Ella Marie is a Sámi artist and activist from the far north of Norway. Through seven years as front figure of the band ISÁK, she has been praised for her energetic stage personality and passionate delivery of yoik. Now she has decided to go solo, with timeless and powerful pop music in Northern Sámi language.
Ella Marie had her national breakthrough in 2018, when she won a popular singing competition on TV called Stjernekamp. She has since used her platform to fight for Sámi rights, and through a year-long effort to protect Sámi lands, she has been recognized as one of the leading activists and human rights defenders in Norway today.
Although Ella Marie’s music carries clear messages about the assimilation of the Sámi people and the mourning of the loss of culture, her music is a celebration of strong Sámi resilience and unity. In poetic and ground-breaking ways, Ella Marie puts words and tones to the painful feelings many indigenous people carry, in an attempt to release some of that pain. In this way, Ella Marie invites her audience into a personal and safe space, where her pride in the rich Sámi cultural heritage, is in focus.