Rebecka Edlund Trio with Laura Jurd and Ruth Goller

Emerging from Sweden’s west coast near Gothenburg, vocalist and composer Rebecka Edlund has crafted an innovative musical identity that bridges her Scandinavian folk heritage with the dynamic jazz scene of London. Her forthcoming album, Virgin Forest, scheduled for release in March 2027, epitomizes this fusion through an intimate exploration of nature, memory, and vocal experimentation.

Edlund’s early immersion in performance was marked by a childhood role at the Swedish Opera House, an experience that set the foundation for her lifelong dedication to music. Despite a family background without musical inclinations, she gravitated towards traditional Swedish folk elements, particularly kulning—a melodic herding call rooted in rural female tradition. This technique’s improvisational nature informs much of Edlund’s vocal approach, characterized by modal melodies and spontaneous expression.

Her formal studies began at a Swedish folkhögskola, where the pastoral environment nurtured her folk sensibilities. However, exposure to jazz harmonies from fellow students’ basement rehearsals sparked an interest that prompted a decisive move to London in 2019. At Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Edlund pursued an undergraduate jazz degree, integrating her folk roots with jazz’s harmonic complexity. There, she encountered the influence of mentor Lauren Kinsella, whose experimental vocal work notably shaped Edlund’s artistic development.

Graduating in 2023, Edlund revisited the guitar after years away, choosing the 12-string variant to compose new material. This re-engagement with the instrument catalyzed the creation of Virgin Forest, an album conceived as a musical conversation with her younger self. Drawing on childhood memories of writing letters to trees during solitary forest walks, the record meditates on themes of growth and the interplay between inner and natural worlds.

Virgin Forest’s sound architecture marries Nordic naturalistic soundscapes with vibrant improvisation, employing Edlund’s voice alongside 12-string guitar and harmonium. To translate this vision into live performance, she has formed a trio featuring notable UK jazz musicians Laura Jurd on trumpet and Ruth Goller on bass. The connections between these artists emerged through a blend of personal encounters and shared musical interests, including an appreciation for folk techniques like kulning.

The trio is set to premiere the new material across four UK dates in early November 2026, with performances booked in Birmingham, Brighton, London, and Cambridge. These concerts precede the album’s official release and a subsequent European tour slated for March 2027.

Looking beyond Virgin Forest, Edlund is developing a suite of compositions that will deepen her exploration of identity and place. This upcoming work intends to weave traditional herding calls with avian sounds native to both the UK and Sweden, further underscoring her commitment to bridging geographical and cultural boundaries through music.

By synthesizing heritage folk forms with contemporary jazz improvisation, Rebecka Edlund is cultivating a distinctive artistic space where storytelling, nature, and sonic experimentation converge. Her trajectory from coastal Sweden to the heart of London’s jazz community exemplifies a vibrant cross-cultural dialogue, enriching both traditions under her unique artistic vision.

Details about additional collaborators or specific compositional methods remain limited at this time, but Edlund’s trajectory suggests a continuing evolution of her sound and thematic focus as she embarks on this new chapter.