He concentrates on creating inspiring melodies and gentle but finely observed, often wry and quirkily observant lyrics. Since the release of his debut album, he has toured non-stop.
In 2006, in between performing at many major European festivals, Teitur started to record his second album. Stay Under The Stars, debuting in the Top 10 in Denmark, subsequently going Gold there and earning him the accolade of Best Singer at the Danish Music Awards (Grammies) in March 2007.
Teitur was born and spent his early years in The Faroe Islands. These bleak, but beautiful windswept, rain lashed, rocky outcrops in the Atlantic are due north of the UK and lie roughly mid way between Norway and Iceland. First settled by Irish monks and later Vikings, the Faroes were initially part of Norway and then latterly Denmark, of which they are still an autonomous region. The forty seven thousand Faroese who inhabit the Faroes are fiercely independent, even refusing to join the EU with Denmark. They retain their own language, with Danish only being used for commerce. It was this isolated upbringing with an inevitable sense of alienation and separation that informs much of Teitur's writing.
"Music is one of our main social activities," says Teitur. "There are always instruments in our homes. I started on my own music at thirteen, but the guitarist in my band was so much better than me and I was left at the back, playing acoustic. However I wrote all the lyrics from the start and in English. My native Faroese music is a part of me, but what really attracted me was pop music. Pop is almost all in English, which I find it gives me a bigger ocean of vocabulary," Teitur has more than one ocean of vocabulary to choose from as he speaks five languages. He finally decided to leave the islands, as many young Faroese do, at the age of 17 to study in Denmark. Then after a brief spell in Rome, he decided to base himself in London in 2002.
In mid 2007, Teitur started to pull together the songs that make up his third album: The Singer:
"The songs are written over a time-span of one to seven years. They are stories of events and experiences - like drinking beers on a musty hotel floor with mysterious blues musician Chris Whitley, before he died of cancer (Legendary Afterparty), or stories that I have come across in my lifetime..."
In October Teitur travelled to an island off the coast of Sweden called Gotland with his sound engineer Jonas and arranger Trondur, and recorded the album on a 19th century Swedish Princess' estate, normally a summer destination as a hotel, but at this time of year a beautiful, windswept and somewhat deserted piece of tranquility; interrupted only by the various musicians and singers who came to play or sing on the album, who all stayed at the hotel, during their work on the album.
"This album was made in tranquility and isolation. The result is a very natural and somehow nordic sounding record. Furthermore it has similarities to a musical or a book of short stories."
"On the cover of the album is a the picture of a cartoon figure which stands inside the room of an empty dollhouse. It looks almost like a skeleton and it has no face. The figure is a caricature of "The Singer" "
Don't Want You To Wake Up
Teitur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stay under the stars
Where noone can make us
Change what we are
Dreamers in the dark
Following our hearts
My eyes are too loud
I sit back in my hiding
While you're in the clouds
One kiss away from what I have to say
Don't want you to wake up
Stay under the stars
Where no one can make us
Change what we are
Don't want you to wake up
Its almost the morning
One foot out the door
As I let the light in
To love you even more
May our minds lose the battle
And may our hearts win the war
Don't want you to wake up
Stay under the stars
Where noone can make us
Change what we are
Dont want you to wake up
The song "Don't Want You To Wake Up" by Teitur talks about wanting to preserve a moment of pure happiness and love that the singer is sharing with their partner. The lyrics suggest that the night is coming to an end, and the morning light is about to interrupt their moment together, but the singer doesn't want their partner to wake up and leave. They are enjoying the peace and quietness of the dark, and they want to stay there where no one can interfere with their emotions and change what they are feeling.
In the second verse, the singer tries to be silent, not wanting to ruin the moment by speaking too loudly. They watch their partner dreaming in the clouds and don't want them to wake up yet because they are only one kiss away from sharing what they have to say. The chorus repeats throughout the song, reiterating the desire to stay in this moment and not let anyone change what they have together.
The song's message is clear and relatable to anyone who has experienced an overwhelming sense of love and security with someone. It speaks to the desire to hold onto that feeling forever and not let anyone or anything break the bond you have created.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't want you to wake up
The singer wants their partner to stay asleep and continue dreaming with them instead of facing reality.
Stay under the stars
The singer wants their partner to stay in a dreamlike state where they are surrounded by stars and untouchable by the outside world.
Where noone can make us
The singer desires a place where they and their partner are free from the judgments and influences of others.
Change what we are
The singer wants to remain true to themselves and their partner, without being forced to conform to societal norms or expectations.
Dreamers in the dark
The singer and their partner are both in a dreamy state, alone with their imaginations and desires.
Following our hearts
The singer and their partner are both making choices based on what their hearts tell them to do, rather than what logic or reason might dictate.
Try to be silent
The singer attempts to be quiet so they don't wake their partner up, but their thoughts and feelings are too strong to be suppressed.
My eyes are too loud
The singer's eyes reveal their true emotions and desires, which can't be hidden no matter how hard they try.
I sit back in my hiding
The singer retreats within themselves and tries to keep their feelings hidden so as not to disrupt the dreamlike state they're in with their partner.
While you're in the clouds
The singer's partner is in a dreamy state and the singer wants to join them there, even if they have to keep their own feelings and desires hidden to do so.
One kiss away from what I have to say
The singer is on the verge of revealing their true thoughts and feelings to their partner, but they hold back and remain silent.
Its almost the morning
Reality is beginning to intrude on the dreamlike state the singer and their partner are in, and the singer is worried that they will have to face the day soon.
One foot out the door
The singer feels like their partner may leave them behind and move on to a new phase of their life.
As I let the light in
The singer is starting to face reality and accept that the dreamlike state they and their partner are in can't last forever.
To love you even more
The singer wants to love their partner more deeply and genuinely than ever before, even if it means facing the realities and difficulties of the outside world.
May our minds lose the battle
The singer wants their mind to let go of inhibitions and fear, so they can fully embrace the moment with their partner.
And may our hearts win the war
The singer hopes that their hearts will remain true to each other, even if their minds start to doubt the relationship or the dreamlike state they're in.
Contributed by Ella D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@caramason56
So beautiful 🌹🎶🌹🎶🌹Love this tune so much
@wickiebowman1
I am a huge fan of Teitur. He really knows how to write good songs.
@Robin0058
Wunderschöne Lieder. Danke.
@marinajenkins3542
oh my god this is magical. finding music on youtube is the greatest
@buntin85
Beautiful...hate the fact you don't hear many artist like this on the commercial radio!...THIS is music, down with the X Factor!!!!...
@menroflkuk
Wow, this is so beautiful...
@themeinhardolsen
Teitur is a proof of that faroe islands actually is a very talented country despite its population .. and im FAROESE !
@Brit578
I LOVE this song!
@NovaChew
I can never listen to the entire song in one sessions, it makes me cry like *snap*
@DavidFloat
yeah this dudes fkn toptoptop. and this video is cutting the edge of film so sharp my father wouldnt fall asleep if it was shown at the movies, hahahaha.