CECILIA ÖSTERHOLM
EXPERIMENTAL
NORDIC FOLK MUSIC
NYCKELHARPA VOICE
MYTH & WILDERNESS
ABOUT CECILIA ÖSTERHOLM
I am a Swedish nyckelharpa player, singer and composer. My work can be described as experimental Nordic folk music, rooted in traditional Scandinavian folk music and moving freely between acoustic folk traditions and contemporary, exploratory sound worlds.
I play a chromatic nyckelharpa, which allows me to cross boundaries between old repertoire, original compositions and modern musical expression. Voice and nyckelharpa function as equal musical forces in my work.
I perform solo, in collaborative projects, and in experimental, electrified contexts, as well as in intimate acoustic settings. Alongside concerts, I also create ceremonial music for weddings, funerals, baptisms and other rites, where music becomes a shared moment of presence and meaning.
I have received several grants and awards for my work in folk and contemporary music, including Musikens Hus Vänners Stora Stipendium, Uppsala County cultural grants, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s working grant, and the STIM scholarship on multiple occasions. With Siri Karlsson, I have been awarded the Stockholm County Cultural Prize, the Manifest Prize, the SKAP Avant Garde Prize, and an award at the Folk & World Music Gala. My work also includes commissioned compositions, a composition residency at Studio Acusticum, and music for theatre.
Lonesome Handsome
Under the name Lonesome Handsome, I present a solo project where I explore a haunting landscape of Nordic folk, Americana and gothic poetry. Lonesome Handsome is my androgynous alter ego. A shifting, in-between version of myself where masculine and feminine energies blur and dissolve. Through this character I step outside fixed identity and into something more primal and mythic.
“A cinematic triumph blending haunting vocals with ancient folk.”
The Wild Is Calling (US)
Siri Karlsson
I am one half of the avant-garde folk-psych duo Siri Karlsson, where I explore experimental sound worlds rooted in Nordic folk music. Together we create immersive, boundary-pushing music that blends tradition with improvisation, drones and raw, expressive energy.
"They have created another magnificent creation!"
Jan Gradvall/DI (SE)
Erika & Cecilia
I also perform in the acoustic folk duo Erika & Cecilia together with violinist Erika Lindgren Liljenstolpe. Our music is intimate and deeply rooted in Scandinavian folk traditions, with a strong focus on interplay and dynamics, and we also collaborate and perform with classical guitarist Mats Bergström.
"Rarely has Swedish folk music been heard with such intensity, virtuosity, dynamism and drive.”
Sydsvenskan (SE)
CONTACT & BOOKINGS
CONTACT MED FOR PERFORMANCES, COMMISSIONS OR COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
CECILIA ÖSTERHOLM
LONESOME HANDSOME
A troubadour of the wilderness - that is how I describe my androgyne alter ego.
Lonesome Handsome is a voice and a world that I’ve been quietly shaping over time. A space where I can daydream and escape the ordinarily and wander into strange, haunting landscapes.
I think of Lonesome Handsomeas as an androgynous, fluid self where masculine and feminine energies blur. In inhabiting this character, I step beyond fixed identity and into a more primal, mythic space. It allows me to sing freely, to explore desire, solitude, transformation, and the uncanny beauty of the natural world. For news and updates on Lonesome Handsome, follow the project on Instagram.
PRESS
Behind the artist name Lonesome Handsome is none other than Cecilia Österholm from the acclaimed folk-psych duo Siri Karlsson, but this is something entirely different. The debut single In This Ghostly Domain opens with a fate-laden, western-inspired introduction, while the vocals carry echoes of the charismatic multi-talent Anohni, giving the music an otherworldly and almost sacred quality. The sound is dense yet playful and exploratory, with the presence of nature subtly woven throughout.
“The song transports listeners to otherworldly atmospheres and sensations.“
The vocal performance embraces that ghostly reference elegantly. There’s something ancient to this vibe. It’s at the essence of musical instinct tied to our legacy in the wilderness. Call us wild, call this enchanting. We hear all of it in the abstract rare design of this glorious release. The single is a cinematic triumph that blends an influence of Anohni with Ancient folk.
We’re so into it.
“Wonderful vocals that stand out. They have a distant and melodic tone that’s not easy to find. The calm and carefully crafted melody places the sounds exactly where they need to be, creating a delightful result for your ears. The rhythm, with an uneasy tension that doesn’t disturb, calms both the mind and the body.”
Cecilia Österholm, the artist behind Lonesome Handsome, creates a soundscape pulsing with untamed passion and rich layers of depth… the result is a hypnotic composition that embodies the raw mystique of the forest”
MoochilaTv, Argentina
“A hypnotic journey through shadow
and light”
“It feels like being transported back to the age of campfires, where a bard spins a tale in a shadowy forest glade, and the flickering flames make our shadows dance against the trees. I can imagine fans of Fever Ray appreciating this, as it isn’t far from Karin Dreijers sonic world.”