Known for acts like Björk and Laufey, Iceland has cemented itself as a source of subversive and genre defying artists in the last two decades. 

Slated for November 5th through 6th of this year, Iceland Airwaves is returning for its twenty-seventh year to highlight the next generation of musical acts with over 40 more global artists recently announced. Over the festival's tenure, acts like Florence + The Machine, Kneecap, and Magdelena Bay have crossed the stage as well as native Icelandic acts that showcase the country's immense musical talents on an international level.

Among the up and coming acts in the second announcement are London musicians Heartworms, fresh off an acclaimed debut album, pop band The Itch, and RnB artist Jamie Woon, all fresh faces ready to make their debut on an international stage. 

The festival is held all throughout the town of Reykjavík from churches to record stores and despite its seemingly dispersed nature, established acts like Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes, and The Flaming Lips have returned over the years to play the festivals various stages, with British DJ Shygirl slated to perform this year, a testament to the festival’s storied history and goal of unifying interdisciplinary musical minds. 

Beyond being a music festival, Icelandic Airwaves serves as a cross-section for artists, agents, media, and industry professionals across the globe to meet and collaborate on future projects. Remaining on the cutting edge of industry discourse, this year's first panel is “Anybody in There? Human Curation in the Age of the Algorithm”, dealing with how music is discovered in an age where algorithms control everything we see and how the revival of analog media aids community formation. Fittingly, the second panel is “From Local to Global: Against The Odds”, honing in on the festival's ability to produce some of the biggest acts of tomorrow.