Jón Þór Birgisson
Born in Reykjavik in 1975, Jón Þór Birgisson—better known as Jónsi—first captured the world’s attention as the soaring vocalist of Sigur Rós. After the band’s breakthrough, he turned his restless curiosity toward visual art, installing sound‑sculpture pieces that echo the stark beauty of his native island. In 2017 he and three sisters launched Fischersund, a family‑run perfumery housed in his former music studio in Reykjavík. The collective treats scent as another medium for his immersive practice. Their debut, Útilykt, arrived in 2021 and earned praise for translating a post‑hike, sea‑kissed cliff into a bottle. Jónsi continues to split his time between Los Angeles and Iceland, where he sketches, records, and experiments with raw ingredients, always seeking the same quiet intensity that defines his music.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Jón composes
Jónsi favors raw, marine‑derived ingredients—seaweed tinctures, briny accord oils, and cold‑pressed Icelandic birch. He pairs these with mineral salts and subtle woody notes to anchor the composition. The perfumer often distills his own extracts in small batches, allowing the material’s natural texture to guide the blend. He avoids heavy synthetics, preferring a minimalist structure that lets a single accord breathe. His signatures include a crisp, airy opening that settles into a quiet, lingering dry‑down reminiscent of a wind‑swept cliff.
Philosophy
What drives Jón
Jónsi approaches fragrance the way he composes a song: by listening to the silence between notes. He believes a scent should evoke a place without describing it, letting memory fill the gaps. Icelandic coastlines, volcanic ash, and the hush of midnight snow inform his palette. Collaboration with his sisters adds a communal rhythm, each bottle reflecting a shared moment rather than a solitary statement. He treats each formula as a meditation, aiming for a calm that lingers long after the first breath.
The houses