Northern Rising is back for a second season and the first episode features none other than RAKEL. The series, recorded during Iceland Airwaves last year, follows artists through the festival and offers a unique glimpse into their colourful adventures. 

RAKEL is a rapidly rising star in the Icelandic music landscape. Her debut album a place to be was released on Ólafur Arnalds’ OPIA Community last year, garnering widespread acclaim from local and international media as well as earning her a handful of Icelandic Music Awards nominations, with RAKEL bagging the award for Performer of the Year. Ever since the release of a place to be she’s been busy touring the world supporting Of Monsters and Men and playing showcase festivals all over, including SXSW, FOCUS Wales, Primavera Pro, SPOT Festival and Tallinn Music Week, to name a few.

In the episode Rakel tells us about her formative years spent selling hot dogs at now-defunct roadside diner Staðarskáli, her early 20s move to Reykjavik and her eventual return to the north to write her debut album - all the while letting us in on a handful of spots only a local would know about.

The show is hosted by Tim Pogo, an Airwaves regular since 2000 and a veteran American broadcaster with a long background in radio, television and digital media. 

Northern Rising is produced by Iceland Music, Record in Iceland, and The Reykjavík Grapevine.

The podcast is available on all major podcasters, including here: