Antti Paalanen, who lives in Kokkola and is originally from Alavus, is a folk musician, accordion player and throat singer.
Paalanen’s instrument is a diatonic, two-row accordion that he started playing at the age of eight: the same instrument was also played by both of his grandfathers back in the day.
Paalanen is fascinated by the idea that both the Southern Ostrobothnian folk music tradition and the Mongolian throat singing tradition can fit naturally into the framework of pop and rock music.
His mission is to bring this combination to the attention of the wider audience.
– I am fascinated by how tradition can live as part of modern music, Paalanen explains.
From folk music student to international performer
As a child, Paalanen’s path took him from accordion lessons at the civic college to rock bands. He admired W.A.S.P. and Kiss in the videos his friend had recorded on MTV, and at home he raided his big brothers’ record collection.
– I soon discovered AC/DC, which is my all-time favourite. I was deeply impressed by Angus Young’s energy on stage, Paalanen recalls.
After his military service, Paalanen started his studies at the department of folk music at the Sibelius Academy and immersed himself in various traditions, from poetry to improvisation. As part of his doctoral studies, he composed new music for the diatonic accordion and worked tirelessly to establish himself as a solo artist.
As a result, Paalanen has released many albums. The album Halituli, recorded in 2006 with harmonica player Eero Turka, won an Etno-Emma award in 2007. The same year, Paalanen’s debut album Äärelä was released. Other milestones in Paalanen’s career include the album Breathbox, produced by Kimmo Pohjonen in 2010, and the album Meluta, released in 2014, which was nominated for both the Teosto Award and the Nordic Council Music Award.
Paalanen’s long career has also had challenges. In the early 2000s, he suffered from severe tinnitus and hypersensitivity, which almost put an end to his career in music. Returning home to Alavus provided some much-needed distance, and gradually his ears began to recover, even though the tinnitus has not completely disappeared. Crohn’s disease, which Antti has suffered from since his military service, has also brought challenges to his work as a musician, which involves a lot of travelling.
His international breakthrough was at the WOMEX showcase concert in Copenhagen in 2011.
– That was when my international career really kicked off, Paalanen recalls.
The release of the album Rujo (2019) raised Antti’s international profile to a new level, and since then he has performed throughout Europe – France in particular – as well as in the USA and Japan.
Paalanen channels eternal energy
As a singer, Paalanen's trademark is a low growl that is based on a throat singing technique. It is a vocal technique where the voice is formed in the throat. The Kargyraa technique used by Paalanen produces a deep, guttural and growling sound.
He sees throat singing as a channel that opens up primitive energy in both himself and the audience. Paalanen says he became familiar with throat singing for the first time during his studies. For Paalanen, the throat singing technique opened up a new level of expression and physicality.
– I have never felt like a singer. I have always been an instrumentalist, until I found this sound, which is something completely different, Paalanen says.
In throat singing, Paalanen is fascinated by its primitive communal power, a feeling of connection to ancestors and something greater.
– These frequencies make me lose my sense of time. At its best, the concerts are almost trance-like for both myself and the audience, Paalanen says.
During Paalanen’s concerts, not only the audience but also the artist sink into deep relaxation.
– Whenever I start singing, I relax. This is a really therapeutic way of singing, it has something really purifying and spiritual, Paalanen explains.
The artist had one of his most powerful experiences in Sweden at the Urkult festival. Paalanen remembers how the audience stayed and continued to sing for an hour after the performance ended.
– They danced, shouted and sang the last song. I felt like my job was done. I don't see myself as the power but as a channel for that energy.
The mullet brought the inner child to life
Paalanen's UMK song Takatukka is about his mullet. The song’s message is that bringing joy and love to the world spreads it to others.
– The message of the song somehow made me find my own youth and inner child. I was a big heavy metal fan when I was younger, and I had my first mullet perm at the age of 12. The text has a lot of depth, it makes the soul buzz.
UMK is a big milestone for Paalanen and something he has been dreaming of during his long career. His family have always been fans of the Eurovision Song Contest, and the Tuliterä family band of the Paalanens played the most popular hits every summer at the Kaustinen folk music festival.
– Thinking about my background in folk music and everything I have been through, this is a really big thing for me.
However, his future dreams remain unchanged.
– The most important things are joy, energy, and a sense of community. If someone discovers something new about themselves through my music, I have succeeded.
Even though he has gained new listeners through his international performances, Paalanen’s main dream with UMK is that more and more Finns find his music and energy.
– Yes, I hope and believe that through UMK the joys of accordion music and throat singing will spread from Ostrobothnia to the Australian plains.
