SARA AJNNAK
Grammy-nominated artist Sara Ajnnak from Sápmi (Sweden) creates something very personal, the traditional yoik mixed with oriental strings, electronic influences in a contemporary and updated soundscape of the north.
This August, Sara Ajnnak releases her fourth album Homo Sapiens and My People. Homo Sapiens and My People is Sara Ajnnaks farewell letter and her liberation from colonialism. Through the music she say goodbye to the narrow-minded image that history has forced her expression into. The single Fámmuo Awakening Force is a single from the album, the song has received a lot of attention and is in the county final in P4 nästa, which is Sweden's largest music competition. The Ume Sami word Fámmuo, means power or force. The song is a call against oppression towards indigenous peoples who have lost, culture, language and religion. The message is clear, a sleeping culture awakening the ancestral power to reclaim the innermost strength of pride.
Sara Ajnnaks strength as a performer is the way in which she communicates emotions through her voice. Concerts are described as a journey through time and space. Sara Ajnnak takes a hold of feelings with a wide range of different sounds and moods.
Sara writes her lyrics in Ume Sami language which is one of the endangered Sami languages. Step by step has Sara regained her language, at the debut album Suojggat she use her traditional language officially for the first time.
Sara Ajnnak grew up in a reindeer herding family in Sápmi and still maintains her traditional lifestyle with a close relationship to the nature. Nature is her true source of inspiration and you can actually hear this close relationship in her music and live perfomances. Saras commitment to nature brought her together with Mari Boine in the song Wake up Sleepwalker. The song is actually a protest song about ongoing land-grabbing in Sápmi where reindeer pasture land is being turned into mining landscapes.
There is a clear message and a demand for equality in Sara Ajnnak’s music. Her commitment to indigenous peoples, equality and environmental issues such as climate change are always current themes in her music. She has developed into a leading indigenous voice in a global movement for change on the international music scene.
Discography
Gulldalit Can You Hear Me released in 2018 has 13 tracks on the album Sara Ajnnak has developed a unique soundscape, traditional yoik mixed with oriental string instruments and electronic influences creating a contemporary soundscape. This is Sara Ajnnak’s breakthrough album. The album has been praised and won several different awards. It was nominated for a Swedish Grammy in 2018 and won an Independent Music Award for best traditional album 2019 as well as winning the Folkgala Album of the year 2018/2019.
Ráhtjat was released in 2016 and contained 11 tracks with innovative compositions. The prominent guitar strings, with the electronic influences and Sara Ajnnak’s uncompromising yoik were the prominent soundscape of the album.
For the anniversary year Tråante 2017, Sara Ajnnak produced a special show Sjávuoste Buökttiet – Revolution of silence. It’s a performance and a music show about how Sara’s family’s fate was affected by colonization in the geographical area of Vapsten Sameby. Movie clips, dialogues and music create a multimedia show.
The show was performed at Norway’s National Museum of Popular Music, Rockheim, Trondheim Norway.
The debut album Suojggat was released in 2014 and contained 14 tracks with both traditional yoiks and new compositions. Suojggat means “enlightening weather” in Sara’s Sami language.
Sara participated in the seasonal opening of Tjakttja / Autumn during the European Capital of Culture 2014 in Umeå. With the music for the opening show.