Elín Hall is an Icelandic-Canadian musician and actress. She has released two studio albums, Með Öðrum Orðum (2020) and Heyrist í mér? (2023), and has appeared in films including Let Me Fall (2018), Cold (2023), and When the Light Breaks (2024).
Early life and education
Hall was born in Montréal to Icelandic parents and raised primarily in Reykjavík. Her father is a geophysicist and her mother is a professor of music education. She trained in classical ballet until the age of 15 before turning her attention to music and acting.
Hall graduated from the acting programme at the Iceland University of the Arts in 2022.
Music career
Hall released her debut studio album, Með Öðrum Orðum, in 2020. Her second album, heyrist í mér?, followed in November 2023. Three songs from the album reached number one on the Rás 2 chart. The album received three nominations at the Icelandic Music Awards and was named Album of the Year at the 2024 Reykjavík Grapevine Music Awards.
In March 2025, Hall released fyllt í eyðurnar, a live EP recorded at Hljóðriti studio.
Hall subsequently began recording her first English-language material at Eastcote Studios in London with producer Martin Terefe. Her first English-language single, “Heaven to a Heathen”, was released in June 2025, followed by “Wolf Boy” and a version of David Bowie’s “As the World Falls Down”.
In January 2026, Hall released “Tachylite”,https://www.clashmusic.com/news/elin-hall-shares-new-single-tachylite/ produced by Terefe and co-written with Jamie Woon. The title refers to volcanic glass and was partly inspired by the work of Hall’s father as a geophysicist and volcanic-eruption first responder.
Acting career Hall received her first professional screen role after appearing in Söngvakeppnin, Iceland’s selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, as a teenager. She subsequently appeared in the television series Case.
She played Magnea in Baldvin Zophoníasson’s drama film Let Me Fall (2018). Her performance earned her a nomination for Actress of the Year at the Edda Awards.
In 2023, Hall appeared in Cold, a film based on a novel by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. She also contributed the song “rauðir draumar” to the film’s closing credits and received a second Edda nomination for her performance.
Hall starred as Una in Rúnar Rúnarsson’s When the Light Breaks (2024). The film opened the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Hall received the Silver Hugo for Best Actress at the 2024 Chicago International Film Festival and won Actress of the Year in a Leading Role at the 2025 Edda Awards.
In 2025, Hall portrayed a young Vigdís Finnbogadóttir in the television miniseries Vigdís. That year, she was also selected as one of European Film Promotion’s ten European Shooting Stars and was presented at the Berlin International Film Festival. She later received an Edda Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (TV) for her performance in Vigdís.
Hall has also performed in Icelandic stage productions, including the musical Níu líf.
Live performances and festivals Hall has performed at music festivals and showcase events including Bludfest, The Great Escape in Brighton, NXNE in Toronto and WFNM in Los Angeles. She has appeared as a supporting act for The Smashing Pumpkins, Yungblud and Laufey.
Discography
Studio albums
Með Öðrum Orðum (2020) heyrist í mér? (2023)
Live EPs
fyllt í eyðurnar (2025)
Selected singles
“Heaven to a Heathen” (2025) “Wolf Boy” (2025) “As the World Falls Down” (2025) “Tachylite” (2026)
Awards and nominations Year Organization Category WorkResult2019Edda AwardsActress of the YearLet Me FallNominated 2024Reykjavík Grapevine Music AwardsAlbum of the Yearheyrist í mér?Won 2024Icelandic Music AwardsThree categoriesheyrist í mér?Nominated 2024Edda AwardsActress of the YearColdNominated 2024 Chicago International Film Festival Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress When the Light BreaksWon 2025 Edda Awards Edda Award for Best Leading Actress When the Light BreaksWon 2026 Edda Award for Best Leading Actress – Television VigdísWon 2025European Film Promotion Shooting Stars Award -Selected
References
External links