Singer-songwriter inspired by Tove Jansson comes to Sello Hall

Désirée’s path to a singer-songwriter started in the 1990s with the establishment of her folk rock band Jane Raven. These days, Désirée performs both as a solo act and with her band Désirée Saarela & Triskel.

As a folk singer, Désirée specialises in traditional Finnish-Swedish folk music and folk songs. Her interpretation and storytelling bring a modern edge to these songs and stories about the past. Her most emblematic songs have been compared to work by musicians like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Ulf Lundell.

Désirée first found her interest in music with the boom of Irish music. She listened to Sinéad O'Connor and The Cranberries and made several trips to Ireland because of the local music scene.

- On the west coast of Ireland, buskers were held to high regard and it was possible to spot truly talented singers there. I also found the courage to sing and perform in pubs between other acts until I finally started doing my own gigs, Désirée explains the early days of her career.

Since then, Désirée has completed a degree in Music Education with a major in folk songs and a Master's degree in folk music from the Sibelius Academy at Uniarts Helsinki. 

In addition to Irish music, the singer-songwriter finds inspiration especially from Tove Jansson, her role model.

- I would have loved to get to meet Tove! I like her life philosophy and her way of describing people. Everyone gets to be who they are and somehow, everyone still gets along. That’s a good lesson to also keep in mind today. Tove’s ideas have influenced my song-writing process by giving me the courage to express myself genuinely, Désirée says about her idol.

Saarela’s recently published ninth album Annanland (Eng. Other country) has a song about Tove. Other inspirations to the songs on the album include Vincent van Gogh.

Tove live performance(external link, opens in a new window) (YouTube)
Listen to Tove(external link, opens in a new window) (Spotify)

Désirée grew up in a bilingual family. She spoke Swedish with her mum and Finnish with her dad. Originally from the Helsinki Metropolitan Region, Désirée moved to a Swedish-speaking area in Ostrobothnia when she was 5 and still lives in a Swedish-speaking area now.

- The Swedish Week and the Finnish Swedish Heritage Day are important to me. My youngest son was even born on the Finnish Swedish Heritage Day! It is important to keep in mind that minority languages and cultures are in a challenging position. It would be good if there were more ways to commemorate them throughout the year, Désirée says.

Désirée encourages everyone to come see her perform, regardless of their mother tongue. She is used to performing around Europe, often for audiences who do not know one lick of Swedish.

- Tear down the barriers! In the end, the language of a performance doesn’t really matter. Music is universal and you can listen to it in many different languages. All kinds of culture are needed, Désirée summarises.

During Désirée’s solo performance in Sello Hall on Tuesday 4 November, she will talk to the audience in Finnish in between songs. The songs are in Swedish and English. This is also a highly audiovisual show, as the songs will be accompanied by art animations by screen artist Mali Skinnar, created specifically for each song.

• Read more about the concert in Sello Hall on the espoo.fi website: Matinée: Désirée Saarela: Annanland | City of Espoo on 4 November
• Music video for Tove with Malin Skinnar’s animation(external link, opens in a new window) (YouTube)
• Find out more about Désirée Saarela on her website.(external link, opens in a new window)
• The Swedish Week (Swedish: svenska veckan) takes place every November in connection with the Finnish Swedish Heritage Day on 6 November. (external link, opens in a new window)

Désirée loves going to art exhibitions and theatre and spotted a lot of good options for culture in the event calendar for November.

- I was just admiring CultureEspoo’s event page. Wow, there is so much going on! 

After a long pause, Désirée picked out four events:   

• Mirja Klippel (Sun 2 November Espoo Cultural Centre) Great songs, atmospheric music. She is an awesome Finnish-born singer who lives in Denmark.
• Historiska eftermiddagar: Fästningsbyggarna på Sveaborg på 1750-talet (Wed 5 November KAMU Espoo City Museum) Language: Swedish
  "If you are even a little bit interested in history. It’s about the Suomenlinna fortress from hundreds of years ago. I also pen songs about history, specifically about the Finnish war children."
• Children’s Weekend (Fri 21 – Sun 23 November) 
  "If only I lived closer! There is a light show, theatre... Versatile programme is always interesting, so I’m sure there’s something for any child! What a difficult choice."
• FlipFlop children’s music band (Tue 25 November Sello Hall – fully booked) Languages: Finnish and Swedish
  "I wish I could see this show - their energy is off the charts! Big ensemble and talented artists. I always listen to their songs with my children."

See what else is going on here: Cultural events in Espoo.