Eiríkur Hauksson
Encyclopedia
Eiríkur Hauksson is an Iceland
ic heavy metal
vocalist who is educated as a teacher.
Eiríkur is considered to be a talented vocalist, able to adopt various styles. He has been commended by metal enthusiasts for his ability to adopt the styles of various legends of metal, including, but not limited to Bruce Dickinson
, Graham Bonnet
, Ronnie James Dio
and Joey Belladonna
. He can also sing in a variety of styles suitable to pop and rock.
In 1985 Eiríkur recorded two songs, "Gaggó-Vest" and "Gull", written by Gunnar Þórðarson that both became wildly popular in Iceland. Almost overnight he had become one of the most popular singers in Iceland. Although his interest went with the heavy metal genre, he unpretentiously participated in the pop music scene in Iceland, participating in many group efforts in the 1980s.
In 1988 Eiríkur moved to Østfold
in Norway
to become the vocalist of the power metal
group Artch
. As their vocalist he's known as Eric Hawk. Their first album, released in 1988, Another return (to Church Hill) received much acclaim by magazines such as Kerrang (5 K's out of 5) and Metal Forces
(100 out of 100). Their second album, For the sake of Mankind, was released in 1991 and was well received by the metal community as well. In 1993 Artch drifted apart. In 1999 they teamed up again for an anniversary of the Norwegian Scream Magazine
, held some concerts, released a DVD titled Another Return: Live... and Beyond. Metal Blade Records remastered and re-released Artch's two albums in 2000.
Artch's bassist, Bernt Jansen, is also known as Flash, Wig Wam
's bassist. Through this connection Eiríkur has performed backing vocals for Wig Wam.
Eiríkur was among Iceland's "national team" of singers who recorded Hjálpum þeim
, Iceland's equivalent of Do They Know It's Christmas?
and We Are the World
.
In 1999 Eiríkur sang clean vocals on the album Soulburner
by Swedish melodic death metal
band Gardenian
as a guest.
Since 2005, Eiríkur tours Europe as the vocalist of Ken Hensley
's live band called Live Fire. In late 2007, Eiríkur was announced as the new lead vocalist of Magic Pie
, a Norwegian prog rock band.
than most heavy metal vocalists can claim. In 1986 Iceland participated in the ESC for the first time and the Icelandic nation was taken with Eurovision fever for the first time. Eiríkur performed three songs in the finals on March 15:
The night's winner was the song Gleðibankinn
, written by Magnús Eiríksson and performed by Pálmi Gunnarsson
. Since this was Iceland's first participation it was decided that a team of prominent singers would be sent with the song to Bergen
. Eiríkur and Helga Möller joined Pálmi, forming the vocal trio ICY
. Icelanders had high hopes for the song, and official pointers predicted good going, so it came as quite the shock when Gleðibankinn wound up in 16th place with only 19 points.
The following year Eiríkur performed the song "Lífið er lag" written by Gunnlaugur Briem and Friðrik Karlsson in the Icelandic national finals. The song wound up in second place, with Hægt og hljótt
performed by Halla Margrét being sent to Brussels
. As a member of the composite Icelandic group Model Eiríkur recorded Lífið er lag. The song was released on Model's eponym
ous album in 1987 and went on to enduring popularity in Iceland.
By the year 1991 Eiríkur had taken up residence in Norway
. Norway did not hold a national final that year, but NRK rather approached four artists, Eiríkur among them, and asked them to perform at the ESC in Rome
. This quartet participated under the name Just 4 Fun
with the song Mrs. Thompson
. They placed 17th with 14 points.
Since 2004, Eiríkur is one of a board of Eurovision specialists that presented and commented the participant songs in the ESC to the Nordic nations
.
In 2007 Eiríkur performed the song Ég les í lófa þínum written by Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson and Kristján Hreinsson at the Icelandic nationals. The song won the finals with approximately 60% following by televote. Eiríkur represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
in Helsinki
in 2007 with the song, although it was performed in English, under the new title "Valentine Lost."
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
vocalist who is educated as a teacher.
Eiríkur is considered to be a talented vocalist, able to adopt various styles. He has been commended by metal enthusiasts for his ability to adopt the styles of various legends of metal, including, but not limited to Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
, Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet is an English rock vocalist, and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist, and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.-Early days:Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947...
, Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
and Joey Belladonna
Joey Belladonna
Joey Belladonna is a heavy metal singer and drummer, best known as the lead singer for the heavy metal band Anthrax...
. He can also sing in a variety of styles suitable to pop and rock.
Career
Eiríkur's career as a vocalist began in earnest when the song "Sekur" he wrote and performed with the Icelandic rock group Start was voted the Icelandic song of the year in 1981. In 1984 Eiríkur's metal group Drýsill, released the album "Welcome to the show" which was released in 1000 copies, which was a considerable feat for a group that published on their own and played music outside the mainstream.In 1985 Eiríkur recorded two songs, "Gaggó-Vest" and "Gull", written by Gunnar Þórðarson that both became wildly popular in Iceland. Almost overnight he had become one of the most popular singers in Iceland. Although his interest went with the heavy metal genre, he unpretentiously participated in the pop music scene in Iceland, participating in many group efforts in the 1980s.
In 1988 Eiríkur moved to Østfold
Østfold
is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The seat of the county administration is Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city.Many manufacturing facilities are situated here. Moss and...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to become the vocalist of the power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
group Artch
Artch
Artch is a heavy metal band from Sarpsborg in Norway. Initially formed in 1983 by guitarist Cato André Olsen and bass player Bernt Jansen, in 1984 guitarist Geir Nilssen, drummer Jørn Jamissen and vocalist Lars Fladeby all joined the band but they had formerly been with a local rock group called...
. As their vocalist he's known as Eric Hawk. Their first album, released in 1988, Another return (to Church Hill) received much acclaim by magazines such as Kerrang (5 K's out of 5) and Metal Forces
Metal Forces
The British publication Metal Forces emerged during 1983 and aided greatly in the promotion of metal and rock genre music. The magazine was well known for its coverage of unsigned bands through its Demolition feature and championed the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, HellsBelles, Overkill,...
(100 out of 100). Their second album, For the sake of Mankind, was released in 1991 and was well received by the metal community as well. In 1993 Artch drifted apart. In 1999 they teamed up again for an anniversary of the Norwegian Scream Magazine
Scream Magazine
Scream Magazine is a Norwegian magazine established in 1990 which pertains to heavy metal and hard rock music. The editor of the magazine since 1990 has been Frode Øien. In October 2005, the magazine celebrated its 100th issue and its 15th anniversary....
, held some concerts, released a DVD titled Another Return: Live... and Beyond. Metal Blade Records remastered and re-released Artch's two albums in 2000.
Artch's bassist, Bernt Jansen, is also known as Flash, Wig Wam
Wig Wam
Wig Wam is a Norwegian hard rock band, which is dedicated to Glam metal and is the style of typical rock bands from the 1980s movement.- Eurovision :...
's bassist. Through this connection Eiríkur has performed backing vocals for Wig Wam.
Eiríkur was among Iceland's "national team" of singers who recorded Hjálpum þeim
Hjálpum Þeim
"Hjálpum þeim" is a song recorded in 1986 by several of the most popular musicians of Iceland to gather funds in order to combat poverty in Africa....
, Iceland's equivalent of Do They Know It's Christmas?
Do They Know It's Christmas?
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for relief of the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The original version was produced by Midge Ure and released by Band Aid on 29 November 1984....
and We Are the World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
.
In 1999 Eiríkur sang clean vocals on the album Soulburner
Soulburner
Soulburner is the second album by Swedish melodic death metal band Gardenian. It would be their first album under the Nuclear Blast banner.-Track listing:# "As a True King" - 3:21# "Powertool" - 4:38# "Deserted" - 2:58# "Soulburner" - 4:09...
by Swedish melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band Gardenian
Gardenian
Gardenian was a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg that was formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2004.-Background:Gardenian was formed in April 1996 by drummer Thim Blom and vocalist/guitarist Jim Kjell. Eventually, guitarist Niklas Engelin and bassist Håkan Skoger joined the band...
as a guest.
Since 2005, Eiríkur tours Europe as the vocalist of Ken Hensley
Ken Hensley
Kenneth William David Hensley is a keyboard player , guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s....
's live band called Live Fire. In late 2007, Eiríkur was announced as the new lead vocalist of Magic Pie
Magic Pie
Magic Pie may refer to:* Magic Pie , a Norwegian progressive rock band.* Magic Pie , a song by English rock band Oasis.* Magic Pie , a song by Swedish progressive rock band The Flower Kings....
, a Norwegian prog rock band.
Eurovision
Eiríkur has also had more of a history with the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
than most heavy metal vocalists can claim. In 1986 Iceland participated in the ESC for the first time and the Icelandic nation was taken with Eurovision fever for the first time. Eiríkur performed three songs in the finals on March 15:
- Þetta gengur ekki lengur written by Ómar Halldórsson
- Gefðu mér gaum written by Gunnar Þórðarson and Ólafur Haukur Símonarson
- Mitt á milli Moskvu og Washington written by Ragnhildur Gísladóttir, Jakob Frímann Magnússon and Valgeir Guðjónsson
The night's winner was the song Gleðibankinn
Gleðibankinn
"Gleðibankinn" was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed in Icelandic by ICY, where singers Eiríkur Hauksson, Helga Möller and Pálmi Gunnarsson joined their efforts...
, written by Magnús Eiríksson and performed by Pálmi Gunnarsson
Pálmi Gunnarsson
Pálmi Gunnarsson is an Icelandic musician, who was involved in some of the country's most popular musical acts in the 1970s and into the 1980s, including Mannakorn and Brunaliðið...
. Since this was Iceland's first participation it was decided that a team of prominent singers would be sent with the song to Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
. Eiríkur and Helga Möller joined Pálmi, forming the vocal trio ICY
ICY
ICY was a vocal trio consisting of Pálmi Gunnarson, Helga Möller and Eiríkur Hauksson. They were the first Icelandic entrants to the Eurovision Song Contest, appearing at the 1986 final in Bergen...
. Icelanders had high hopes for the song, and official pointers predicted good going, so it came as quite the shock when Gleðibankinn wound up in 16th place with only 19 points.
The following year Eiríkur performed the song "Lífið er lag" written by Gunnlaugur Briem and Friðrik Karlsson in the Icelandic national finals. The song wound up in second place, with Hægt og hljótt
Hægt og hljótt
"Hægt og hljótt" was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, performed in Icelandic by Halla Margrét Árnadóttir....
performed by Halla Margrét being sent to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. As a member of the composite Icelandic group Model Eiríkur recorded Lífið er lag. The song was released on Model's eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous album in 1987 and went on to enduring popularity in Iceland.
By the year 1991 Eiríkur had taken up residence in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Norway did not hold a national final that year, but NRK rather approached four artists, Eiríkur among them, and asked them to perform at the ESC in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. This quartet participated under the name Just 4 Fun
Just 4 Fun
Just 4 Fun was a Norwegian band from the early nineties.The members were Marianne Antonsen, Jan Groth, Eiríkur Hauksson and Hanne Krogh. Krogh represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 and reached the 17th position, 14 years later she won in the band Bobbysocks...
with the song Mrs. Thompson
Mrs. Thompson (song)
"Mrs. Thompson" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, performed in Norwegian by Just 4 Fun. The song remains unique as the only time to date that the Norwegian entry was not chosen through the Melodi Grand Prix - the four members of the group having been selected...
. They placed 17th with 14 points.
Since 2004, Eiríkur is one of a board of Eurovision specialists that presented and commented the participant songs in the ESC to the Nordic nations
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
.
In 2007 Eiríkur performed the song Ég les í lófa þínum written by Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson and Kristján Hreinsson at the Icelandic nationals. The song won the finals with approximately 60% following by televote. Eiríkur represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Iceland has entered the Eurovision Song Contest 24 times since their debut in 1986. Iceland did not enter in 1998 and 2002 when prevented due to finishing outside qualification places the preceding years....
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
in 2007 with the song, although it was performed in English, under the new title "Valentine Lost."