Värttinä: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Anon Egeland
• Wimme
• Väsen
• Bäsk
• JPP
• Loituma
• Hedningarna

• Pekka Lehti
• Mari Kaasinen

• Janne Lappalainen
• Kari Reiman
• Antto Varilo
• Sari Kaasinen
• Sirpa Reiman

Formed:

Jan 1, 1983

Genres:

Folk & Roots Music, World & International Music, World Music By Country, World Music By Culture

Decades Active:

1980's|1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

High

Cultural Impact

Medium

Popularity

High

Ratings Guide

One of the most internationally successful acts to emerge from the contemporary Finland music scene, Värttinä revitalized the nation's folk traditions with an aggressive and ultra-modern style which eschewed not only the costumes of their ancestors but also the long-accepted cultural notion that women should sing unaccompanied. A product of the the folk music department at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy, Värttinä formed in the early 1980s, its 21 original members all previously associated with an area youth group; over time their ranks gradually slimmed down, and by the early 1990s the group primarily consisted of vocalists Sari Kaarinen, Mari Kaasinen, Kirsi Kahkonen and Sirpa Reiman, backed by an ever-revolving lineup of backing musicians. Their records, beginning with 1991's Oi Dai, revived the unique polyphonic music of the Finno-Ugric people of Karelia, a region of eastern Finland extending into Russia; 1992's Seleniko) lead the band to their first US tour. Subsequent albums such as 1995's Aitara and the following year's Kokko launched Värttinä to European superstardom, and various festival dates accross Europe allowed Värttinä's momentum to sustain. Vihma was released on Paddy Maloney's (The Chieftains) Wicklow Records in 1997, reaching top spots on the CMJ charts. It was followed a year later by the downtempo holiday album Can We Have Christmas Now? Unfortunately, Wicklow had went under by the turn of the century, leaving Värttinä without a US distributor for its 2000 release Ilmater. But specialty Nordic label Northside saved the day, issuing the album stateside in 2001. The album was still staunchly traditionalist, but continued the group's experimentation with original composition and electronic programming. The triumphant Live in Helsinki followed a year later; In March 2003 Värttinä celebrated its twentieth year with the clear-eyed, intimate Iki.

- Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide