Kristin Sesselja is a 19-year-old singer and songwriter from Reykjavík, Iceland. She’s been writing songs from a young age and she’s not a stranger to vulnerability and intimate lyrics, as proven by her song Someone Else.
“I need to make a small confession / That I’m okay with just a fling,” Kristin sings in the former, accompanied by the sounds of her guitar. She’s not afraid to let it all out and be honest with her audience about her love life. And it doesn’t stop here.
Kristin released a new single today, titled What Would I Do Without You? and it’s a heart-warming ode not only to one of her best friends, but to the awesome memories that she expects to cherish and remember forever.
As Kristin herself says, it was the first song she’d “ever written about a good experience” even though she came up with the lyrics during a falling out with her best friend. Kristin explains that they were “fighting a lot” as they were roommates in a “high-stress boarding school environment” and the things they were going through affected the friendship.
What Would I Do Without You? is the first track off Kristin’s upcoming EP Breakup Blues. “The title of the EP sums up the EP pretty well but in a very shallow way,” she tells me, explaining that it’s based on her personal story. “But maybe it should be called a break-up rainbow because it explores so many different phases of a break-up.”
Breakup Blues is Kristin’s joint project together with Baldwin Hlynsson—producer, songwriter and jazz pianist. “Our collaboration really shaped the EP,” Kristin says. “I felt that he [Hlynsson] was able to translate how I wanted everything to sound without even having to say it.”
“I like to tell stories in a detailed and vulnerable way,” Kristin describes her music. The Icelandic singer then reveals that her biggest inspiration “has always been Taylor Swift” and she adores Taylor both as a writer and person.
“I think her level of detailed and personal lyrics, accompanied with catchy pop melodies is something I will always aspire to reach,” Kristin later tells me.
Kristin’s recently signed a deal with AWAL distribution company & record label, which has distributed music for artists like FINNEAS, Kim Petras, Lauv and Rex Orange County.
Lucky enough, Kristin seems to be thriving as a musician. She’s using this platform to explore her vulnerability and emotions and it’s clear she’s got many great things for all of us in store.
ECHOWAVE MAGAZINE 