About Jon Henrik Fjällgren

I'm proud to belong to the Sami people, but also to belong to the Native American people. It has made me who I am today.

When I was three months old, I was adopted from an Indian village in Colombia to Mittådalen's Sami village in Härjedalen, Sweden. The love of music has always been in my life ever since I started playing piano at an early age. As a fourteen-year-old, I held my first concert at Funäsdalen Church, with the King and Queen present. For me, who has gone through difficulties during much of my childhood, music has become a way to find strength. The inspiration for my joiks often comes when a lot has happened in my life, when I'm full of emotions. In this way, through music, I can express things that cannot be described in words. That's how it was with Daniel's Joik. The joik is a tribute to my best friend Daniel, who passed away several years ago. When, after his passing, I sat outside his cabin and sought solace, it was as if he answered me with the joik and so he helped me move on.

In 2014, I got the chance to participate with Daniels Joik in the television program Talang and there I discovered that many people appreciated and were touched by my music. The joik is a way of spreading the Sami heritage and thanks to the success I have the opportunity to share and spread my love for the Sami music!

Life as a Reindeer Herder

Living in the mountains can be very beautiful, but at the same time it can be very heavy and pose many different challenges. As a reindeer herder, I spend much of my time alone with my reindeers, who are also my best friends. 

Some days and evenings, nature is magical, with hundreds of different colors and shades. Other days it's so gray that you can't see the next snowmobile. It's not possible to know in advance what the day will be like, and in the mountains everything can happen!

My Colombian Heritage

My first weeks in life I spent in an Indian village and in an orphanage in Colombia. When I was adopted I was named Montoya, but soon got the Swedish name Jon Henrik Mario Fjällgren. Although I have lived in Sweden almost all my life, my Colombian heritage is an important part of who I am, something that is noticeable in both my rhythm and my music. In addition to the Sami music style, I feel a strong connection to Native American music. During my time in Let's Dance I got to express myself through the dance, and it was as if I got to know my origins better.