Biography

Katarina Barruk, born in 1994, is known as one of Sábmie’s most talented live artists. She is raised in Lusspie (Storuman) and Gajhrege (Gardfjäll), but is currently based in Oslo. Over the last decade Katarina has toured through Europe, giving highly appreciated concerts. In 2020 she received one of the most eligible writer and composer prizes in Sweden - “SKAPs Kulturbärarpris”. Barruk's unique, distinctive voice, in combination with a steadfast presence on stage creates a space of vulnerability and strength that is unlike anything else. She delivers a fierce, yet deeply down-to-earth, mix of pop music, traditional joik and improvisational elements. Katarina sings in her mother tongue, Ume Sámi language. The language is on UNESCO's red list of critically endangered languages, but many Umesámis are taking the language back.  "I grew up in a place where everyone spoke Swedish, with a mother tongue that I could never share with my friends. I do not use Ume Sámi language in music to prove a point, it is more about the fact that I can be myself. Doing music in Ume Sámi is a way of inviting my friends and the audience into my universe, where Ume Sámi is norm, highly topical, and alive."