A Royal Audience in the Arctic

Meet the 9-year-old Filipina who sang for Norway’s king, queen and crown prince

Fiona Lucille Carubanga sings “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne at the Svalbard Treaty Jubilee August 14, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Fergesen)

On a cool day in August, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway took a seat in the central square of Longyearbyen, Svalbard, to be treated to performances by the best talent the world’s northernmost town could muster. One of these local lights was a 9-year-old girl named Fiona Lucille Carubanga, a daughter of Filipino immigrants who has spent most of her life under the midnight suns and polar nights of the high Arctic. 

Prince Haakon and the other guests, including Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, were visiting to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Svalbard Treaty, the international agreement that gave Norway sovereignty over this archipelago deep in the Arctic Circle. They listened attentively to musical performances by local groups, including a folk dance club and the Store Norske men’s choir, originally a miner’s choir and still outfitted in coveralls and sealskin seat warmers. 

Fiona was one of two young locals who were given the opportunity to sing solo for the dignitaries; the other was 19-year-old Mia Ekeblad Eggenfellner, a former contestant on Norway’s version of “The Voice” who is preparing to leave Svalbard to begin a musical career. After Mia’s polished performance, Fiona stood on the outdoor stage and belted out her rendition of Avril Lavigne’s 2002 hit “Complicated.” 

“Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?” Fiona sang with a conviction that belied her years. The prince appeared to nod to the beat — and perhaps to acknowledge that the treaty he was there to commemorate was, indeed, complicated. 

While the Svalbard Treaty gives Norway sovereignty over what was once a legal no-man’s land, it is ambiguous on many subjects, such as what rights other signatories have to exploit it. Norway’s interpretation of its language has led to Svalbard becoming a visa-free zone, part of the reason it is now home to residents with over 50 nationalities, including about 125 Filipinos — the largest non-Norwegian population in Longyearbyen. 

Norwegian citizens are still the majority, but their share of the population has decreased from about 85% in 2009 to just over 60% today, which has led to some concern in the national government as global powers jockey for pieces of the Arctic. Prime Minister Støre hinted at that concern in a speech immediately after Fiona’s performance, in which he said that the government’s priority is to make Svalbard a more attractive place to live for “Norwegian families.” 

Images (left to right): Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, first row second from left, claps to the beat. (Photo by Jennifer Fergesen);' Fiona, left, with her father Philip Carubanga and mother Movelyn Martinez in their home in Longyearbyen. (Photo by Movelyn Martinez)

In reality, there was no hidden meaning behind the choice of song, says Fiona’s mother, Movelyn Martinez. Her husband Philip Carubanga, who plays guitar, is a fan of the Avril Lavigne track and encouraged their daughter to choose it when she was invited to sing for the prince’s reception. “She likes old songs,” Movelyn says — slightly stinging this millennial reporter. 

Fiona had full creative freedom and was not asked to practice with the rest of the performers until the final dress rehearsal the day before the visit. Movelyn says she learned the lyrics and practiced on her own without anyone prompting her. “I think it’s built into her to memorize music,” she says. 

Fiona’s confidence — and Longyearbyen’s confidence in her — should be no surprise; the Svalbard Treaty jubilee was her second time performing for royalty. The first was for King Harald V and Queen Sonja in June, while they were in town to commemorate the closing of the last coal mine on Svalbard. 

The royal couple’s multi-day trip was rather more pomp-and-circumstance than their son’s toned-down follow. After a stately parade to the town square, king and queen sat on a purpose-built dais while dozens of children performed for them, including a kindergarten choir and the elementary-school acrobatics club “Sirkus Svalnardo.” To close out the festivities, Fiona sang the Adele song “Set Fire to the Rain,” which she had previously performed at the Longyearbyen culture school’s annual concert. Her professional bearing clinched her invitation for the prince’s visit two months later. 

Two royal performances before the age of 10 might be an auspicious beginning for a career in music. “If she wants to make music a career, of course we’ll support her,” Movelyn says. “But she varies in what she wants to be, from doctor to cleaner to cook.” 

Fiona is sure about one thing — she loves her Arctic hometown. On a recent family visit to the Philippines, she missed Longyearbyen so much that “the two-month vacation felt like a year to her,” Movelyn says. She and Philip plan to move back to the Philippines at some point, but they have decided to wait until Fiona is old enough to make the decision for herself. “She loves it here, and we do not want to take that away from her,” she says.