive from Reykjavík. I joined the trip to perform that one song with them but on the drive I basically fell in love with the girls. They were such visioners, so smart and funny. They showed me I could take as much space as I wanted and I just had to be apart of it. I never feel as empowered as when I’m with them so even though rap music isn’t my passion in life, being part of this group is.
