Stepping into the new year, Icelandic singer-songwriter Valborg Ólafs returns with her latest single, ‘Breathe With Me’, a reflective and atmospheric release that highlights her evolving songwriting and sonic palette. Blending indie-folk sensitivity with alternative pop textures, the track finds Ólafs exploring stillness, balance, and emotional clarity.
“There is something freeing about not stressing over the small things that so often come with city life, and it makes you see life from a different perspective” – Valborg Ólafs
Built around subtle synth swells, a moody vocal performance, and spacious production, ‘Breathe With Me’ unfolds with a sense of calm and quiet intensity. The song balances folk-rooted warmth with modern, experimental elements, creating an immersive soundscape that reflects both introspection and release. Its measured pace and melodic restraint emphasize a theme of mindfulness, drawing inspiration from the natural world and its steady rhythms.
Discussing the song’s origins, Ólafs shares, “‘Breathe With Me’ came to me one morning as I sat in the kitchen drinking my first cup of coffee. I lit a candle and found myself thinking about writing exactly this, about arriving here beneath the mountains “Eyjafjöll”, where there is calm and a deep stillness in nature.”
The single is also shaped by Ólafs’ personal journey from city life to the Icelandic countryside, where she now lives with her husband on a farm. Reflecting on that transition, she explains, “I grew up in the city and chose to follow my husband’s dream of living in the countryside and owning his own farm.” Embracing a slower, more grounded way of life has informed both her perspective and her music, with Breathe With Me capturing a sense of gratitude, growth, and newfound equilibrium.
Listen below:
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