Heri Joensen
| Heri Joensen | |
|---|---|
 Heri performing at the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Born | February 21, 1973 |
| Origin | Faroe Islands |
| Genres | Folk metal, Viking metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Associated acts | Týr, Heljareyga, Alestorm |
Heri Joensen (IPA: [ˈheːɹɪ ˈjoːɛnˌsɛn]) is a Faroese musician, notable for being the vocalist for the heavy metal band Týr. Heri was born in the Faroe Islands capital of Tórshavn which has had an influence on his song writing. As well as Týr, he has recently recorded a solo album titled Heljareyga.[1]
Early life
Heri Joensen was born in the Faroese capital Tórshavn on February 21, 1973, but grew up in the small village of Lamba. At the time the village only consisted of two houses which helped contribute to his interest in the legends of the past such as Tróndur í Gøtu and Sigmundur Brestisson.
At the age of fourteen Heri began playing guitar and by the age of seventeen was playing in local bands. By this time he had relocated to the well-populated fishing port of Runavík.
Like so many talented Faroese, Heri moved to Denmark for further education. There he met up with former bandmate Kári Streymoy and they started forming Týr. In the mean time, on the education side of things, Heri's initial plan was to pursue a degree in Indo-European Comparative Linguistics. Since he spent most of his time playing guitar and failing classes, he decided to switch careers and attend the music conservatory in Copenhagen: Det Alternative Rytmiske Konservatorium (D.A.R.K.). Between 2000 and 2003 he studied at D.A.R.K., majoring in Guitar, Vocals and later Music Theory.
In 2013, Heri matriculated to the University of the Faroe Islands studying the Faroese language and its literature.
Equipment
Heri is known for playing a 7-string guitar, onstage he uses a unique Mahogany style guitar designed by Bjarnastein, a Faroese company.
Other work
In April 2012, Joensen was involved in an online video debate with Captain Paul Watson for the Animal Planet series Whale Wars. Heri defended Whaling in the Faroe Islands.[2]
Joensen is also known for his language skills. He speaks Faroese, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, English, and German.[3]
He made a few guest appearances, including a guitar solo in Alestorm's "Barrett's Privateers", choir singing in "Sons of Winter and Stars" by Wintersun (in the album "Time I") and vocals in Ensiferum's cover in the album "From afar" of the song "Vandraren", originally a Nordman song. "
References
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