Valborg Ólafs – Breathe With Me
Stepping into the new year on a high, Icelandic singer-songwriter Valborg Ólafs is back as she draws back the curtain on her latest single, ‘Breathe With Me’. A beautiful, immersive slice of indie-folk, the single is an ode to the beauty one can find in life’s more quiet, reflective moments.
As a soaring, slightly eerie synth wave and brooding vocal cascade across the airwaves, the single opens its expansive doors into a world filled with catharsis, grandeur, and soothing melodies. Landing as a bold slice of alternative pop, Olaf’s expert balance of folk-tinged elements, sticky pop refrains and left-field, experimental production techniques leaves ‘Breath With Me’ as a single that’s filled with emotional maturity and freedom. Leaning into the boundless capabilities of the natural world, the single reflects the serenity and equilibrium of nature’s order.
Diving into the release, Valborg explains, “‘Breathe With Me’ came to me one morning as I sat in the kitchen drinking my first cup of coffee. I lit a candle and found myself thinking about writing exactly this, about arriving here beneath the mountains “Eyjafjöll”, where there is calm and a deep stillness in nature.”
Adding about her personal relationship with nature, and her ever-deepening relationship with her husband, “I grew up in the city and chose to follow my husband’s dream of living in the countryside and owning his own farm.”
“He understood that if I couldn’t find happiness here, our relationship wouldn’t work, because this is where he belongs. He invited me to build a life with him where he was raised, and I’ve allowed myself to step outside my comfort zone, learning from him and from the locals how life unfolds here in the Countryside. I am so grateful because it opened my horizons. Being surrounded by nature taught me a way of living I would never have experienced in the city, and even though it can be hard work sometimes, being a farmer, it helped me appreciate a simpler, more mindful lifestyle.”
Valborg Ólafs is an Icelandic singer-songwriter known for her captivating voice and an intimate, whisper-soft delivery that has become a defining part of her sound. Singing since early childhood, her voice carries both strength and fragility that’s capable of filling a room while simultaneously drawing listeners inward, creating a sense of calm, presence, and emotional closeness.
Based in the Icelandic countryside beneath the famous volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, Valborg has chosen a life shaped by focus and depth, as opposed to the hustle and bustle of the city’s noise. Surrounded by nature, she writes and records in an environment that allows her music to unfold slowly and honestly. Since releasing her self-titled debut EP in 2019, she has flourished as an artist, embracing every aspect of indie pop and alt-folk to forge something that feels uniquely captivating.
Alongside her own work, she also teaches singing to children from six to thirteen, nurturing confidence and creative expression in the next generation. Valborg Ólafs creates music that invites listeners to slow down, tune in, and reconnect to themselves, and looks to take 2026 by storm.
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