Music of Greenland
Greenland’s music blends two main traditions: Inuit folk and Danish culture, with influences from the United States and the United Kingdom. It is often described as a country with a strong rock influence, both in sound and in spirit. External styles have shaped almost all Greenlandic music besides the drum dances, and both Inuit and Danish communities keep their own folk styles alive.
The heart of traditional Inuit music is singing and drums. Drum dances are considered the most truly Indigenous Greenlandic music. They usually feature one dancer, who performs in a qaggi (a snow house used for community events), while his family sings. The dances are playful and competitive, with cousins joking and singing to win laughs. Shamans used drums in ceremonies and sometimes held singing duels. Today, drum dances are part of a roots revival, but some older traditions are fading as amateur theater groups, like Silamiut, take their place. Inuit also have personal songs called piseq, which comment on daily life and are passed down through generations. In many songs, only a few words are spoken, with long stretches of vocal sounds and animal-like noises. The singing style is often recitative, with a limited set of pitches.
Inuit music is shared with related groups in Canada, Alaska, and parts of eastern Russia. The tradition centers on singing and drums. Most Inuit music is not purely instrumental; even when it feels melodic, it is usually connected to words, stories, or dance. Inuit drums are frame drums made from animal skin stretched over wood, decorated with symbolic designs. Other common sounds include whistles, bull-roarers, and buzzers; the jaw harp and fiddle arrived later. Recordings began in 1905 and the music is still performed today.
European influence brought new instruments and forms. Fiddle, accordion, and Christian hymns arrived with Danish and Moravian missionaries, who also introduced polyphonic choirs. Pipe organs can be found in some churches. Kalattuut (dansemik) is a long-standing Inuit polka that helped create popular tunes, while a modern style called vaigat has similarities to country music. Some composers have used Greenlandic themes in European classical works, such as Poul Rovsing Olsen and Adrian Vernon Fish, who wrote pieces inspired by Greenland’s landscape. The contemporary composer Mads Lumholdt has gained recognition for works that blend traditional Greenlandic music with modern styles, including the piece Shaman.
Greenland’s national anthem is Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit (Our Country, Who’s Become So Old), official since 1916. It was composed by Jonathan Petersen with words by Henrik Lund. Greenland was once isolated from much North American and European pop music, but from the mid-20th century onward it began to mix in new styles. The Nuuk Orleans Jazz Band was an early pioneer. Since the 1980s, American hip hop has had a strong influence, and Nuuk Posse became a successful hip hop group. The rock scene emerged in 1973 with Sume’s Sumut, sung in Greenlandic and influenced by drum dances. Rasmus Lyberth helped bring Greenlandic music to a broader audience, and later bands like G-60 and Ole Kristiansen gained fame. The 1980s saw reggae and funk influences from artists such as Aalut and Zikaza.
Today Greenland has a thriving modern scene. Nipiaa, a summer rock festival in Aasiaat, showcases bands like Chilly Friday, Sylvia Watt-Cloutier, and Karina Moller. Well-known modern rock groups include Kalaat, Siissisoq, Angu Motzfeldt, Pukuut, X-it, Fiassuit, Nanook, Small Time Giants, and UltimaCorsa. A growing metal scene features bands such as The Perfect Mass and Arctic Spirits, who sing in Greenlandic. The largest Greenlandic record label is ULO, based in Sisimiut, releasing rock, pop, hip hop, and Inuit folk music. Elements of Greenlandic music have also influenced artists like Kristian Blak. Summer festivals called aussivik are an important part of modern culture, and Radio Greenland remains a central media institution.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:40 (CET).