Lay Low is singer/songwriter Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir. She has a distinctive, rich voice, and a penchant for blues or country style music. It’s this combination that makes her music stand out from the crowd.

She has just returned to the scene with her latest album Talking About The Weather, a wonderful album which plays to her strengths. The album opener is a slinky, sexy song, banishing all previous accusations of Lay Low being just another acoustic singer/songwriter. Other songs have a deep south feel to them replete with twanging guitars. The whole package sounds fresh, and just skips along like walking through autumn leaves. She is quickly becoming of Iceland’s finest artists.

You new album is called Talking About The Weather. Where did that title come from?
It started off as just a title of one of the tracks. But then after looking at the ready album and the lyrics it kind of just fitted perfectly as a reference to the theme of the album.

Who are more obsessed with the weather – the English or Icelanders?
I would have to say Icelanders… but I know that the English talk a lot about the weather as well. But my weather obsession has come to new heights after I bought and old farmhouse and move back to the countryside. My morning coffee internet browsing has turned its way to all the weather and road condition websites. l

What’s your top tip for coping with Iceland’s ever-changing weather?
Don’t count on anything! Just be ready for everything.. sun, rain, snow, frost…

How would you describe Talking About The Weather? Have you changed anything this time around?
This is the first time that I recorded and produced the album myself. I’ve had great lessons from previous co-workers and wanted to have a try at doing this one by myself. I learned a lot! But at the same time gained some very necessary self-confidence for future music making.

Talking About The Weather is in English. How do you decide whether to use English or Icelandic in your songwriting?
I have to make a decision each time I start. Last time I did an Icelandic album, using poems I borrowed from women writers. This time a wanted to write them myself and English got picked as the language. I’m a bit slower in writing lyrics in Icelandic. hopefully in some years I’ll be able to collect enough songs to have a whole album in Icelandic.

I know you are bilingual. Do you ‘think’ in Icelandic or English?
I think in Icelandic…. but when I’ve spent a long time away from Iceland or Icelanders I tend to slip to the English thinking, but it doesn’t really feel normal to me.

Will you be touring your new album in Iceland and Europe?
I did a little tour in Iceland in December which was a lot of fun. Now we’re just looking at plans and seeing what the stars have set up for me. Hope to be around a lot, I’m a wanderer.

Please don’t play Fríkirkjan again without checking with me first. I was very sorry not to be able to see you perform in such a special place. How was it?
It was amazing, like you know, Fríkirkjan is magic. I always love playing there. This was my 4th release concert there. Great to see the changes in my music, and in me between the years. The first year I was so nervous that I kind of blacked out the whole concert. This time was much more relaxed and I was able to enjoy myself… about time!

Originally published on Iceland Review Online.