Hey, for those who aren’t familiar with your music, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure! I’m a singer-songwriter from Finland (yes, that cold but surprisingly happy country up in the north) and I play a rare Finnish instrument called kantele – the kantele in English – that probably no one outside of Finland knows, but that’s actually quite cool. I’m deeply in love with pop music. I fell for pop in 2009 when I saw a YouTube video of Adam Rafferty, a fingerstyle guitarist, playing Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean on one acoustic guitar. The video inspired me to create my own style and since then my dream has been to perform not only in Finland but all over the world with my instrument. The amazing thing is that the dream that at first seemed impossible to reach has actually come true!
You recently released your new single “Capital Letter ” – can you tell us what the song is about?
Yes, it was a couple of weeks before the pandemic hit hard in Finland. I had been working on a new and very inspirational song to encourage myself and my listeners. I wrote about how this is our story that we would write in “capital letters” and how we are living our lives to the fullest. A couple of weeks rolled by and suddenly everything was canceled until further notice: all the shows… everything! I felt so discouraged and worthless and eventually started to feel like a failure. I despised my profession and wondered why I had ever chosen musicianship. The song I had been working on felt more like a joke than anything else. It took me more than a year to process my feelings but after all that time I rediscovered the song I had buried deep in the drawer. I read the lyrics, played the song, and something kindled in my heart. I took the pen and added a few lines saying how the rough winds, clouds of doubt, and ruthless drums might come but nonetheless, this is still our story and we will write it in CAPITAL LETTERS.
What inspirations do you take when writing your music?
I’m very much inspired by the ups and downs of everyday life. I have two beautiful daughters with my hubby and I’ve never felt more alive than now with my kids. I’m also a follower of Christ and I feel so grateful to get to share the message of hope through my songs.
Who are your current favorite new artists?
Oh, I absolutely love Tones and I! I know, she’s been around for some years now but since the pandemic hit the world everything that has happened in the past few years feels like it was yesterday. Recently, I’ve been listening more to new Finnish artists such as Vilma Jää and Alma. And true, they’ve been there for a couple of years as well, but thanks to the pandemic, everything feels new!
Who would your dream collaboration be with, and why?
Tough one. There are so many artists and producers I admire but I’d definitely want to work with the legendary producer Quincy Jones. I’ve been a fan of Michael Jackson’s music since high school and can just marvel how they were able to create music that is so innovative, creative, groovy, catchy, and stands the test of time!
What does the rest of the year have in store for you?
I just got back from a mini-tour in South Korea a week ago. The rest of the year I’ll be touring and doing some tv-shows in Finland, touring a bit in Sweden, and I’ll pop into Central Europe at some point as well. On Christmas and New Year we’ll be spending some quality time (in Florida, yay, can’t wait!!) with the family as the next year’s gonna be very busy with tours in Asia.
