I’m proud to say that today is a good day. Why?  Because I’m totally Nuoli-fied and Nuoli-filled! Just now I’ve had the chance to sit down with Nuoli herself and slurp on a Skype- flavoured e-smoothie whilst asking her a few questions on behalf of my fan-like curiosity… Oh, and obviously because that’s my job and I’m a pro of course… So here’s what went on earlier this morning. Let me just warn you that it had a tiny bit of fun, a teeny bit of sadness, a weeny bit of weirdness and a whole lot of honesty… 

Why the name Nuoli? 
I have an arrow tattooed on my right arm and found out that in Finnish Nuoli means arrow. It was the first name that I actually felt suited the kind of genre and the music that I play, so that’s why I’m called that.
I certainly wouldn’t describe your music as “straight as a Finnish arrow”, but the word Nuoli sounds very warm… and friendly… Just like me… So how and when did you decide to become a musician?
I don’t think I decided to be a musician, I think that’s just been stuck on my mind for as long as I can remember. When other kids wanted to become police officers, archeologists or circus artists I wanted to make music and perform. I guess it’s something you always have within you and either you can let it grow or let it go, right now I’m clinging on to it for dear life.
“Let it grow or let it go”… That’s my new motto! So what’s your musical background?
My dad is the person who introduced me to music, he plays the guitar and piano, so we started having jam sessions together where I sang and he played. After that I started taking piano and guitar lessons and applied for a music school where I studied until the age of 19. Now I’m just wondering to where this path will lead me to.
Well, so far it’s led you to me, which is great, isn’t it? And who writes and produces the songs for Nuoli?
I write and produce all of my songs. I rent a studio with two friends of mine. I also have a miniature version of that studio in my bedroom, so basically all of my music comes directly from my bedroom.
For those who don’t know your sound yet, how would you describe it and who would you compare yourself to?
I find it hard to define music as a typical style or genre, so instead of putting a label on my music I describe it with different scenarios. A Nuoli song can sound like a revolution against the oppression of minority groups, an anger, it can sound like that really intense we-need-to-tear-each-others-clothes-off-immediatley-kissing, the soothing music you listen to while driving or the music you turn on when you need to feel nothing at all.

And all these emotions come out straight from your bedroom? Wow! My bedroom suddenly feels so boring and empty! 
Yes well, I’m very fond of people who do a lot of different sort of creations. People who see a concept in creating and think about every little detail. I love FKA Twigs and Dream Koala, that dreamy, minimalistic music that still breathes so much vulnerability and intensity. When you can touch the feelings in a song, a movie, a dance, just by sensing one specific detail that underlines the whole idea, such as a sound or a distinct word. 
Ok, I’m not sure I fully follow, but I’m trying to keep up… What is your main message that you’d like to share with your fans?
Treat yourself the way you need to in order to feel one hundred percent calm, throw away all sorts of expectations, treat all people as you would want to be treated. Oh and don’t forget to love, even when it hurts, always love.
I have loved before and it hurt like a bummer… Oh, and I certainly didn’t succeed to be calm then either, not even ten percent let alone a hundred… Epic fail… I’m curious though… With all your ideas and philosophies, what kind of audience are you aiming for?
I aim for whoever likes my music. I think it’s an absolute blessing that the music has taken me this far. It’s way more than I ever could’ve dreamed of. Everyone is allowed to listen, like or dislike my music. Music, or art in general, is for everyone. It’s what mends us.
So what’s everyone’s feedback and reaction about your debut single then?
The feedback consists of way too many good things! It’s crazy and amazing.

The single is called My Curse Is My Mind. What is it about and why have you chosen it as your first official single?
The song is about trusting your inner-self, to release the ghosts you struggle with and just allow yourself to let go of things. It’s about some shitty things in my past that have been haunting me for a very long time and I feel that it’s necessary to release them all now, so I finally can move on.
It is quite a haunting song actually… Well, the past and the ghosts are what makes us who we are, even if at times none of it makes any sense at all… Speaking of things that don’t make sense, can you tell us one weird and random fact about yourself that not many people know about?
When I was younger I had a HUGE problem with hiccups, I had hiccups maybe 10 times every single day for six months or so, from that moment it’s been getting better but I still have it, maybe once a week.

Wow, really? Luckily not now though! And what does your daily routine look like apart from fighting the overly persistent hiccups?
I don’t really have one, I listen to music wherever I go basically, I get anxious over the things I do or the things I don’t do, I find myself wandering, feeling lost, worrying A LOT.  Apart from that just sleeping, eating and smoking.
Promoting healthy lifestyle, are you? Like a true suffering artist… I think I know the answer to this already, but do you work better when you’re happy or sad?
Definitely sad. I’ve never written a happy song. It might sound happy, but it’s not.
Yeah, that’s what I thought… So who/what inspires you to make music even if they only come out sad in the end?
I’m inspired by the things around me, meeting interesting people, hearing the wind in the trees during summer, being isolated during winter because of the snow, travelling, studying, falling in and out of love. You know the drill. The people who inspire me are most often activists, such as Angela Davis or Simone De Beauvoir, people who’ve made a difference by standing up against inequality and kept on fighting no matter what.
Since you speak so openly about injustice and prejudice whether in your music or interviews, you sound like quite the activist yourself. Have you managed to accomplish anything with your beliefs or inspire anyone?
People have told me that I’ve actually moved them with my songs and political views. I count that as the biggest accomplishment so far. That’s all I care about, inspiration.

Well, to be truthful I feel inspired now and can imagine others do too… I was expecting an easy-going chit chat, and here I am questioning my own existence and the lack of fans I can inspire with my gibberish… So what’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to you about your music so far?
A young guy at a gig who played with his band before me said that my music was the reason to why he also had played that night, that I inspired him and that he looked up to me. That’s pretty cool, but also very surreal since that’s what music’s all about and what I feel when I listen to musicians that I love.
And what would you consider the worst comment that anyone’s ever made about your music?
That it doesn’t sound honest. To me that’s like a knife cutting right through your heart because my music IS me. It’s actually more honest than anything I’ve ever done before. I’m putting my heart and soul out there and people are allowed to walk all over it as much as they want to, and when they take advantage of that, it feels so, so awful.
Yeah, that does sound tough… Well, luckily you’ve got a devoted band who support you no matter what… If you had the chance to perform with another living musician, who would it be and where would you perform?
Not many of the musicians that I listen to are alive anymore, so that complicate things. I really love Jungle though, I’m such a fan, so that would be pretty amazing. Otherwise probably Rodriguez, in a really nice park, some place warm.
Certainly not in England then… And now the time has come for the final question… So what’s next in store for Nuoli after the single is released?
More music, more videos, more political views, more blood, sweat and tears, more me.
Big thanks to Nuoli for taking her time to talk to me, and for those who haven’t heard the single yet, here it is: 



Leave a comment