Hössi Ólafsson

Höskuldur Ólafsson was born on the 11th of November in 1977. He grew up in Seltjarnarnes, a small coastal town just west of Reykjavík.

In his youth he was a vocalist and lyricist in various bands such as Wool and 2001 before founding Quarashi along with Sölvi and Steini. His role in the band was as a rapper and vocalist until he left the band in 2003.

After quitting his work with Quarashi, Hössi turned to his studies and completed a BA in Icelandic at the University of Iceland. He then went on to study Aesthetics and Philosophy in England and finished with a PhD from the University of East Anglia in 2011.

For a while he worked at an Icelandic newspaper called DV, where he had a regular column. He also worked for another renowned Icelandic newspaper called Morgunblaðið for some time, where he developed a witty and thoughtful voice in his writings.

On the musical front, after leaving Quarashi, he joined the band SKE for a while as a vocalist and acted in a star-studded Icelandic comedy 'Í takt við tímann' in 2004, showing that aside from his voice he also has some acting chops.

Currently Hössi works for an advertising agency as a copywriter and has a more recent music project called Kig og Husk with Frank Hall, a friend from Ske, which has four releases: the 2021 album 'Kill the Moon', which earned them a nomination for best album of 2021 at the Icelandic Music Awards; a 2026 EP 'Fer sem Fer (Solitaire)'; an album from 2026 called 'Monkey Republic'; and the single 'Little Men', also from 2026.

He has returned to take the stage with Quarashi for every reunion since the first one in 2011, giving his fans that precious hit of nostalgia and a chance to relive the special feel he brought to the band and its music.