Irina: Akustinen ilta

Irina, who became one of Finland’s top artists with her debut album in 2004, has released nine studio albums over the course of her career, which spans more than two decades. These albums include Vahva, winner of two Emma Awards, and the platinum-selling Älä riko kaavaa and Liiba laaba, among others. Irina is now releasing new versions of her well-known songs together with Accordionist Niko Kumpuvaara and Multi-instrumentalist Joakim Berghäll. The Akustinen ilta (Acoustic evening) EP, to be released on Friday 20 March, will be followed by a tour of the same name that will start in September.

The Akustinen ilta EP features new, stripped-down versions of some of Irina’s beloved hits. After the release, Irina will go on a tour of the same name, taking to the stage with Accordionist Niko Kumpuvaara and Multi-instrumentalist Joakim ‘Jusu’ Berghäll. The idea for an acoustic evening was born from Irina’s idea to look at familiar songs from a new perspective.

“The idea actually came about by chance. I was already familiar with Niko and I knew that he could make magic with the accordion. I told him that I’d been thinking about doing different arrangements of my own songs, and the idea took off,” Irina says.

At Kumpuvaara’s suggestion, Irina also invited Joakim Berghäll, who is well-known as a versatile multi-instrumentalist.

“I gave Niko and Jusu a list of songs and asked them to choose the ones that would get their arrangement juices flowing. They each had their own favourites, and together we came up with the final set,” Irina says.

The EP features new versions of the songs Liiba laaba, Filmi, Haluun olla yksin, Kuurupiloa and Koko kuva.

SEEING THE TEXTS IN A NEW LIGHT – THE TOUR WILL ONLY HAPPEN ONCE

The stripped-down instrumentation places the focus on the lyrics and interpretation of the songs.

“The new versions present the texts in a different light. For example, ‘Haluun olla yksin’ feels completely different in this version. There is perhaps more rage in the original – when you simplify the approach, the angle changes and the meanings deepen. This also enriches my own experience of these songs,” Irina explains.

The tour repertoire focuses on hit songs, but it also includes less-performed gems.

“I’m looking forward to new encounters with the audience – perhaps there will be people in the audience who have never been to my concerts before. Of course, I hope to see a lot of familiar faces. The atmosphere is expectant, hopeful and a little nervous. We’re only doing this once,” Irina says.

AN INTIMATE AND SURPRISING SET

Accordionist Niko Kumpuvaara feels that the project is bringing new nuances to Irina’s music.

“Irina has a huge number of great pop and rock songs. A small line-up in a concert hall setting will make the performance feel intimate and definitely even surprising in some ways for the fans. Irina is an incredible singer and can perform in any musical environment,” Kumpuvaara says.

Joakim Berghäll says that he approached the arrangement work intuitively.

“I don’t think about references. I listen to the text and consider how to make it sing and speak to people as intimately as possible. The line-up is so different from Irina’s albums that the atmosphere will inevitably change. A small band allows every evening to be different – we can live in the moment and improvise,” Berghäll says.

Duration: roughly 2 h, including intermission.

The floor: R18 alcohol serving area. The gallery: no age restrictions, no alcohol serving.