Petra Poutanen is a freelance musician, Master of folk music, a multi-instrumentalist and a singer that leads three choirs leaning on contemporary folk singing and improvising. She has worked as a composer in over twenty theatre pieces, for example in the Finnish National Theatre and as a singer in multiple projects and bands, nowadays mostly as an improvising singer.
Poutanen is known for a virtuosic voice that includes techniques from Scandinavian and Finno-Ugrian folksinging to techniques of throat singing.
She has travelled around Asia doing field work but she is also a music pedagogue from a classical school. Softer sounds of pop are among other styles close to her heart and she has released three albums of alternative pop.
Her instrumentation ranges from traditional folk instruments to live electronics depending on the project. She sees genres as tools just as instruments are. What is important is the perspective. Debut solo album under the name Pelkkä Poutanen is out on January 2022.