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"My role is to build bridges between cultures": Vilma Talvitie on New Album 'Olio / Alien'

The Finnish singer-songwriter discusses her nomad folk philosophy, Piano Body Percussion, travelling across four continents, finding belonging between cultures, and the experiences that shaped her new album Olio / Alien.

By Eugenia RoditisMusicngear Editor

Photo credit: Ira Aaltonen

Over the past decade, Finnish singer-songwriter and one-woman band artist Vilma Talvitie has travelled and performed across more than 30 countries, absorbing sounds, traditions, and perspectives along the way. The result is what she calls nomad folk; music shaped by movement, cultural exchange, and a deep curiosity about how people experience the world.

Her new album, Olio / Alien, explores feelings of otherness, belonging, and life between cultures through acoustic arrangements, folk traditions, and a cast of symbolic outsiders ranging from witches and fairies to extraterrestrials. At the heart of the record lies a question that emerged during her time in Istanbul: why are we so afraid of the unfamiliar?

In this interview, Vilma discusses the experiences that inspired Olio / Alien, the evolution of her distinctive Piano Body Percussion concept, the influence of Balkan and Turkish music, and why building bridges between cultures has become central to both her art and identity.

Eugenia Roditis, Musicngear: You describe your music as "nomad folk"... How have those experiences influenced your songwriting and identity as an artist?

Travelling has opened my eyes to different ways of being a musician and an artist. I’ve become increasingly drawn to more collective approaches to making music and building community around it. The connections and networks formed at international “Ethno” music camps have strongly influenced my mindset and, through that, my compositions.

Travelling has also made me look at my own culture from the outside, which contributed to the creation of Olio / Alien. Different languages and cultures divide reality in different ways, and this has led me to question what we consider “normal.” My curiosity started through travelling, and in songwriting, I’m still more interested in asking questions than giving answers.

Influences from the Balkans and Turkey have also introduced me to odd time signatures like 7/8, 9/8 and 11/8. Along the way, I’ve learned different instruments and body percussion practices, which eventually shaped my Piano Body Percussion concept.

I feel my role is to build bridges between cultures — even my surname, Talvitie, refers to ice bridges between islands.

Musicngear: "Olio / Alien" seems deeply connected to feelings of otherness and living between cultures. Was there a specific moment during your time in Istanbul when the emotional core of this album suddenly became clear to you?

[image:halfleft:1]Yes. The title track Olio / Alien, was born during my first longer stay in Istanbul, when I spent three months there.

One day, I was wandering through the city and nothing felt familiar or grounding. A strong sense of loneliness and otherness grew throughout the day. Eventually, I ended up in a shopping mall café where I could get something close to European coffee.

There, I started writing a stream of consciousness that later became the core of the song and the whole album. It felt like a temporary breakdown of identity — as if everything I thought I knew about myself and the world dissolved.

Looking back, it was also a kind of awakening. It forced me to face my need for belonging and the internal contradictions between solitude and connection.
 

Musicngear: The album includes witches, extraterrestrials, fairies, bullied children, and other outsider figures. What drew you toward telling these stories through symbolic or almost mythical characters instead of approaching the themes more directly?

I often experience otherness as a paradox — being visible yet isolated, like an animal in a zoo. Symbolic characters help me express that feeling.

Witches, fairies and extraterrestrials also point to the idea that humans are not the centre of everything. We tend to separate ourselves from nature and other beings, and mythology reminds us that reality is far more complex than our human perspective.

In Keijut reivaa (“The Fairies Rave”), for example, the fairies question our Western tendency to live too much inside our heads. They invite us back into the body, movement and embodied experience.
 

Musicngear: Your live concept, Piano Body Percussion, is incredibly physical and unusual. When you first started striking the piano, using claps, snaps, and body rhythms as part of the performance, did it immediately feel natural, or did you have to overcome a fear of breaking traditional ideas about how a pianist "should" perform?

I come from a classical background and studied piano for over 15 years before expanding into other musical directions at the Sibelius Academy.

Over time, I became interested in folk and rhythm-based music, as well as learning by ear. I started saying yes to many different projects and instruments, simply out of curiosity and necessity.

Piano Body Percussion was born during the pandemic, when I was stranded in Germany. In the communal house where I stayed, there was an old grand piano that almost invited me to play its wooden body as percussion. It felt surprisingly natural.

That likely came from earlier experiences with body rhythm, percussion and international folk music gatherings. Before that, I also went through a long period of not playing piano due to physical and psychosomatic issues. This new approach helped me reconnect with the instrument in a healthier way.
 

Musicngear: Since Musicngear is all about gear and musicianship, we’d love to know more about the technical side of your setup: what instruments, microphones, percussion tools, or recording gear became essential while creating "Olio / Alien"?

Most songs start from a piano and voice idea, but very quickly, I bring in physical rhythm: a cajón kick pedal played with my left foot, claps, snaps, and percussion on the piano body. The rhythm is not decorative — it directly shapes the harmonic and compositional language.

On stage, I use a minimalist setup. I travel with small percussion instruments, handmade elements, a stomp box, and a DPA headset microphone, which has been a key piece of reliable gear for me. I also use small bells, shakers, and wind chimes, as well as metallic “branches of the tree” (designed by my parents), which can be attached to a music stand and resemble a percussion tree.

Photo credit: Ira Aaltonen

Musicngear: Your music draws from different folk traditions, including Finnish, Balkan, and Turkish influences. When working with sounds and traditions connected to different cultures, how do you approach them in a way that feels personal and meaningful to you?

For me, local connection is essential. I don’t primarily learn music from videos or archives, but from people on the ground.

My understanding of Balkan and Turkish music comes from living there and playing with local musicians. The learning process is embodied and experiential rather than theoretical.

I believe you can only truly enter a tradition by living inside it — eating, moving, dancing and making music within it. That’s also why travelling by land feels important to me: it keeps the experience physical and continuous.
 

Musicngear: Which place changed you the most creatively, not necessarily because of the music itself, but because of the people, atmosphere, or way of life you encountered there?

The Turkish Roma community in Trakya, Turkey. Music and dance are deeply embedded in everyday life and social structure. Turkish Roma weddings and dance traditions have left a strong impression on me. Dance is not just performance — it is a way of strengthening community bonds and relationships. Musicians and dancers are in constant dialogue, and music exists very much in the present moment.

Musicngear: As a one-woman band artist, you carry a huge amount of responsibility alone, both creatively and practically. What have been the hardest challenges you’ve had to overcome in building this path for yourself, and what advice would you give artists trying to create something equally personal without losing confidence or direction?

For many years, I was a “generalist musician,” working across teaching, composition and different band projects. Eventually, it became exhausting because I didn’t yet have a clear artistic identity.

I started consciously narrowing my focus and turning down work in order to find my own voice.

The hardest part has been trusting that focus and limitation can actually create freedom. That less is actually more. 

My advice: building your own path often requires as much letting go as it does creating.
 

Musicngear: Looking at the release of "Olio / Alien", what matters most to you at this stage: reaching new listeners through streams, building a stronger international touring circuit, finding media coverage that truly understands the project, or something less measurable altogether?

I haven’t done much media outreach before and have mainly focused on social media and direct audience connection.

Now I understand I also need professional networks to support touring and booking. I’m not aiming for mass audiences, but for committed listeners and deeper connection.

Live performance is still the most important part of my work. I would also like to build tours that rely more on overland travel rather than flying.
 

Musicngear: Your music already feels borderless in spirit, so looking ahead, are there any artists, festivals, venues, or cultural spaces you dream of collaborating with or performing at? And beyond this album cycle, where do you see the nomad folk journey taking you next?

Right now, I want to deepen collaborations with existing partners, such as Turkish Roma musician Berke Yiğit Satılmış (with whom I have the duo Kalabalik), and continue developing our upcoming album blending Finnish, Turkish and Roma music.

I also want to work more with groups like Serbia’s Alice in WonderBand and the experimental folk/jazz improvisation collective The Weighted Keys (Finland/Estonia/US/Italy). I am also curious about working more on projects involving dance, theatre and clowning.

In the future, I’m especially drawn to interdisciplinary and theatre-based festivals where live performance can become more immersive, physical and visual.

Connect with Vilma Talvitie
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

About Eugenia Roditis

Eugenia's passion for music was ignited from an early age as she grew up in a family of musicians. She loves attending concerts and festivals, while constantly seeking fresh and exciting new artists across diverse genres. Eugenia joined the MusicnGear team in 2012.

Contact Eugenia Roditis at eugenia.roditis@kinkl.com

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