Berit Margrethe Oskal is a Sami artist and joik performer from Kautokeino, Norway. She has been performing with her own music since 2001, and in 2007 Berits' debut album Mátki (Journey) was released. The music style is somewhere between the ancient traditions of joik and the modern pop world, and Berit combines the best of both styles. Berits' second album Fargga (Soon) will be released in October/November 2010. Berit Margrethe grew up with Sami music and traditional joik, highly influenced by both Sami and Norwegian music bands from the 1970s, such as Ivnniiguin and Unit 5, and old tape recordings from the 1950s, which were recorded and collected by the family elders. Berit listened to these tapes whenever she had a chance, and she also started to sing and joik herself at an early age. The oldest excisting recordings of Berit joiking and singing are actually from March 1979, two months before she turned 2! However, her first time joiking on stage was not until 1997, when she performed together with her cousin Inger Anna, who was having a concert with her band Snödriva in Tromsø. The year after, in 1998, Berit participated in Sami Grand Prix together with Risten Turi with the song Áhčážan, written by Marja Oleanna Sara Hætta and Johan Isak Siri. They did not win, they did not even get awarded, but in Berits mind a dream was born. In 2001 the dream started to come true when Berit established the duo 2xOskal together with her second cousin and childhood neighbour Inger Johanne Oskal. 2xOskal wrote their own songs together with Marja Oleanna Sara Hætta, and they also participated in Sami Grand Prix several times with the songs In dieđe vel (2001), Eŋgelat juoigame (2003) and Boađe lagabui (2004). The last one together with Ina Oskal Alexandersen, where Berit participated as backing vocalist. Berit has also written and composed many songs for other Sami Grand Prix artists. Sami Grand Prix has obviously been a very important influence in Berits' musical development. In 2006 Berit met Birkir Gudmundsson, a producer from Iceland, who turned out to be exactly the one Berit had been looking for in her musical journey so far. They started working together, and in 2007 Berits' debut album Mátki (Journey) was a fact, produced by Birkir. The album received great reviews, it sold well and was concidered a success. After the release of Mátki (Journey), Berit has occasionally performed together with the famous Sami artist Ann-Mari Andersen. They have had several successful performings in different places, even abroad such as in Canada and China. The collabaration between Berit and her producer Birkir Gudmundsson is still ongoing, and a new album will be released in October/November 2010. The title of the new album is Fargga (Soon), and the story continues. The music has grown a bit darker since the first album, so to speak. Fargga (Soon) is rougher, but also more emotional. The fact that Berit lost her father to cancer in December 2008 is definitely present in her new album, but she never allows it to get heavy. Fargga (Soon) is still joyful, and the journey that started with Mátki, continues with a light sound. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.