Prins Póló var listamannsnafn Svavars Péturs Eysteinssonar, íslensks tónlistarmanns og myndlistarmanns, fæddur 26. apríl 1977 í Breiðholti. Hann nam grafíska hönnun við Listaháskóla Íslands og hóf tónlistarferil sinn með hljómsveitum eins og Múldýrið, Rúnk og Skakkamanage. Árið 2009 hóf hann sólóferil undir nafninu Prins Póló og gaf út plötur eins og "Jukk" (2010) og "Sorrí" (2014). Svavar var þekktur fyrir einstaka nálgun sína á hversdagsleg málefni í textum sínum og hressandi framkomu. Hann lést úr krabbameini 29. september 2022, aðeins 45 ára gamall, en minning hans lifir áfram í verkum hans.

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Prins Póló was the solo project of Icelandic artist Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson. Known for his prolific and influential contributions to the arts, Svavar captivated many with his refreshing approach to everyday life. He was characterized by his tendency not to overthink things and to take action. Svavar passed away from cancer at the age of 45, but his memory lives on.

Born on April 26, 1977, in Breiðholt, Iceland, Svavar began his musical career in the mid-2000s with the alternative rock band Skakkamanage, releasing three albums: "Lab of Love" (2006), "All Over The Face" (2008), and "Sounds of Merrymaking" (2014). He later embarked on a solo career under the moniker Prins Póló, releasing several albums, including "Jukk" (2010) and "Sorrí" (2014). His music often featured quirky lyrics and catchy tunes that addressed social issues, delivered with a unique theatrical flair. Beyond music, Svavar was a graphic designer and co-founded the cultural hub Havarí, which served as an independent book, music, art, and design store, as well as a music venue in Reykjavík. In 2011, he and his wife, Berglind Häsler, relocated Havarí to a farm in eastern Iceland, where they also launched a line of vegan sausages called Bulsur. Svavar was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2018 and passed away on September 29, 2022. His contributions to Icelandic art and culture continue to be celebrated and remembered.

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Prins Póló is the solo venture of one Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson (joined in concert by his wife Berglind and their friends), who made his first appearance on Reykjavík’s stages in the early noughties playing with twee quirksters Rúnk (“Masturbation/Repetition”) and quickly made a name for himself as a unique, fiercely independent and perennially DIY-minded artist. Throughout the decade, he further cemented his reputation through his work with indie rock outfit Skakkamange (where he is also joined by his wife), before making a name for himself as a hyper-creative cultural instigator-slash-entrepreneur, founding and running an independent book/music/art/design store-slash-music venue called Havarí, which doubled as a cultural hub and meeting spot for Reykjavík’s artists and musicians in the decade’s latter half.

A graphic designer by trade, Svavar further made a mark on Icelandic underground culture by creating book jackets, album covers and posters for his contemporaries, honing his uniquely original, ever-evolving aesthetic while actively supporting local artists.

Despite many successes and impressive projects, Svavar seemed destined to forever remain in the underground, an artist’s artist, influencing popular culture from the sidelines as his uncompromising attitude ensured he would never appeal to the masses.

As the years have passed, Svavar’s aesthetic remains just as eccentric, his stance just as uncompromised. But something weird has been happening lately. Svavar Pétur’s various projects (the latest one is a line of vegan sausages) have been gaining fans in the unlikeliest of places, and chief among those is Prins Póló.

The Prince’s rise to glory has been a slow and steady build-up that no one really saw coming. It finally reached a tipping point during the summer of 2014, when the band exploded all over Iceland’s airwaves via top pop hit “París Norðursins,” which was embraced equally by every facet of Icelandic society, from ‘modern rock’ radio to commercial MOR stations to vapid tabloids and TV stations.

All of the sudden, Prins Póló is everywhere, beloved, revered and celebrated. The band of 2014, without doubt or question. And the best part is: aside from a natural, gradual evolution, his approach and aesthetic have remained consistent throughout, as dedicated to the DIY spirit, as supportive of the underdog, as inclusive and welcoming as ever before.

words by Haukur Magnusson / Reykjavik Grapevine / January 9, 2015

photo by Baldur Kristjánsson © / Reykjavik Grapevine