Pelkkä Poutanen

Pelkkä Poutanen is singer-composer Petra Poutanen’s beautiful, genre-bending and irreverent solo production. Based on folk music aesthetics, it challenges the listener with serious themes. Poutanen’s performance has been described as hypnotic and deep and compared to an earthquake or the big bang. Her tools include vocals, traditional instruments and live electronics. Her acrobatic use of her voice ranges from Scandinavian and Finno-Ugric vocals to throat-singing techniques.

In January 2022, Pelkkä Poutanen released her debut solo album Pyhä veri vuotaa (“Holy Blood Spills,” Eclipse Music), which has been nominated for both the Etno-Emma and Teosto awards. The album’s title refers to its overall theme, which deals with the sacred and its absurd manifestations, exercise of power and, for example, violent imagery related to religions, as well as the personal sense of the sacred.

In April, Songlines magazine picked the track ”Mitä tuolta kaukaa näkyy?” from the album for its "10 Best New Albums From Around the World". The album has also been successful on global music charts.

Poutanen is a versatile musician, singer, multi-instrumentalist and choir conductor. Her compositions have been performed on many theatre stages (including the Finnish National Theatre, Helsinki City Theatre, TTT, KOM, Espoo City Theatre and Radio Theatre) and sung by choirs as miniature operas at national parks, for example. She was also nominated as Musical Theatre Creator of the Year in 2023. Poutanen is also known as a singer-songwriter with her band UTU.

Instruments:
Vocals, throat singing, kantele, guzheng (Chinese zither), live electronics, MÄSÄ experimental instruments

"...one of 2022’s best World Music albums…”
Music you need to hear/Rudy Carrera 08/2022

"..it’s enticing, haunting, mesmerising, spiritual and hypnotic.”
- SONGLINES - Buzz Bury, April 2022

”When a performer can do just about anything with her voice, one need only sit back and marvel at the possibilities. — — Once one gets past the acrobatic vocals, one is amazed by the rich sound world.”
- FMQ, Amanda Kauranne, Feb 2022

Production: G Livelab Tampere in collaboration with Etnosoi!