Islaja

Islaja

Background information
Birth name	Merja Kokkonen
Also known as	Islaja
Born	(1979-05-19) 19 May 1979 (age 45) Helsinki, Finland
Origin	Finland
Genres	Folk, experimental, acid folk
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, musician
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Fonal

Website	islaja.com

Musical artist

Islaja or Merja Kokkonen (born 19 May 1979) is a singer-songwriter and musician from Helsinki, Finland.^[1] Besides her solo career, she is a member of free improv and psychedelic folk bands Avarus, Kemialliset Ystävät, and the trio Hertta Lussu Ässä.^[2]

She has been compared to Björk, Syd Barrett, and Nico.

Her music is psychedelic and intimate using a large variety of instruments. She is a multi-instrumentalist.^[3]

As of 2017, she is based in Berlin.^[4]

Discography

Meritie (Fonal, 2004)
Palaa aurinkoon (Fonal, 2005)
Ulual Yyy (Fonal, 2007)
Blaze Mountain Recordings (Ecstatic Peace, 2008)
Keraaminen Pää (Fonal, 2010)
S U U (Monika Enterprise, 2014)
Tarrantulla (Svart Records, 2017)

Also appears on

Beginner's Guide to Scandinavia (3CD, Nascente 2011)

Images

Islaja, 2006
Islaja, 2006

References

^ Leitko, Aaron (23 August 2010). "Islaja: Keraaminen Pää". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
^ Stosuy, Brandon (19 September 2007). "Islaja: Ulual Yyy". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
^ Derek (2007). "Islaja". The Wire (278): 12. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
^ Hannah, Andrew (13 December 2017). "Finland's Islaja unveils the huge, glitching glacier of new track "Sadetta"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 14 January 2021.