Artist in Crescendo - Of Monsters and Men

     Three years ago, this group barely existed. Since then, they have they have taken over and become an internationally-known band. Of Monsters and Men is comprised of five band members: Nanna Bryndis, Raggi Porhallsson, Brynjar Leifsson, Arnar Rosenkranz, and Kristjan Pall Kristjansson. 
     Their hasty rise to global stardom took only less than a year to transpire. In 2012, Nanna's solo act, Songbird morphed into Of Monsters and Men after she met Raggi. The new band entered a prestigious Battle of the Bands in their native country, Iceland - Musiktilraunir. They ended up winning, which began their rise to stardom and global success. This also earned them a spot in Iceland's Airwaves festival later that year, and Seattle Radio Station's KEXP which posted a living room session of their song, "Little Talks".
     By the time summer of 2011 rolled around, "Little Talks" had reached number one on Iceland's music charts. However, global interest began to materialize, "people around the world seemed to be listening to us," said Raggi. Also occurring in 2011 was the signing of the band to Record Records for the release of their debut album My Head is an Animal. They were later signed to Universal Records for the international release of their album. 
     Of Monsters and Men have performed globally, having visited Canada, Ireland, The United States, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Chile, Brazil, and Scotland. On May 4th, 2013, the band played on an episode of Saturday Night Live. Their song, "Dirty Paws" has also been featured in the 2013 movie trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and iPhone 5 advertisements. To add to a list of their global successes, they have been nominated for numerous MTV, Juno, ECHO, and Billboard awards. 
     Even though this group has only recently come together, they have the ability to captivate not only their nation, but also gain the attention of the entire planet. Within the last three years, Of Monsters and Men has gained mass success internationally, and will continue to rise in not only the world of alternative music, but music as a whole. This is a group to keep an eye on.

Photo courtesy of http://www.npr.org