Mary Boine Persen Norwegian vocalist Country: Norway

1. Mari Boine Persen: Discovering Her Cultural Roots through Music
2. Early Life and Cultural Background
3. The Rise to Fame
4. A Fusion of Traditions
5. Recognition and Collaboration

Mari Boine Persen: Discovering Her Cultural Roots through Music

Norwegian vocalist Mari Boine once said, "Through music, we connect with the spirituality that once existed in our culture, and elements of shamanism - rhythm, trance, and spirituality - can be found in my music. I have learned so much that I cannot express in words, but I can express it through music." Her album, Gula Gula (Listen, Listen), released in 1989 by the Norwegian label Iduit and then reissued by the tireless propagandist of global folklore, Peter Gabriel, on his label Real World, opens with these words. Just two weeks ago, Mari Boine's voice was heard on a program about the Norwegian festival Vossa Jazz. The program received several letters requesting more information about this singer, and so, without delay, we present "Open Music," dedicated to Mari Boine.

Early Life and Cultural Background

Mari Boine Persen was born in 1956 in the tiny Sami village of Gáivuotna (Kåfjord) in northern Norway. The first music she heard in her childhood were Christian psalms, similar to the spirituals that nourished African Americans. The colonial attitude of the dominant Christian culture created a complex of inferiority, making her journey towards the revival of Sami music difficult and even painful. "When I went to study at a pedagogical college, I realized that our Sami culture, which I considered my own, would not be enough for me. I wanted to be Norwegian, I wanted to be European, I wanted to forget our culture. And suddenly, these songs, this music poured out of me. And I woke up. Strangely enough, the song 'Working Class Hero' by John Lennon became a catalyst for me - it was about how people are taught to hate and forget their culture, their origins."

The Rise to Fame

Mari Boine emerged at just the right time amidst the wave of interest in traditional indigenous cultures. With the global distribution network of Real World, she became a European star, a symbol of the Sami people. She was proud of this, but did not want to be confined to the traditional rural culture. From childhood, she had been tormented by feelings of being torn between two worlds. In 1996, she refused to perform at the Winter Olympic Games in the Norwegian city of Lillehammer, not wanting to be an "ethnographic ornament," as she put it. "The most difficult thing is to find a balance between these two things. At first, I was filled with anger and sang protest songs, but over time, I realized that music should bring people together, not divide them. I don't regret what happened, but there are Sami groups who consider themselves nationalists. I don't like nationalism. Nationalism means you put yourself above others, and that is what oppressors and colonizers did. The important thing is to find balance, to find your pride and your identity."

A Fusion of Traditions

Although Norwegian and, more specifically, Sami folklore did not become a global phenomenon like the music from Africa, Latin America, or the Middle East, Mari Boine's music is enriched with various musical influences. It incorporates jazz, rock, and diverse ethnic cultures. For example, Carlos Quispe, a musician from South America, plays the Latin American charango and the Andean flute quena in her ensemble. Her violinist, Helge Rimestad, studied under Indian master L. Subramaniam. However, at the core of Mari Boine's music is the traditional vocal technique called yoik, which is similar in some ways to alpine yodeling, and even ancient shamanism. "At first, I was afraid of this word - it was such a cliché, although inside me, something akin to that feeling was growing. But I still wanted to give meaning to this word - after all, through music, we connect with the spirituality that once existed in our culture, and of course, elements of shamanism - rhythm, trance, spirituality - can be found in my music. This can provide energy, but it shouldn't be taken lightly. I want to embrace shamanism, but I don't want to label it as mysterious and incomprehensible. I have learned so much that I cannot express in words, but I can express it through music."

Recognition and Collaboration

Mari Boine did not become a megastar, and her albums do not sell millions of copies. However, her reputation among musicians speaks volumes. She is constantly invited to collaborate with artists such as her compatriots Terje Rypdal and Jan Garbarek, as well as Russian musician Sergey Starostin. Not long ago, remix maestros Bill Laswell and Jah Wobble released an entire album of Mari Boine remixes. However, I still prefer her music in its purest form.