🇬🇧 Finland through music

Hei! (This is how we write hello in Finnish!) Today I decided to talk a little bit more about music. I love to know different cultures and music has been one of my favourite resources to start.

I remember many years ago I started listening to some Finnish bands and one day I met a finnish guy online. He taught me a bit about the kalevala, Jean Sibelius, some music about kalevala, showed me some pictures he took on his neighbourhood during the winter and the like. This was 20 years ago. When I moved I lost contact with him. Since then the only finnish people I met were band members, in person. These days I was watching some videos about Finland and I reminded that time.

So, if you’re curious about Finland, this post is to share some bands from that country I really appreciate and this is a first step to know finnish culture.

The very first finnish band I knew was Apocalyptica. That time - the 90’s - I still lived in Montes Claros and listened only to pop music, the boring songs the local radios used to play, then my cousin started listening to Iron Maiden, Metallica, Helloween and Apocalyptica (their first album, playing Metallica’s songs with cellos) and invited me to listen to these bands. I really appreciated them. I didn’t know where the bands were from yet.

Some time later I discovered the internet and started chatting with people from many different places, including the finnish guy I mentioned in the second paragraph. I discovered bands as Nightwish and Sonata Arctica and people with similar musical preferences talked about other bands in a way I could develop my own musical taste.

Let’s focus on the finnish bands as Finland has an interesting culture, with some similarities with the region where I live nowadays. I discovered these days (summer) in Helsinki is hotter than here (in the brazilian city I’m living)... 😂 I was so ignorant! I imagined Finland as a very cold place. But... in the 90’s when I have that finnish friend I lived in a place much hotter than the one I’m living now. Feel free to share peculiarities about Finland in the comments, as well as other interesting artists.

Ops... the bands I know (in bold the ones I still listen often):

• Amorphis. Tomi Joutsen is among my favourite singers. I already shared a list with my favourite singers in this blog.
• Apocalyptica. The band playing more often in my playlists nowadays.
• Carmen Gray. I discovered them through MySpace and interviewed Nicklas, the singer, in my previous blog in 2008. 
• Children of Bodom. I went to their show in Porto Alegre in 2004. I like some songs, and I listen to War of razors from time to time because I like this playing with keyboards.
• Entwine. Great band, but there’s a long time I don’t listen. Great to remember. Tonight I’ll see on Spotify what they are doing.
• Kotipelto. He has a great voice.
• Lullacry. Wow! They’re fun, but there’s a long time they are not in my playlists. One more to check tonight.
• Maija Vilkkumaa. A pop singer. I like some of her songs, as “Ei”, although I understand nothing and need to check the translations.
• Nightwish. I went to some of their shows in Brazil and had the opportunity to meet them in 2004 and in the first tour with Anette singing with the band.
• The Rasmus. I only know one song they have with Anette Olzon singing and Bittersweet, a song by Apocalyptica their singer is a featured singer. Lauri Ylönen’s voice is good though.
• Rinneradio. I don’t remember how is their music but I remember this was among the first finnish bands I discovered in the early 2000’s.
• Sonata Arctica. I went to their show in Sao Paulo some years ago, it’s one of the first finnish metal bands I knew.
• Stratovarius. During the 2000’s I listened to them a lot. Later, no more.
• Sturm und drang. Their songs are good. I started listening to this band when they were adolescents. Another one to check and maybe include more songs in my playlist.
• Tarja Turunen. She has an amazing voice but my only (almost) personal contact with her in 2004 with Nightwish left a bad impression as she ran away from the fans in the airport and I avoid her songs since then. For me this personal contact with the artists I like is really important. I continue loving Nightwish because they are always kind.
• The 69 eyes. I went to a festival in Porto Alegre in 2005 where they played. Lots of fun, but lately I’m not listening to their songs.
• Zen Café. One more from the early 2000’s I don’t remember how is their music. 

I had the help of Wikipedia to remember these bands. And I suggest you to try to find even the ones I don’t even remember their style. It’s a great experience to know finnish culture. I possibly will check the Wikipedia list to discover some more artists.

Finns, you can share more musical tips and more about Finland in the comments. I accept your help to diminish my ignorance about the country.

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Moi! Moi! (Bye bye). See you in the next post.

Nycka, the Nomad