Post-Christmas when all the excitement has worn off, and the winter is still as bleak as ever, the blues start to set in. Fortunately I’ve found the perfect track to soothe you. In “Vetrarsálmur”, Greta Salóme has re-worked a popular Norweigian hymm and sprinkled it with a little magic. Although the track was released on Christmas day, the message and mood of the song is tailored for the winter season. She’d already released a Christmas carol earlier in December which got us all excited. Now, she’s giving us another gem.

When I recently caught up with Greta to ask her what her new single is about, here is what she had to say.

It’s a Norwegian hymn that I heard for the first time in December this year. It really got to me, and I decided to do Icelandic lyrics to it. In Icelandic it’s basically about asking for a blessing over the land and people, especially during the harsh winter months. The title of the song in Icelandic is ‘Winter’s hymn’. We recorded it live and did the video simultaneously.

In 2012, Greta took part in the Icelandic pre-selection where she performed her own song. She won the competition, and a chance to represent Iceland, with Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson, in Azerbaijan, advancing to the finals. After that she got signed to Iceland’s biggest record label, Sena, she released her self-written solo album in November 2012. Greta’s strength as an artist is played out in many disciplines. She’s one of Iceland’s most successful violinists. She’s a solo star, and also one-half of a successful duo.