Päivi Hirvonen is a musician, composer and singer, who's a linchpin figure in the Finnish folk music scene. Blending tradition with innovation, she is best known for being a true virtuoso when it comes to the fiddle and the jouhikko - a traditional Finnish bowed lyre. It’s an instrument which musicians almost entirely assigned to history by the early 20th century but - good news! - it has, in recent years, started enjoying something of a revival.  

 

Päivi was born in Jyväskylä, a city in the centre of Finland, that has been described as “The Athens of Finland. These days, however, she lives in Tampere. 

 

In our interview, Päivi talks about creating her last album, 'Kallio', during the pandemic and she also reflects on how the way she worked then has moved on to bear out on her next record, which will be out in the spring. 

 

As a member of the band Okra Playground - one of Finland’s leading contemporary folk ensembles -  Päivi also gets to regularly collaborate with other musicians. Our conversation touches on how she determines whether a new emerging song would be going to Okra Playground or remain as a solo track and what it’s been like working with her bandmates over the last 14 years or so. 

 

The playlist below is dedicated to some of the gems from Päivi’s back catalogue, including some of her work with the band.