Experience my music. Meditative and Virtuous. Calming and Uplifting.
For virtuoso Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Michael Krumins, world music is much more than
a genre. It’s a way of life.
As he launches into an era of solo expression following a quarter-century in some of Europe and
Africa’s most experimental and captivating projects, Krumins is truly a musical nomad. He not
only tours extensively as a performing musician, but has also lived and created in Germany, The
Netherlands, Mozambique, on an Aegean island, and most recently in Athens.
Krumins began playing guitar at 14. His first band, gothic/symphonic metal outfit Trail of Tears,
landed a record deal in 1996. But this was just a springboard for his diverse career spanning
multiple musical styles and stringed instruments, plus a master’s degree in world music.
Just as his vocation was gathering momentum, Krumins lost part of a finger in a motorcycle
accident. Sheer passion propelled him through the music conservatory at the University of
Agder, despite the impairment. With Norwegian prog rock band Green Carnation he toured
Europe and the U.S., releasing multiple CDs and DVDs. In 2007 Krumins joined compatriot goth
metal act Sirenia, performing with them throughout Europe and South America, including major
music festivals.
Simultaneously, Krumins was growing increasingly interested in world music. He gathered likeminded
musicians to form Nutopia, an adventurous band that embraced international influences
including Arabic, Balkan, and Turkish genres. Nutopia was invited to Tanzania to collaborate
with Tanzanian and Mozambican artists for a festival arranged by the Norwegian embassy.
Subsequent performances including the televised African New Year Concert 2008, before a live
audience of 60,000 in Maputo, Mozambique. Krumins played a leading role in that production,
as well as playing guitar with several major African artists. Multiple return trips to Africa
followed while he studied for his master’s degree. Reflecting his truly global appetites, Krumins
also joined a Latino band with musicians from all over South America.
Nutopia’s third album, 2018’s aptly-titled Nomad, was inspired by the desert, natural beauty, and
Krumins’ increasingly rootless lifestyle. Right before the pandemic, he began contemplating his
first solo record while bouncing between different European locations, eventually retreating to
the Aegean Sea island of Ikaria.
After a period of personal growth, Krumins experienced an epiphany during a devastating 2020
earthquake. His clarity renewed, he relocated to Athens to record his imminent solo debut.
Krumins’ latest music has been described as meditative and virtuous, calming yet uplifting. Michael Krumins has stepped off the edge and into the next chapter
of an already incredible journey.
