Vajas

Vajas are a contemporary trio performing the traditional music of the Sami, the indigenous peoples of northern Europe such as Laplanders, Reindeer People, and Shamans. Made up of Ánde Somboy (voice), Kristin Mellem (violin/voice), and Nils Johansen (synthesizer), the band's home base is the arctic city of Tromsø, located in northern Norway. The band's sound is characterized by Somboy's "yoiking" (a traditional Sami vocal technique) mixed with the deep, atmospheric musical contributions of Johansen and Mellem. Proponents of Nordic folk culture, that band's members all maintain ...