Artist Skaði releases new track and prepares to perform at Kabarett alongside Mighty Bear on December the 18th. “It’s cold, it’s wet, the weather sucks, so what else do we do? We celebrate,” Skaði playingly tells GayIceland’s Magdalena Lukasiak.
With her new track released on Spotify, Skaði Þórðardóttir marks the Winter Solstice with a glowing, humorous and irresistibly queer celebration. The timing is no coincidence. Her artistic name echoes Skaði from Norse mythology, often associated with winter and mountains.
While the mythological Skaði is not technically a goddess of winter, she is widely seen in popular culture as a winter figure, which gives the reference a poetic resonance rather than a literal one. Skaði the artist embraces that playful connection wholeheartedly.
“When Christmas season comes, we’re basically celebrating the Winter Solstice,” she says. “It’s a pagan holiday and I’m claiming it as such with this song.”
For Skaði, Solstice is the midpoint of the year’s emotional cycle.
“If the year was a sports event, this would be halftime,” she says. “We take a break from routine, eat, drink, give each other presents. My own traditions are pretty standard. Sadly, no obscure pagan rituals with sacrilegious sacrifices.”
What she wanted to capture in the track is a sense of collective relief.
“A holy need for a party,” she explains. “It’s cold, it’s wet, the weather sucks, so what else do we do? We celebrate.”
Skaði sees the Solstice as a moment of longing.
“In summer we crave darkness, and in winter we dream of light. This song lives in that contradiction.”
Searching for holy voices
The first idea for the track began more than two years ago.
“I recorded the guitar pluck and beat back then, and the song fermented in a folder called ‘songs in the making’,” she says.
The chorus melody crystallized later. “At that point I knew it was meant for the Solstice.”
“I needed vocals that sounded a bit holy, and my voice isn’t that,” Skaði says with her trademark honesty.
I’m not involved in pagan or satanic rituals. I’m just a normal middle-aged woman who’s creative.
A casual meeting at the gym led Ragga Gröndal to join the project.
Sumarliði V. Snæland came through a mutual friend from the men’s choir at Kaffibarinn.
“Their singing made the song. They brought the holiness I was looking for. Working with them was so much fun. I hope we get to do it again.”
According to Skaði their voices added “this jóla fíling (feeling) that can’t really be described. A mood everyone defines for themselves.”
Finds satanic imagery comforting
“A holy need for a party,” she explains.
The visual world of the release was created with tailor and designer Elín Atim.
“When she showed me a dress with attached boxes, I thought: let’s turn them into Christmas presents,” Skaði recalls. “We found it hilarious.”
Elín transformed the outfit and shot the cover. “We laughed our asses off. There will definitely be more collaborations.”
For the visuals, Skaði wanted to become a Solstice spirit.
“Not a judgmental patriotic bastard controlling people through guilt. Fuck you, Coca Cola Santa Klaus,” she laughs.
My live shows have been described as a double espresso.
The pentagram is a natural extension of her aesthetic.
“I grew up on metal. Satanic imagery is comforting to me. It’s like my cross. And no, I’m not involved in pagan or satanic rituals. I’m just a normal middle-aged woman who’s creative.”
What to expect at Kabarett
“My live shows have been described as a double espresso,” she says. “Expect queer joy, dancing and a touch of sexy silliness. The best is simply to come to Kabarett on December 18th and enjoy me and Mighty Bear.”
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Skaði Þórðardóttir is an Icelandic electronic artist, producer and performer whose work blends humor, ritual, queer energy and sharp musical instinct. Known for her playful yet emotionally resonant sound, she creates music that moves between techno pop, experimental atmospheres and theatrical storytelling. As a trans woman, Skaði often approaches themes of identity, transformation and imagination with a light touch and disarming honesty. Her work combines sonic experimentation with a strong visual aesthetic shaped by her love of metal, mythology and camp. Her live shows are described as a double espresso of joy, chaos and sexy silliness.
Listen to Skaði’s new song Winter Solstice (Vetrarsólstöður) here.
Find more about the event at Kabarett here.