Lapua workshops create 14 new village songs

Fourteen new songs about villages in and around Lapua, in South Ostrobothnia, have been written and composed in workshops led by songwriter Heikki Salo of Miljoonasade and composer-songwriter Tuija Rantalainen, Yle reports.

The songs were performed for the first time on Friday at the Sydänkylien Elojuhla event at the Tiistenjoki youth association hall in Lapua. The project aimed to bring new life to village communities and tell their stories.

Most of the participants had little or no previous songwriting experience. More than 100 people from across Finland applied for the workshops, including applicants from Inari in northern Finland. Fourteen were selected, and each wrote a song.

The songs address contemporary and universal themes, including love, loneliness and feeling like an outsider. They span several musical styles, including punk, blues, rap and folk music.

One participant, Arttu Nikkari from the Männikkö village in Lapua, said he had nearly left when he arrived at the workshop because he felt uncertain about taking part.

The workshop leaders said the participants’ limited experience was not apparent in the finished songs. Salo said the instructors work closely with the writers, offering different levels of support depending on what each person needs.

The songs were created through the Kylä kantaa workshops, which received a grant of 14,000 euros from the South Ostrobothnia Cultural Foundation. The organisers hope to develop the concept for use in other Finnish villages.