KATARINA BARRUK — “DÁRBASJUB DUVĀ”: A SONG OF LONGING, LANGUAGE, AND LAND

With her new single “Dárbasjub duv” (“I need you”), acclaimed Sámi artist Katarina Barruk continues to bridge ancestral tradition and contemporary sound with striking emotional depth. Sung in Ume Sámi — one of the world’s most endangered languages — the track feels both intimate and immense: a confession of longing, a preservation of culture, and an act of defiance.

Having collaborated with Bicep, performed at The Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, and mesmerised audiences from Iceland Airwaves to Reeperbahn, Barruk has become a vital voice in modern Nordic music — one that exists between the land and the spirit, between what’s remembered and what survives.We spoke with Katarina about solitude, resilience, and the power of music to offer a home — even when you’re far from it.

1. “Dárbasjub Duv” feels deeply rooted in both emotion and cultural heritage. Can you tell us about the story or feeling behind the song, and what you wanted listeners to experience through it?

Two years ago I went to the mountains to write some new music. I was really tired after touring a lot that year and I needed to just shut down and spend some time in solitude. After some days there this melody came to me. It’s about missing a person or a place that you are safe knowing is already there, waiting for you. It’s also about the fear of losing that safety and how to keep trusting in the bond that you have towards the land.Dárbasjub Duv means I need you and I want the listeners to feel the honest desperation and confession that the song in a way is. Declaring that you are dependent on what holds you safe.I finished the song in Oslo and in London with some songwriters and producers which was such a fun process. It was refreshing to invite people already in an early stage of the process, something I normally don’t do so often.

2. You sing in Ume Sámi, a language with only around 20 speakers left. How does carrying and sharing that language through your music shape your creative process and performance?

First and foremost I never really get where people get that exact number from. But it’s true that Ume Sámi is on UNESCOS red list of critically endangered languages. It shapes my music in quite a wide extent. For example I’m absolutely sure that a lot of my vocal sound comes from my language. Without it my vocals would have been something else, probably not as good.Ume Sámu gives a depth into my music. Because it is an indigenous language that the Scandinavian states tried to eradicate, but it survived against all odds. There is so much resilience within the language, within the people. So I’m really proud to channel that via my music.

3. Your live shows are often described as transformative — blending joik, pop, and improvisation. What do you hope audiences take away from those performances, especially those who may be hearing Sámi music for the first time?

It might seem grand but I hope that people take away a kind of freedom. First a feeling of freedom in everyday struggles that all of us humans encounter and live with. But also freedom for our people to live our lives in our homelands, which I believe is really all that we want. And I hope that it is something most human beings can in some way relate to and empathise with.

4. This year has seen you collaborate with Bicep and perform at the Royal Albert Hall for The Proms — both huge milestones. How have these experiences expanded or challenged your sense of identity as an artist?

I have needed to think through what is important to me. My integrity. For example when I was going to play in the Royal Albert Hall, I was thinking about what I wanted to say in between the songs and then I remembered that when I started making music I first and foremost wanted to reach my own people. Therefore at The Proms I chose to speak directly to the Ume Sámis sitting in the audience and listening on the radio. I reminded them that our language in my opinion is a royal language, and that we no longer should feel ashamed but really proud of the language. Like wearing a beautiful cloak.Also when working with BICEP at the Earth Sonic-project it was important for me to highlight some ethical questions on how to handle indigenous music and knowledge when you are lucky enough to get so many good indigenous artists in the same project. I'm really glad because both Matt and Andy were really conscious about these things, so the collaboration was really interesting.

5. You’ve spoken about wanting your music to offer “a breathing space for people to rest in what it is like to be human.” How do you personally find that space — and how does it influence the music you create next?

This one for me is easy to answer. I go home! I go home to Sábmie, to where I belong, to my family, to my brother and his reindeers. There I always charge my batteries and I have noticed that the lands to where I am indigenous have affected my music so much. It affects the way of joiking, but also all the images I see within myself when I’m performing and making music. All of those images are from my home. The forest and the mountains. So it shapes all of the sounds that I’m doing.