I love Denmark.
I love its røde pølser with crispy onions and remoulade, I love its bike-friendly streets, and I love the very concept of hygge, the snug, familial coziness that seemingly every marketing agency on the planet has been trying to capitalise on for the past few years.
And then I realise that these images, while unmistakably ‘Danish’, show a very specific side of the country and its culture: mainland Denmark (and Copenhagen in particular). While 98 percent of the population of the Danish Realm lives in Continental Denmark, it only makes up about two percent of the Kingdom’s landmass. The remainder of the land belongs to Greenland (and, to a much lesser extent, the Faroe Islands), autonomous territories that are largely self-governed, yet are tied to the mainland through economic and military links. Most of us, however, don’t know a ton about the people, culture, or language of the folks living in these places.
We’ve seen an increase in the diversity of languages and musical styles at Eurovision, with Italian rock, Ukrainian electrofolk, and French-language chanson and artpop all making it to the top five in Rotterdam 2021. We’ve also seen countries find success, either critically or in fan circles, by highlighting the diversity of the cultures that make up their populace (cases in point: KEiiNO’s Sami connections, Manizha’s Tajik origins, Eden Alene’s roots in Ethiopia, or Joci Papai’s Roma heritage).
Why can’t Denmark do something similar with Greenlandic artists? As of this moment, we’ve only had a small handful of Kalaallit acts attempt to represent Denmark at Eurovision, such as Rasmus Lyberth with ‘Faders bøn’ in 1979, or Julie & Nina’s bilingual ‘League of Light’ forty years later.
I’d like to put forward another act, an established band who have toured globally, yet have held on steadfastly to their roots: Nanook.
Formed in 2008 by brothers Christian and Frederik Elsner (and joined by other Greenlandic and Danish-Greenlandic musicians), they put out their first album ‘Seqinitta Qinngorpaatit’ the following year. The album sold 5,000 copies, which might sound like a drop in the bucket to some, but when put in the context of Greenland’s population, it more or less means that one in every ten people on the island purchased a copy. Percentage-wise, that puts it in the same echelon as Queen’s ‘Greatest Hits volume 1‘ in the UK or ‘Thriller‘ in the US. I know I’m not really comparing apples to apples here, but it’s still one helluva feat.
They’ve even been courted by large international record labels, but their commitment to perform exclusively in Greenlandic (or Kalaallisut, in its native language) has caused international mainstream success to shy away. That hasn’t stopped them from creating a devoted following; Nanook’s music, while undoubtedly Greenlandic, is still accessible to a global audience (as evidenced by the fact that they’ve played numerous concerts on the European mainland, as well as the United States, Japan, and other places).
Their lyrics (which are often translated on their official videos) reflect life in the isolated, windswept, yet close-knit community, and the challenges that residents there face. Whether it’s mental health awareness or the impact of climate change, Nanook’s songs offer a window into life on the world’s largest, yet least densely populated island.
Whether it’s with a sweeping, epic song like their eponymous track ‘Nanook‘ (named for the king of polar bears), the indie-rock ‘Aarnuaq’ (‘Talisman‘), the breezy ‘Ingerlaliinnaleqaagut’ (‘We Keep On Going’) or the cozy, intimate ‘Seqinitta Qinngorpaatit’ (‘Our Sun is Shining on You’), I can easily see these guys create ‘a moment’ on stage at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Kalaallisut might not be the easiest language to sing along with at first listen, but it’s hard to not get swept up in Frederik’s vocals, or the realisation that you’re hearing something completely new to you, from a place you probably knew little to nothing about.
Send Nanook To Eurovision.
It’s a yes from me!
Thanks for bringing this band to my attention – they remind me a bit of Travis. I’d love to see Nanook try out at Eurovision but they’d have to get past DMGP first. Given how MOR the Danes are, I don’t think they’d stand much of a chance, which is a shame.