Kalandra is a Norwegian group whose music has been described as echoing the enchanting nature of traditional Nordic folk music with melodic rock. Important part of Kalandra’s sound is the dynamic voice of the lead singer and songwriter, Katrine Stenbekk. She says she draws inspiration from artists such as Eivør, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd as well as traditional music from Mongolia, Peru, Bulgaria and the Nordics. For Stenbekk, the non-musical influences are key as well, like the sound of the weather and nature. Which makes perfect sense if you listen to Kalandra’s music. It’s very deep in sound and captures the spirit of the vast Nordic wilderness.
Apart from Stenbekk, the members of Kalandra are Jogeir Daae Maeland, Florian Bernhard Döderlein Winter and Oskar Johnsen Rydh. The band was formed around the year 2013 in Liverpool where the founding members were studying music but is now mostly based in Norway.
The first years they were releasing singles and gaining some following. They were warming up for Nordic artists like Gåte, Seigmen and Eivør and at one point they covered a song by another Norwegian band, Wardruna, called Helvegen. Which caught the attention of Einar Selvik, the leader of Wardruna. He saw potential in the group and in 2020 he signed them to his record label By Norse.
That cover became a sensation and today it has been watched 4.7M times on Youtube. Soon to follow was the release of their debut studio album –The Line-. It includes hits like Brave new world and Borders. The record was a big step forward for Kalandra, as it was received very well. New opportunities followed, such as composing for the soundtrack of the HBO Nordic series Beforeigners.
Thanks to their distinct sound, Kalandra is one of the rising stars of Nordic music.
