Ethno-pop artist Vilma Jää is a powerful force who brings folk music into the mainstream by fusing tradition with pop. On her debut album Kosto, released in autumn 2023, Vilma Jää tells age-old stories, blending traditional folk instruments with synthetic beats, as Finno-Ugric traditions flirt with pop aesthetics. Her feminist music addresses contemporary issues through a historical lens, revealing just how much – or how little – has changed, especially when it comes to women’s rights.

Vilma Jää is a singer, composer, fiddler, and researcher active in folk, pop, and opera, holding a Master of Music degree. Her role as a folk singer in Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence received international acclaim after its premiere in July 2021. In 2024, Kosto won the Ethno Album of the Year award at the Emma Gala and the Folk Music Album of the Year at the Eläköön FOLK! Gala, and it was nominated for the Teosto Prize. The singles Saatanan saalistaja and Humalahullu were featured on the YleX playlist, and Jäinen neiti on the Radio Suomi playlist. In 2022, a panel of music experts ranked Saatanan saalistaja among the top 100 world songs in a Helsingin Sanomat survey. YleX listed Vilma Jää as one of their breakthrough artists of 2023.