Katarina Barruk (SA)

The endangered Usamese language today has quite a few native speakers. But Katarina Barruk has made her mark on the international music scene with her deeply earthy blend of pop music and traditional folk — sung in Usamese. After concerts in the Royal Albert Hall and at festivals such as Roskilde and Iceland Airwaves, she is now ready to take on ALICE. Experience her for November when she guests our stage in an intimate format.

“It's incredible — almost not credible — that she's managed to become something that never existed before: an internationally renowned Ume Saami touring artist.” — The Line of Best Fit

Katarina Barruk is a unique voice on the international music scene. She sings in Usamese, which today is spoken by very few native speakers and is on UNESCO's list of critically endangered languages. But for Barruk, the rarity of the language is not a limitation. On the contrary, she invites the audience into a universe where Usamic is alive, highly topical and completely natural. With her powerful and clear voice, original vocal techniques and strong stage presence, Barruk unites primordial power, vulnerability and strength in an intense blend of pop, traditional joik and improvisation.

Barruk debuted with “Báruos” in 2015 and has since toured Europe. She became the first Sami artist to perform in the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms and has collaborated with leading Scandinavian orchestras such as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. In 2025, she released the EP “Guh Lejmeh Sámieh”, based on the music for the first theatre play in Usama in 100 years. Her second album, Ruhttuo (2022), was created in collaboration with producers Arnljot Nordvik and Christo Stangness and cemented Barruk's position as an artist going her own way. At ALICE you can experience a more intimate and clean-shaven side of Barruk when she performs with Eirik Fjelde and Arnljot Nordvik in a raw and experimental concert format.