Paperi T, pehmoaino

Two Emma award-winning artists with great respect for one another take to the Huvila stage, one of whom is releasing a new album after a five-year break while the other is preparing her debut album.

The award-winning Helsinki-based rap artist and poet Paperi T returns to the limelight with his third solo album Joka päivä jotain katoaa, to be released in May. Having begun his career in the cult hip hop group Ruger Hauer, the artist released his first solo album Malarian pelko in 2015. The debut sold platinum and went straight to the top of the Finnish chart upon release. In 2016, Paperi T received two Emma awards (Best new artist and best hip hop of the year) as well as a prestigious Teosto award. The best-selling poetry work Post Alfa was also published the same year and nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize. 

Paperi T’s second solo album Kaikki on hyvin (2018) sold gold and debuted as number one on the Finnish album chart, staying on the charts for 22 weeks. The joint album HBD RIP by Paperi T and Khidi was released in 2020, reaching number two on the album chart.

Paperi T’s solo works have been streamed a total of nearly 47 million times. During his career, he has worked widely in the field of art: Paperi T has collaborated with, for example, Lauri Porra, Pekka Kuusisto and Paavoharju, and realised a joint work with the world-famous artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset for their Espoo Museum of Modern Art exhibition in 2020.

The evening’s opening act is pehmoaino, who makes personal and touching pop music with indie influences and has become one of Finland’s biggest music phenomena over the last year. Having won the Emma awards for best alternative and best new artist this year, pehmoaino went to the top of the album list with the EP kaukana kotoa and to the top of the singles chart with haluun takas mun perhoset.

Pehmoaino is currently working on her debut album, with the first single release sisko älä pelkää rising to popularity during last summer’s gigs. 

Having made music since childhood, the singer-songwriter’s music combines touching melodies and lyrics with an open-minded and surprising production. In the world of pehmoaino, fun and tenderness, danceability and mood-creation as well as experimentation and approachability are not mutually exclusive.