Islaja, a young visual artist and musician, lives and works in Helsinki , Finland and makes beautiful, spherical music. She has released two albums already on Fonal records: “Meritie” and “Palaa Aurinkoon”. Both of them are filled with experimental and folky tracks. She sings in her mother tongue, so I don’t understand a word she is saying, but she really knows how to create fairytale like moods. Time for some questions.

First could you tell us something about you?
My name is Merja, but when I do music I call myself Islaja. I live and work in Helsinki, Finland. I have made music ten years and Islaja was born in 2004. Fonal records put out my debut release in the same year and it found its way to the right hands. Jungle drum was banged, and I started to get more and more gigs. Soon after the second CD I went four month’s to the states. Now I’m in the position that almost everything I do has something to do with music.

Where does the name Islaja come from; does it have a special meaning?
I think that special meaning comes from the word Itself, it doesn’t mean anything but it creates different kinds of images. A friend of mine who is a linguist said that Islaja sounds like synthesis of all European languages. For me it has some salty water and glimpse of a lighthouse in it.

Is it hard to get noticed in Finland?
Yes and no. I have never tried to be noticed anywhere. But it helps if you get praises from outside Finland.

What artist’s has inspired you the most and did this change over the years?
I get my inspiration from other things than music. I changes all the time.

You are singing In Finnish, because of this your songs are very mysterious to me, is this important for you and do you think the Finnish lyrics are more special compared to English lyrics. And does it have a deeper meaning?
Maybe the deeper meaning is not to resign you to supremacy of English speaking world…the real reason I sing in finish, Is that it happens to be my mother language. I feel that lyrics are really important in my music, but obviously you can enjoy it without understanding anything.

What are the lyrics about? And is there a connection between the songs?
Maybe in ten years or something I see some logic in everything I do. Now I just write whatever I feel. That is sometimes senseless mud, sometimes-pure crystal.



The artwork on your CD’s are mysterious and colorful, do you think the artwork is an important aspect of the music?
Yes, definitely. I think good music is also visual, it tickles all your senses. I made all the artwork on my cd’s, so it has a close relationship to music, for me and for a listener.

It seems to me that Finnish people are not so connected to each other compared to people In the Netherlands. How do you see this, and do you think there is a different connection between the people in Finland and other countries?
There are many subcultures Is Finland and people with same interests tend to stick together. When it comes to friendship in music, I feel like there are no borderlines between countries anymore.

Most people here think Finnish music is mostly metal and hard rock. Do you think there is a truth in that or is it just what the media wants us to believe?
It is as you said… but If you look for information outside the mainstream media, you’ll find a lot of Interesting things happening

What kind of music are you listening to these days?
Mostly music from past decades -60 and -70: free jazz and French pop and film music. ghedalIa tazartes. avantgarde stuff. New great noise acts like Jessica Rylan, The Skaters and Double Leobards.

Do you have any Scandinavian bands you like at the moment or we should hear of?
Up-coming kemialliset ystävät album will blow minds. Cream becomes butter.

What can we expect in the future from you?
Two albums are coming out in the first part of the year. one from Fonal and other from Ecstatic peace. I continue doing good music. I´ll play lot of gigs and hopefully go touring in Japan.

This interview originally appeared on ratatosk. Check out the site and listen to two tracks of Islaja's second album " Palaa Aurinkoon".