NIVE NIELSEN
interview by Robin Cook
(June 2014)
Much has been written about Iceland and its quirky musical exports. Let us now turn our attention to Greenland, once the site of a long-vanished Viking settlement, today home of indie folk singer Nive Nielsen. An indigenous Greenlander, Nielsen was a university student when she began writing, singing, and accompanying herself on a red ukelele. Her career has taken her to the U.S., where she's played at South by Southwest and the CMJ Music Festival. She's also acted in the Colin Farrell film The New World and performed for an audience that included Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
Nielsen arrived in Austin for SXSW 2014 with her band, the Deer Children. We found a seat at an Austin restaurant and shared her colorful musical journey.