Today is Sámi National Day, the celebration of the first international Sámi congress in Trondheim on February 6th 1917. To mark the occasion, I’ll be highlighting some of the amazing contributions Sámi people have made to Eurovision and its associated shows.
Sverre Kjelsberg & Mattis Hætta – Sámiid ædnan (Norway 1980)
Inspired by the autonomy movement of the Sámi people of Northern Norway, singer Sverre Kjelsberg joined up with Sámi singer & joiker Mattis Hætta to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980. Sámiid ædnan‘s lyrics refer to a hunger strike by Sámi activists protesting against the Alta Controversy, when the government constructed a hydroelectric dam on traditional Sámi lands.
Sverre & Mattis finished in 16th place in the 1980 contest in Eurovision, finishing on 15 points.
Sverre Kjelsberg sadly passed away in 2016, with Mattis Hætta dying six years later in 2022.
Roger Pontare – When Spirits Are Calling My Name (Sweden 2000)
Pontare, a singer of Sámi descent, would bring Sámi culture back to the Eurovision stage in 2000. He wore traditional costume and his song When Spirits Are Calling My Name featured a joik from Norwegian Sámi artist Johan Sara Jr. The song is a tribute to indigenous people and their territories and cultures. It also features appearances from the Thule Inuit Kasaluk and Cree Native American Ken Roulette. The song finished in 7th place, receiving 88 points.
Pontare also represented Sweden in 1994 with Marie Bergman, coming 13th with Stjärnorna.
Agnete – Icebreaker (Norway 2016)
Norwegian Sámi singer Agnete Saba represented Norway with the song Icebreaker, but failed to make the Grand Final in Stockholm.
She was also a member of The BlackSheeps, a Norwegian Sami band who won MGP Nordic in 2008. They also competed in Melodi Grand Prix in 2011, coming in second behind Stella Mwangi.
Agnete is the daughter of Signe Iversen, a Sámi language consultant and children’s author.
KEiiNO – Spirit In The Sky (Norway 2019)
Probably the best known Sámi representation at the contest, KEiiNO are bona fide Eurovision icons. Consisting of singers Tom Hugo and Alexandra Rotan alongside Sámi rapper and joiker Fred Buljo, KEiiNO stormed to a televote victory in 2019, where they finished in 6th place overall with Spirit in the Sky
KEiiNO have since competed in Melodi Grand Prix on a further two occasions, in 2021 and 2024, coming second on both occasions.
Fred Buljo is also a member of Sámi rap duo Duolva Duottar, and was a member of the Sámi Parliament of Norway. In 2019 he won Sámi newspaper Ávvir’s Sami of The Year award.
Jon Henrik Fjällgren (Melodifestivalen 2015, 2017, 2019, 2023)
Jon Henrik has appeared at Melodifestivalen four times, debuting in 2015 with Jag Är Fri, when he placed 2nd. He has since added a 3rd and two 4th place finishes, he was joined on stage by Aninia in 2017, and Arc North & Adam Woods in 2023.
Although born in Colombia, Fjällgren was adopted by a Swedish Sámi family, and has worked as a reindeer herder. He rose to fame in 2014 after winning Talang Sverige 2014 – the Swedish version of the Got Talent banner. Since 2021, he has been a member of the Sámi Parliament of Sweden.
Solju – Hold Your Colours (UMK 2015)
Solju is a mother-daughter duo consisting of Ulla Pirttijärvi-Länsman and Hildá Länsman, both of whom are Sámi joik singers. They competed together in UMK2015 with their song Hold Your Colours. Which finished 3rd in the contest.
Ulla was also formerly a member of Angelit, a Sámi folk music group she formed with her sister in 1987.
Ann-Mari Andersen – Ándagassii (Melodi Grand Prix 2008)
Ann-Mari Andersen brought the first entirely Sámi language song to Melodi Grand Prix in 2008 with Ándagassii, which was also the first appearance of the language since Sámiid ædnan back in 1980.
She unfortunately failed to reach the Gold Final of the competition.
In 1993 she won the songs section of Sámi Grand Prix, an annual Sámi joik and song competition, with her song Ráhkisvuohta seamma lea, which inspired her to pursue a musical career.
Elin & The Woods (Melodi Grand Prix 2017, 2020)
Sami artist, singer and joiker Elin Kåven and Norwegian-American producer Robin Lynch have competed in Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix on 2 occasions under the name “Elin & The Woods” They came in third place in the contest in 2017, and failed to reach the final in 2020, losing to eventual Gold Finalist Liza Vassilieva in the Northern Norway Heat.
Elin is also a member of the Sámi-Norse band Róhta.
Who is your favourite Sámi artist to have graced the Eurovision stage? What other Sámi artists would you love to see take part? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Eurovision 2024!
Photo Credit: The National Archives Of Norway / Jan Pettersen
Euan T
[…] 12 Artists are taking part in Sámi Grand Prix, with six competing in the Song category and six competing in the joik category. Names that may be familiar to Eurovision fans include two time Melodi Grand Prix participants Elin & The Woods, as well as Hildá Länsman, who competed in UMK 2015 as part of the mother-daughter duo Solju. […]
[…] You can see examples of joiks set to music in Norway’s Eurovision entries in 1980 and 2019, as well as in national final performances from the likes of Jon Henrik Fjällgren. […]