About

The Danish/Norwegian singer and composer Jullie Hjetland is a rising star on the Nordic folk scene. With her colourful compositions and the primordial energy that characterises her personal musical expression, she is a sought-after and versatile musician with an enviable ability to captivate and influence her audiences with her natural approach to her music.

Jullie Hjetland was born in Svendborg on the island of Funen in Denmark in 1981 and she has been singing from a young age. From her Danish mother and her Norwegian father and through her upbringing in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, she is fully fluent in these three Scandinavian languages. In addition, she has lived both in Greenland and Finland, and this has contributed to her deep understanding and appreciation of the Nordic folk tradition.

Jullie Hjetland was not brought up on piano lessons but from an early age she was surrounded by records and music of all types and genres. This eclectic background has been an important influence on her subsequent career which has taken multiple paths. She began her journey to become a professional singer at the Saga Musical Academy in Odense in 1999, and since then she has developed a successful singing career. She has given concerts and taken part in workshops in many countries including Canada, Germany, Estonia, Italy, Ukraine, Russia and Latvia as well as in all the Scandinavian countries including Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

In addition, with support from the Nordic Culture Fund and together with her sisters Oda and Vilde Hjetland, she has been the creative director of the cultural event Kvamsøy Veka 2010 in Norway which included a workshop given by the composer Maja Ratkje and the sculptor Geir S. Hjetland and brought together 12 young artists and musicians.

Jullie Hjetland received the Danish Music Folk Award in 2009 for her vocal performance on the album Kryss and she was nominated for the Odense Live Talent Award in 2010.

She completed her bachelor’s degree in folk music at the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music in Odense and, following studies in Stockholm (Royal College of Music), Helsinki (Sibelius Academy), Odense and Bergen, she was awarded a master’s degree in folk music from the Ole Bull Academy in Voss, Norway (part of the University of Bergen).

Most recently, Jullie Hjetland has been an active participant in the European folk scene, in addition to working with electronic music, jazz, film music, dance performances and performance art. She has worked with many musicians including Pierre Dørge, Irene Becker, Marylin Mazur, Rumpistol, Eyvind Gulbrandsen, Mikkel Lentz, Jens Ulvsand, Hans Mydtskov, Nikolaj Busk,  Elena Setien, Hal Parfitt-Murray, Frederik Vedersø, Henrik Marstal, Ale Carr, Torben Bjørnskov og Pojken Flensborg.

Jullie Hjetland plays the following musical instruments:

Autoharp, ukulele, obukano, Boss loopstation (RC-50), darabukka, Line 6 DL4, Logic pro 9, Sibelius 5, piano and keyboard.

Active bands:

Jullie Hjetland solo – Folk/Jazz/Impro/Electronic

Nordens Tone – Jazz (release 2010 og 2013)

Ulvsand & Hjetland – Folk music (release 2013)

Karl Seglem Band – Jazz (release 2014)

Lyd-Lobby – Electronic

Becker-Haastrup-Hjetland – Jazz/Folk

Bands where Jullie Hjetland is featured:

Superfly – Jazz

Basco – Folk music

Rod Sinclair Band – Folk music (release 2013)

Hal & Nikolaj – Jazz/Folk

Oui Mari – Jazz/Pop

Courses and further education:

Boost Sydfyn – 2012/2013/2014

Ta’ Plats 2012/2013

Music2Business – 2013/2014

Danish Roots Groving in the World 2012/2013