Famous Icelander Women

Bjork is an Icelandic singer, record producer, songwriter, DJ, and actress. She is best known for her association with the now-defunct yet popular band, The Sugarcubes. The bestselling Icelandic singer-songwriter of all time, Bjork was named in Time magazine's most influential people in the world list in 2015. Over the course of her illustrious career, Bjork has received several awards.

Hildur Guðnadóttir is an Icelandic composer and musician. A classically trained cellist, Guðnadóttir has recorded with popular bands like Throbbing Gristle, Pan Sonic, Stórsveit Nix Noltes, and Múm. Hildur Guðnadóttir is best known for her work in films like Joker, for which she received the Academy Award under the Best Original Score category.

Retired Icelandic gymnast and track athlete Katrín Davíðsdóttir scripted history as the second woman to be a CrossFit Games champion twice. She was 18 when she began her CrossFit career. She later appeared in the 30th season of the reality game show The Amazing Race.

Marketa Irglova is a Czech-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter, and actress. She is best known for starring in the 2007 Irish musical drama film Once, which earned Irglová numerous prestigious awards, such as an Oscar under the Best Original Song category for her song, Falling Slowly. 

Ragnheiður Ragnarsdóttir, or Ragga Ragnars, was 19 when she became Iceland’s youngest swimmer at the Olympics. After making multiple national records in freestyle, she retired and started studying acting. She later gained fame as Gunnhild, an Icelandic Saga figure, in the popular historical drama TV series Vikings.

Icelandic weightlifter and CrossFit athlete Sara Sigmundsdóttir was placed 3rd in the CrossFit Games twice. She has also won the 2016 Dubai Fitness Championship and appeared in the documentary Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness. She now works as a trainer at CrossFit Sudurnes in Reykjanesbaer.

Anníe Mist Þórisdóttir scripted history as the first female to win the CrossFit Games twice. The former gymnast withdrew from the 2015 CrossFit Games due to heatstroke, but baring that occasion, she has never finished below top 13. She now owns Reebok CrossFit Reykjavik.

Emilíana Torrini is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Torrini is perhaps best known for performing Gollum's Song for the 2002 epic fantasy adventure film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Emilíana Torrini is also known for her single Jungle Drum and her third album Love in the Time of Science.

Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir is an Icelandic musician. She is the current guitarist and lead vocalist of a band named Of Monsters and Men. The band has released popular albums like My Head Is an Animal, Beneath the Skin, and Fever Dream. My Head Is an Animal was certified platinum and multi-platinum by many trade organizations.

Award-winning Icelandic jazz-pop singer Guðrún Ýr Eyfjörð Jóhannesdóttir, better known as GDRN, is also an actor. Initially a footballer, she played in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna league, before retiring due to an injury. She later switched to music while studying medicine. She has also appeared in the Netflix series Katla.

Icelandic footballer Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir now plays for Juventus FC as a midfielder. She has previously had successful stints with Olympique Lyonnais, Rosengård, and VfL Wolfsburg. She made headlines when she trained during pregnancy and returned to the field immediately after having a baby in late 2021.

The daughter of legendary Icelandic singer Björgvin Halldórsson, Svala Björgvinsdóttir, also known as Svala Björgvins or Kali, began her musical career as her father’s backing vocalist and scored her first number one hit at age 9. She has performed for Steed Lord and has been a Eurovision contestant.

Icelandic singer and classical multi-instrumentalist Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir plays the accordion, piano, and guitar, and has previously been associated with the indietronica band Múm. She also formed a duo named Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan with her former husband, David Portner. She is the twin sister of fellow Múm member Gyða Valtýsdóttir.

Icelandic singer-songwriter and indie-musician Ólöf Arnalds gained-attention with her debut- album Við Og Við that found place among Paste Magazine's Top 100 Albums of 2007 and eMusic's editor's list of Best Albums of 2008. Moving on, she released other albums like Innundir Skinni and Sudden Elevation of which the latter marked Arnalds’ first album that was sung entirely in English.

Icelandic footballer Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir represents the German club VfL Wolfsburg as a forward. She has won the 2020 Icelandic Championship with Breiðablik and the 2022 Frauen-Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg. She was also named the 2021 Icelandic Women's Footballer of the Year and the 2020 Úrvalsdeild Player of the Year.

Icelandic singer and actor Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir is best known for her portrayal of Silvía Night in the series Sjáumst með Silvíu Nótt. She has also voiced Queen Elsa in the Icelandic version of the Frozen film series and Rapunzel in Tangled. She now performs for the band Sycamore Tree.

Icelandic singer-actress Hafdís Huld commenced her musical journey with the electronic band GusGus. She later made her solo debut with the album Dirty Paper Cup that won Best Pop Album award at the Icelandic Music Awards. Two singles from her second album Synchronised Swimmers reached atop the Icelandic singles chart. As an actress, Hafdís has starred in films like Dramarama. 

Icelandic actress and singer Selma Björnsdóttir gained international recognition while representing Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999. She attainted second place in the contest, marking Iceland's best showing in the contest till present. She made a second appearance for her country in the contest in 2005 and also stole the show at the Eurovision gala concert during Europride 2005.   

Icelandic singer, songwriter, and violinist Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir is associated with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and represented Iceland in the 2012 and 2016 Eurovision Song Contests. The folk, pop, and soul singer is known for her chartbusting tracks such as Never Forget and Hear Them Calling.

Icelandic singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jófríður Ákadóttir is also popularly known as JFDR. She founded the groups Samaris and Pascal Pinon. The daughter of composer/musician Áki Ásgeirsson, she began composing songs on her guitar at age 11 and has been releasing albums since age 15.

Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Sóley was a child when she mastered classical and jazz-style piano and then went on to study composition. Beginning her musical journey with the indie-folk band Seabear, she later collaborated with Sin Fang. She is known for redefining electronic pop, too.

Icelandic singer, actor, and presenter Salka Sól Eyfeld, also known as Salka Sól, has been the frontwoman of the reggae band AmabAdamA and the hip-hop band Reykjavíkurdætur. She is also known for playing Soffia in the popular Icelandic mystery series Trapped. She has also voiced for many Icelandic versions of animated features.

Icelandic singer Glowie, winner of the 2014 Singing Contest of Icelandic Junior Colleges, released her debut single No More in 2015. It became a hit and topped the charts in Iceland for three weeks in-a-row. Moving on, she bolstered her career with other hit singles like Party and No Lie, both of which found place on the Icelandic singles chart.    

Born into a musical family, Icelandic jazz icon Anna Mjöll began playing the guitar at age 6 and wrote her first song at 8. She mastered the cello and piano pretty early too and went on to perform at the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. The Sorbonne alumna later moved to the US to perform.