What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

I was born in 1983 in the smallest town in Finland with the longest name of them all: Kristiinankaupunki. So I’m a 36-year-old poet, musician and filmmaker (all self-made). I’m also a dance movement therapist and during my studies I got fascinated with filming dance and turning those films into art. At first I added poems and sounds of field recordings to my films, but soon I started craving for proper music. And since it was hard to find good royalty free stock music, I decided to try and create music myself. I downloaded GarageBand and started to experiment. Soon I liked it more than creating videos, so I skipped the filming part and concentrated on making more and better music.

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

My latest effort was to create a “Greatest Hits” album, because hey, why not. But I decided to call it Greatest Misses instead, which I think is just an inside joke inside my head, eh. https://soundcloud.com/h_mo/sets/greatest-misses

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

Well, I was born in the eighties, so I guess my childhood soundtrack was that of the late eighties and early nineties MTV supply, it must have made a nest in my brain somewhere. I also love anything and everything border-crossing in arts and in life in general, so any artist who bends and breaks boundaries is to my liking. No name-dropping here, unfortunately.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

Because I started to make music from a place of childlike curiosity and a desire to play, I think my music is quite free and expressive in essence. I also strive for honesty when it comes to how I feel when creating music which I hope translates into sounds and lyrics. And I truly wish any soul listening to my music can feel themselves rooted a bit deeper in the moment. I also use field recordings in most of my songs and improvise in my singing which I believe create quite an organic vibe.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

Erykah Badu: Mama’s Gun, Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, Hang Playing Hedge Monkeys: Vesica Piscis, The Sound Of Music, Little Miss Sunshine, Waking Ned Devine, Mika Waltari: Sinuhe The Egyptian, Anthony de Mello: Awareness, Neale Donald Walsch: Conversations With God

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

I’ve performed live once, singing Feeling Good by Nina Simone and Ordinary World by Duran Duran and it was absolutely horrible! I was so nervous I couldn’t stop shaking. But I will do it again, someday, maybe.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

Not yet. Please ask me to fill in this questionnaire again in a year or two, I hope to have a funny story by then (when I’ve had a longer career in music)!

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

This is a matter of the heart. I’d probably say When I Want it to Scream as the lyrics are so painfully real and the soundscape is a collection of field recordings from dear places all around the world.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

I have absolutely none and I love it! I’m free to take on any intriguing challenge thrown my way.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

Photo credits: Kati Saari Photography

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

Recommended listening:

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Connect with Hanna Ojala:

https://soundcloud.com/h_mo

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOciWsXO_7cDSrveFlwSmkA