Niko Valkeapää

Niko Valkeapää

Valkeapää performing in Márkomeannu, Norway on July 28, 2008.
Background information
Born 30 December 1968
Enontekiö, Finland
Origin Sami
Genres Yoik, Traditional, Folk music
Occupation(s) Teacher, musician, writer and artist.
Instruments Vocals
Labels Duippidit
Website www.nikovalkeapaa.no

Niko-Mihkal Valkeapää (born 30 December 1968 in Enontekiö, Finland) is a Sami musician and joiker (Sami folk singer).

Biography

Niko Valkeapää at Riddu Riđđu in 2009.

He has been described as "one of Sami music's foremost performers."[1] Valkeapää has been living in Kautokeino, Norway since 1990.[2] He is godson of Sami artist and joiker Nils-Aslak Valkeapää.

He won the Sámi Grand Prix (1994, 1995), received the Spellemann award in 2003 (open class) with his debut album, and the Liet Ynternasjonaal award, the international music prize for minority music. He has toured across Norway, including the Nattjazz festival in Bergen, and the Northern Norway music festival Riddu Riđđu in Manndalen, Norway. His work has been considered part of the "third wave" of modern Sami music culture, which he has done much work on, among others Georg Buljo.

Discography

Also appears on

References

  1. mic.no, Niko Valkeapää, 10 May 2004, retrieved 11 January 2009
  2. mic.no, A Search for Identity, 6 February 2005, retrieved 11 January 2009
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Niko Valkeapää.

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Sidsel Endresen & Bugge Wesseltoft
Recipient of the Open class Spellemannprisen
2003
Succeeded by
Frode Fjellheim