By: Staff
Jenny Räisänen delivered "Breathe," and its cinematic beauty and performance will awe audiences worldwide.
This formally trained, emotion-evoking artist brings new horizons to your mindset on music and its connection with life, demonstrating how breathing is essential. Hearing this deep and introspective artist convey the lyrics and message of this song, we were blown away and instantly hooked. The raw energy and passion in her voice is rare. She's not just singing, but living every word. Her unique style blends genres seamlessly, incorporating influences from jazz, indie rock, and even a hint of electronica, all wrapped in a soul-stirring package. What sets Räisänen apart is how she makes you feel. It's not just about the music – it's about the experience. You'll find yourself closing your eyes, swaying to the rhythm, and maybe even shedding a tear or two.
Jenny is from Finland, a land of thousands of lakes and forests. Her aesthetics combine modern indie pop and Finnish folklore.
The indie-pop ballad "Breathe" is breathtaking in its minimalistic beauty. It offers hope in challenging situations by encouraging focus on the most important thing: breathing. Supported by piano and strings, the mind-blowing vocals deliver a performance that could wow even as a ballad. Evoking intimate and tender feelings, the calm, soft tempo creates a soothing and safe atmosphere to overcome heavy emotions.
The song expresses feelings of going through difficult times, emphasizing that life is not important without breathing. It suggests moving forward one moment at a time, a sentiment many can relate to.
With over 20 years of experience in Finnish bands, Jenny still loves to study a wide range of styles and genres. While starting her solo career, she attended the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, graduating with first-class honors in songwriting. Jenny's solo debut album, "Tell Me The Story Again," was released in November 2023.
This song, "Breathe," was engineered by an incredible group of individuals who are outlined below in the interview; be sure to read on for exciting details about the creation of this song.
The song is available on all major platforms. Listeners are encouraged to playlist, stream, and share "Breathe" by Jenny Räisänen today!
Powerful Quote about this Artist:
“For singer-songwriter Jenny Räisänen, the most important thing in music is to convey emotions. For her, music is a way of dealing with challenges. She hopes that the listeners will find power and comfort in the songs. The certainty that they are not alone, offering a way to go through difficult emotions. This is what Breathe is all about.”
Wait, there's more!
We caught up with this exciting and emerging artist, for:
“The Cage” Music Blog, to talk about music and learn more about them.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview
We see that you moved to Ireland and at the same time went to school and started a career in music. The story sounds both arduous and fulfilling and we are honestly very impressed. Can you tell us more about this?
Actually, my music career started more than 20 years ago. I have performed in Finnish bands and released music with them. I have also been teaching music for around ten years. But it's true that I started my solo career three years ago. At the same time, I moved to Ireland and started studying for an MA in songwriting. I also started making music in English to reach an international audience.
It felt natural to make those changes at the same time. I've been honing my music for three years into a form that feels very much my own. Living in Ireland has supported my goals and brought perspectives to my music that feel good.
Can you tell the fans something they might not know about you and why you create music?
When I was about 20 years old, I was asked to join politics because a politician had become familiar with my music. I seriously thought it because I really have a lot to say. However, I decided that my way of influencing and saying things is not politics. My way is to make music.
I have an inner necessity to make music. It's my way of dealing with my emotions and things overall and connecting with people. Music is my way of expressing myself and generally exists.
You talk about breathing and we thought about this and how life begins with the basic elements. We recently saw a video about how to calm oneself with breathing, and hearing you bring it up made us think of how important it is in music. You connected that to life. Can you describe to us your method and technique for accomplishing this?
Breathing. Basic thing, but we forget it so often. As a singer and vocal coach, breathing is one basic element. It is part of the technique and, as you mentioned, one effective way to calm the nervous system, for example, when we are nervous. So it is a powerful tool in dealing with stage fright. But with this song, I wanted to remind people that when we are at our weakest, the most important thing is to breathe and we can forget everything else for a moment. Later we might have more power to focus on other things.
Can you walk us through your songwriting process and where the inspiration comes from for this latest project?
Often I have only one word, phrase or theme that starts everything. This time I had this line: 'Breathe, everything else is optional.' I actually heard that line in a yoga video, haha.. The song has nothing to do with yoga, hahaha.. it was just a very interesting line and immediately gave the feeling and thoughts. I kind of 'see' feelings that I want to convey, and then I start putting those feelings and images into words. I try to describe details that could give listeners the same feelings as I got. I almost always have the draft lyrics first and then I start humming and trying out chords with the piano. I adjust the words to the melody. Sometimes the melody leads and sometimes the harmony gives the right mood. This time they appeared pretty much at the same time.
Who decided on the theme for your artwork and what was the inspiration and intention for the observer to absorb from it?
Some fans have probably noticed that the artwork for my last three singles is from the same image. I have my album artwork ready and I'm using parts of the artwork for my singles. I took the picture myself and got the idea to split it into parts. The final layout is by Juhani Konttinen.
What instrument do you use as the foundation to start your musical creations with?
I use piano and vocals. Sometimes I want to try a different sound with the MIDI, but I almost always use the piano. Sometimes I collaborate with other musicians and create a piece together, but mainly I work with the piano. I create a rough demo early on in Logic Pro to hear the song and be able to experiment and change ideas quickly.
What has been the most motivating force in creating your music?
Life. It's so versatile. There is so much to write. Many things trouble or move me, and then I must write. I'm a very emotional person and I feel things very deeply. I always want to capture a feeling and it's been pretty easy so far because I feel things so strongly.
Which of your already released songs is the most important to you, or closest to your heart for personal reasons?
This latest one, Breathe, because the message is so important to me. I have faced challenging situations in my life and I believe most of us have. As I was writing this, I was thinking about the time when my brother was dying. He had cancer. I listened to his breathing and just hoped he keep breathing. So, I think the lyrics are pretty universal, but they can also touch on a very personal level.
Another important song for me is That Day. It's about living in the moment. We only have this moment, so how do we spend it? I've been thinking about re-recording it for my new album.
If there was one thing you could change about the music industry, what would it be?
There is a lot of good music in the world that will never be heard. I would like to give more power to indie artists. We should support each other more because then we all only win.
Was there ever a time when you emotionally felt, “I can’t do this anymore”? Can you tell us why this happened and how you found the strength to continue?
When I was younger, I was bad at tolerating competition. I didn't like that you had to compete in music. Another thing is when I get nasty comments that even don't always have anything to do with my music but for example, how I look, I wonder why on earth I have to put up with this. Returning to the question 'Why am I doing this' helps to keep going. I stopped making music at some point, but I had to come back and I'm not going to stop anymore. I can't. I know it.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Follow your own path and don't compare yourself to others. Referring to the previous question, I could say that it has also been a decisive factor. I have found my own way of doing things. Of course, I want to improve, but I don't compare myself to others, I focus on what I do.
We have experienced that many people perform acts of selflessness each day. Once your artistry has reached far and wide, how will you use that more powerful voice to have a bigger positive impact on our world?
I hope my music does that already. I want to help artists and young people in every way. I teach all the time and I believe in positive pedagogy. I also believe in positivity in life. It doesn't mean that we don't improve, it's just how we say things and what we focus on. I believe that people can grow if they feel safe. Positivity also does not mean that we cannot convey sad or negative feelings. Everything we do must be genuine and honest. If we nurture inner beauty, we also spread it to our surroundings.
End Interview
Check out this latest release and listen to more of Jenny Räisänen on Spotify & YouTube.
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