I hope your year has started in an active and joyful way! 😊 I’ve been a bit off the grid lately — practicing my instrument, performing at a folk music festival, and already this week I’ll be flying back to Denmark to tour once again with Alterne 🪗 January 2026 is quite special to me as it marks a year of the release of my 3rd solo album! To celebrate the first birthday of my third solo album, I’ll be sharing insights to all of the tunes in 2026, one tune per newsletter. Keep reading to find out the story behing the first track 🎉✨

🚢 A festival on a cruiseship

The festival I performed at in early January is called Folklandia. It takes place on a cruise ship traveling between Turku (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden), where the days and nights are filled with folk music by many different bands and so many different ways to interpret folk music! I’ve wanted to attend Folklandia for a long time — either as a performer or simply to listen and be inspired ❤️ This year, I was lucky and I got to do both! 😍 I got to perform with the ensemble Hostikka at Iskelmäbaari and as that was the last concert of the whole festival, I was able to enjoy all the other concerts before. Concerts by my friends and colleagues were super inspiring and I got many new ideas and a lot of energy to keep on going! 🫶 Thankfully, the sea was gentle and the journey on the Baltic Princess with Tallink Silja Line passed smoothly 🌊 Here are some photos by Jani Snellman from the show!

❄️A year since the release of “Nordic Reflections”

January 2026 feels special — exactly one year ago, I released my third solo album Nordic Reflections 💿 Over the coming months, I’ll be sharing more about each track from the album, one at a time!

First track ✨

🎼 The opening track of the album is titled “Pööriöö päike”. The title refers to the equinox — a turning point in nature and in the balance of light in the North 🌙
The equinox marks the moment when day and night stand in balance, before darkness slowly begins to take more space ☀️🌒 This is a time when light withdraws and leaves room for reflection ✨ In the title of the piece, I’ve played with words — shifting the focus from the day to the night. During the night, the moon reflects the sun’s light, and through these reflections I send the first Nordic reflections to the listener 🌌

Beyond its poetic background, “Pööriöö päike” is inspired by the Finnish-style hambo — a traditional dance that originated in Sweden but developed its own distinct character in Finland 💃 The steps resemble the Swedish polska, yet an experienced eye can quickly tell the difference on the dance floor 👀 It is a dance in 3/4 time, where the first and third beats carry special weight 🥁During my studies at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, I played quite a few hambos — and loved every single one of them. That experience strongly inspired me to compose my own hambo!

Upcoming projects 🌱

Mudilaste Akordioniakadeemia continues this year, which means that I’ll keep teaching young accordionists aged 4-9 every month at Kõrvipalju Loometalu in Võrumaa, Estonia! 🪗

In February, I’ll be heading to England to work with the wonderful Heather Ferrier on creating a new accordion duo ✈️ We’ll rehearse, compose, and record something to share with all of you!

This spring we will record a new album with Alterne 📀 The leader of the band, Ida Jessen, has written a lot of new music, and we’ll record the new pieces in Tallinn at Peeter Salmela Studio 🏙️ The album will also feature melodies and harmonies composed by Oscar Beerten and also me 🫶

In May and June, I’ll be taking a completely non-work-related trip to Asia 🌏

I’m also planning concerts and workshops in Finland and Estonia — keep an eye on my social media and website to stay up to date 😊

Wishing you a wonderful 2026 and let’s keep in touch! 💌😊

Maimu