The queen of Finnish female rockers is not afraid of the winds of the pop world.
Maija Vilkkumaa, 50, is one of Finland’s brightest stars in the music sky.
In 1990, Maija founded Shelter groupof a band called Five years later, the band broke up and Maija started her solo career. He gained the popularity of the entire nation with his radio hits Satumaa tango, No mixed Ingalsin Laura.
During the concert summer vacation, he is focused Bosslady-musical together with dramaturg-playwright and director of the work Satu Rasila and musician-conductor Eeva Kontu.
– The first version of the piece was broadcast on Yle in 2017. I’ve been doing this for a really long time.
The musical premieres at the end of September.
– I decided to do it Songs from the musical Bosslady– album, which I will release at the same time.
Maija reveals that the songs on the album sound like they are Maija Vilkumaan on the disc.
Maija says that she gained strength in the musical world through Kontu. The two worked together in the Helsinki City Theater’s 2017 big musical Myrskyluoto Maija.
Having studied screenwriting, Maija finally dared to take up the challenge.
– The musical created on the theater stage was new to me as a writer, although the form is otherwise familiar. The themes and the idea were clear, but how to organize the story into a musical was challenging. Satu came along and it was an important element in the whole. This has been done all along in such a good mood.
The work was created both in London during writing trips and in the peace of the countryside at Kontu’s cabin.
“Artistius is the roof thing”
Maija has made a name for herself outside of music as well. He has written The woman on the roof – novel, wrote and produced music for himself and others, created radio shows, performed on television. Under the umbrella of the art field, there doesn’t seem to be a challenge that he wouldn’t want to tackle, within the scope of his own skills. He will also graduate with a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Helsinki in 2023.
– Somehow, a certain kind of songwriting and artistry is such an umbrella thing. I don’t think there is an artist-me that I put on and do other things. I feel like it’s me all the time. When you get on stage, you have to think that you are a rock star, which you don’t think about when painting with red mud paint on the ground.
“The moment of going on stage is in a certain way a party, where you are in an elevated state and get dressed. Then the performer-me is more strongly on display.” Miia Sirén
“When I’m on stage, I try to spread non-judgment towards myself and others, and love.” Miia Sirén
Having had a long career in the Finnish music scene, Maija says that she has adapted relatively quickly to the changed operating environment. One of the most significant changes of the 21st century was music streaming services.
– A playlist mechanism was born on Daniel Ek’s desk, which changed the music industry.
Over the years, the focus in the industry has shifted to radio play and live performances.
– Yes, I have experienced it and felt it, a certain kind of pressure. Commercial pressure has always existed in the music industry and it is organically connected to popular music and I have always accepted it.
However, he approaches the whirlwinds and vagaries of the music world with Tyyne’s calm.
– If my songs don’t have listeners, my songs don’t exist.
– It measures whether something is good only in my head, or whether it resonates with others as well.
“In pop music in particular, different technologies and the changing world immediately begin to affect how music is made and how it sounds.” Miia Sirén
According to Maija, one of the challenges of this time is preserving the vision of an artist or creator in the midst of all the commercial pressure and competition.
– I started so early, so I was able to joke around a bit on that side. However, I have my own established audience.
The songs tell about society
Although the artist does not directly feel that his songs or lyrics are politically opinionated, he has been seen at demonstrations and defending his values in public. Breakthrough hit Satumaa bar the lyrics are related to the 1997 fur farm fair in Orimattila. The words “I’ll shoot you with a shotgun, I’ll put you in jail” related to a situation where a fur farmer shot activists who invaded his farm.
The Elokapina movement made headlines in 2020 when the police sprayed gas on protesters sitting in the street. Maija reposted the immortal words on social media. After the events, then Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo said that “the use of force must always be a last resort and there must be compelling reasons for it”.
However, an artist who has toured concert stages for years is inevitably important and what he says has weight.
– I have always written about social issues. Although no one understood the fur farm reference, people did understand that Fairy tale tango told about the use of power in society.
Maija says that she does not make music for political gain, and she feels that the power of music is used as a means of manipulation in referendums, for example.
– It has been difficult for me for a long time. I don’t want to participate in it myself.
– I want to describe people and similar anxieties and contradictions within people.
Despite the popularity, fame and opinions, the songwriter strives to create art in the first place.
– If I were an influencer and I already decide in advance what the work will be like, it is no longer art. It lacks all the elements of a work of art. That’s what I’m trying to protect and at the same time I’m trying to resist that influence.
Not afraid of children growing up
The 50-year-old mother of two, who is actively involved in various art forms and television programs, says that she enjoys doing something versatile.
“Everything I do goes through the values of my worldview and my artistry.” Miia Sirén
“I don’t feel bitter or angry about album tracks made with the heart’s blood that get lost somewhere and don’t find listeners. It is accepted that not many people always come to the gig.” Miia Sirén
– Music-related reality TV is interesting, and even though it works within the framework of an entertainment program, you can really tell your own experience and perspective on what it’s like to make music.
When the children were small, he took a break”Maija from Vilkumaa“. After they grew up a little, time for artistry was found again. Currently, one of the children is starting middle school and the other is continuing to the second grade of high school.
During the past summer, Maija has spent quality time with her children, making a musical trip to London, and the trio also went to see Coldplay’s concert at the Olympic Stadium.
– I think children are nice at any age, but with a 3-4 year old, for example, it’s more intense. With the older ones, it’s wonderful that they are company, like friends. At the same time, they are their own beloved children.
Maija is not afraid of the “empty nest syndrome” in advance.
– I think it’s wonderful to follow that dream of a future own home. Yes, I’m happy with them about the new stages of life, but it’s probably pretty quiet at home.
Although Maija started her career as a female rocker in 1990, she does not feel that she was a trailblazer or trailblazer.
– I think that the world had become one where it was possible. Girls have certainly had the same dreams and the ability to make songs throughout the ages. Nowadays, there are more artists and songwriters, but the situation has not changed much in terms of structures.
Maija wants to continue resonating together with society, people and the surrounding world.
– A person does not understand anything about the world alone.
Makeup: Laura Rantaniemi, Style: Eero Boök.
Collar: H&M, Body: Zalando, Shoes: Asos, Top: Zalando, Dress: The Finnish National Romance Museum, Gloves: Sauco, Belt: Morticia.
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