Biography
Singer-songwriter and pop kantele diva, Ida Elina, is an international touring artist, the Internationalizer of the Year 2023, Evento Awards Performer of the Year, Kantele of the Year, and the winner of the 1st International Kantele Competition.
Trained as a classical musician Ida Elina discovered her unique way of playing her instrument by watching YouTube slap-guitar players and “now her popcovers have revolutionized the way we understand kantele music” (Helsingin Sanomat).
Her most recent work includes a digital release of her Asia Collection Album ‘Fearless’ in cooperation with Wind Music Ltd. The album release covers eight regions in Asia including Taiwan, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. Ida Elina is also going on tour in Taiwan later this Fall.
As a concert artist, Ida Elina has performed in over 20 countries, including concert tours in Japan, in Germany and in the USA. For special events, Ida Elina has performed in the World Exhibition in Dubai in 2021, in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong for the Finland 100 years celebrations, at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, and at the Nordic Business Forum both in Helsinki and Oslo just to name a few.
Over the years, Ida Elina has performed to the Presidents of Finland, the President and First Lady, Sauli Niinistö and Jenni Haukio, the president and nobelist Martti Ahtisaari and the president Tarja Halonen, as well as to the diplomats in several countries. She has performed with the Grammy winner John Lloyd Young and toured with the iconic Finnish punk band Apulanta.
Ida Elina has appeared on several Finnish tv-broadcasts such as Suuri Journalistigaala (The Great Journalist Gala), Puoli Seitsemän, Urheilugaalassa (The Sports Gala) and Kummien joulukonsertti (The Charity Christmas Concert) among others and on numerous Finnish journals and magazines.
Ida Elina has published 5 albums, Capital Letters (2022), Game of My Life (2018), Hello world (2015), Valoisaa Joulua Bright Christmas (2016) and Songs of Freedom (2012) including her original songs. Her original songs from the albums are also regularly aired on Finnish radios.
In 2022 Ida Elina released her autobiography of her journey to Kantele artist (book in Finnish only).
A resident of Espoo albeit born and raised in Northern Ostrobothia, Oulainen, Ida Elina was educated at Sibelius-Academy and in Japan at the Hokkaido University of Education. She sings in several languages, including Mandarin, Japanese and French. Besides performing Ida Elina also teaches her percussive playing style to the kantele players in Finland and abroad in her master classes. She is a passionate runner and a multiple Oulainen City Champion in 800 meters.
