N°122 Prins Póló

Prins Póló was the stage name of the Icelandic singer songwriter Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson.

Born in 1977 to a family of music lovers, Svavar was brought up in Reykjavík but spent summers in east Iceland where his grandparents lived. There were always instruments lying around in the home even though his parents were not professional musicians.

As a teenager he was drawn to punk and loved the unhinged energy that comes with it.  He studied graphic design and played in bands for fun, but by the late 2000s Svavar was dedicating himself fully to his craft and had created his alter ego Prins Póló, who always had a signature paper crown on his head.

He wanted to write music that sounded Icelandic so he sought inspiration in known tunes and melodies from Icelandic culture. His goal was to have it as childish and spontaneous as he could. Seems like Icelanders like that too, because his music was well received and from 2010 to 2019 Prins Póló was releasing new music and playing live. 

On top of that, Svavar and his wife created a vegan food production startup Bulsur, as well as having a farmstead with a hostel, Havarí.

In September this year, just a few days ago, Svavar died after battling cancer for four years. He will be truly missed.