Brynhildur Oddsdóttir

Brynhildur Oddsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and composer, best known as the founder and leading member of Beebee and the Bluebirds. In that group she performs as vocalist and guitarist and has written its songs. Her work is rooted in contemporary rock while drawing together blues, soul, funk, and jazz elements; her background also includes composition beyond the conventional band format. She first studied violin and later moved from equestrian work and horse-training studies into more focused musical training and professional activity as a musician.

Oddsdóttir’s education encompasses singing, electric guitar, and composition. She completed a BA in composition at the Iceland University of the Arts in 2011, after studying there from 2008. Alongside or following that work, she studied singing and electric guitar at FÍH, the Reykjavík School of Music, and was reported in 2014 to be well advanced in the electric-guitar programme. Her final Iceland University of the Arts project was described as situated between classical music and pop. She has also worked as an educator: she taught music theory at Hafnarfjörður Music School in 2014 and is listed by Tónsalir as a guitar and singing teacher.

In 2010, Oddsdóttir founded Beebee and the Bluebirds. The band became the principal vehicle for her own writing, singing, and electric guitar playing, although its personnel has varied over time. On its first album, she was joined by pianist Tómas Jónsson, bassist Brynjar Páll Bjornsson, and drummer Ásmundur Jóhannsson. At Reykjavik Jazz in 2023, the line-up listed Oddsdóttir with Bjornsson, keyboard player Halldór Sveinsson, and Jóhannsson. The group has appeared at Iceland Airwaves, the Reykjavík Blues Festival, Reykjavik Guitarama, and Iceland Naturally, as well as at concerts and festivals outside Iceland. In 2019 it toured Sweden and performed with Hammond organ player Andreas Hellkvist.

Beebee and the Bluebirds released its debut album, Burning Heart, in 2014. The nine-track record includes the title song as well as “Red Forest,” “Fingertips,” “Foul Play,” “Russian Roulette,” and “Daybreak.” Oddsdóttir wrote the album’s music and lyrics. At the time, she explained that her lyrics could be informed by personal experience, stories, and films—especially horror films—while songs might begin either with a melody or with chords. Before the album appeared, the title track had been issued as a charity single supporting Neistinn, an Icelandic organisation for children with heart disease.

The band’s second studio album, Out of the Dark, was released in 2017. It contains seven tracks: “Think of You,” “In for the Ride,” “Selfish,” “Slip Away,” “Easy,” “Close,” and the title track. The material emerged during a period in which Oddsdóttir was writing from personal experience. Between the two albums, the group later released the 2019 single “Dance With Me.” “Fine Before” followed in 2023, and in 2024 it issued “The World of the Witch,” which Oddsdóttir discussed in a radio interview that also addressed her guitar solos and the band’s concert activity. Coverage of the newer work has often placed it closer to classic or heavier rock than the earlier blues-led profile.

An important collaboration beyond her own band was Oddsdóttir’s participation in Bubbi Morthens’s 2015 album 18 konur. She played guitar in the accompanying ensemble Spaðadrottningarnar, alongside bassist Ingibjörg Elsa Turchi, drummer Sólrún Mjöll Kjartansdóttir, and accordionist Margrét Arnardóttir. The group was assembled specifically for the project rather than being an established band in that form. The album addresses subjects affecting women, including equality, gendered violence, revenge pornography, refugee women, and the historical drowning of women at Drekkingarhylur. 18 konur was released on 1 December 2015 and was subsequently nominated for Album of the Year at the Hlustendaverðlaun listeners’ awards.

Oddsdóttir’s performance practice combines lead vocals, electric guitar, and original songwriting. Descriptions of Beebee and the Bluebirds emphasise a blend of soul, blues, funk, and rock, whereas later releases foregrounded heavier classic-rock features: riffs, organ textures, forceful rhythm sections, and prominent guitar solos. Her formal training in composition and her stated interest in connecting classical music and pop point to a broader musical foundation than the band catalogue alone. Her most recently verified guest instrumental contribution is electric guitar on “Whole Lotta Love,” included on GG Blús’s 2025 album Trouble In Mind.