Vajas

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Vajas

Ánde Somby joiking at the Riddu Riđđu festival in 2007

Vajas (in English it means echo) is a Norwegian band (music group) with Kristin Mellem on violin and vocals, Nils Johansen on guitars, computers and synthesizers and the infamous Samii ethnic yoiker Ánde Somby on vocals and yoik (joik). The band debuted in 2003 and has toured internationally ever since. In October 2006 Vajas released its first album, «Sacred stone». The band is currently working on getting the release distributed in Germany and the UK with other countries to follow.^[1]

The members have different musical backgrounds:

Kristin Mellem is a classically trained composer and violinist who has done a lot of musical projects. She has composed and performed music both in smaller settings and with full orchestras.

Ánde Somby is both a traditional and non-traditional Samii yoiker (joiker) and has been performing since the late seventies. Somby also has a Ph.D. in Law and is a busy academic, employed at the University of Tromsoe in Norway.

Nils Johansen is a musician, composer, artist and multi instrumentalist and is also a member of the Norwegian pop/indie duo Bel Canto. Johansen has been a part of the international music industry since the mid eighties and has composed music for film, television and for full orchestras. He wrote the opening number to the debut of the Norwegian radio channel P3 and has done a lot of musical work outside his two bands.