Teitur Lassen, from Hoyvík, Faroe Islands, first came to the attention of t… Read Full Bio ↴Teitur Lassen, from Hoyvík, Faroe Islands, first came to the attention of the world with the release of his 2003 debut album Poetry & Aeroplanes, which won him rave reviews.

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" "

Waiting for Mars
Teitur Lyrics

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I'm in a state of mind
I'm in my private desert
I'm in a passionate study
Waiting for mars to come out

All the lights in Paris
All the songs of Belfast
Every detail in my head is

Waiting for mars to come out

My skin shrinks against my body bones
I'm lost into the weight of gravity
I'm at my best with my astronomy

Pyramids and starlight
Orchestrated midnight

The math of infinity and reason
Waiting for mars to come out

Overall Meaning

The song "Waiting for Mars" by Teitur is a poetic representation of the concept of waiting for something bigger and more meaningful. The singer begins by describing his current state of mind as being in a private desert and in a passionate study. This illustrates his contemplative and introspective mood, where he is searching for deeper understanding.

He then speaks of all the lights in Paris and songs from Belfast, representing the beauty and art around him. However, he is still waiting for something more profound and meaningful. The repetition of "waiting for Mars to come out" emphasizes the idea of waiting for something that is not yet visible or present.

The singer then goes on to describe his physical sensations, where his skin shrinks against his body bones, representing a feeling of being small in the grand scheme of the universe. He feels lost in the weight of gravity, but at the same time, he is at his best with his astronomy, representing his fascination with the cosmos.

The last two lines of the song refer to the Pyramids and starlight, representing ancient mysteries and the infinite universe. The math of infinity and reason, which is waiting for Mars to come out, represents the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the unknown.

Overall, the song captures the feelings of contemplation, fascination, and waiting for something profound and meaningful.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm in a state of mind
I am feeling a particular emotional state

I'm in my private desert
I am secluded and alone

I'm in a passionate study
I am deeply invested and interested in something

Waiting for mars to come out
Anticipating the future to bring something new

All the lights in Paris
All the grandeur and glamour of a city

All the songs of Belfast
The music and culture of a place

Every detail in my head is
Every thought and idea is

Waiting for mars to come out
Anticipating the future to bring something new

My skin shrinks against my body bones
I am overwhelmed and frozen

I'm lost into the weight of gravity
I am deeply affected and trapped by my surroundings