Litku Klemetti

(real name , born 1987) is a Finnish musician, singer and songwriter influenced by schlager, punk and progressive rock. She started in the indie scene but gained mainstream popularity.

Early life and bands

was born in , in a family she has described as being highly typical. As a young girl, she got in touch with the classic albums of progressive rock in her local library, and later began listening to old Finnish schlager artists from cassette tapes. An especially important record for her was ''We're Only in It for the Money'' by the Mothers of Invention. felt highly alienated from other young people, as she did not know anybody else who listened to progressive rock. During her school years, she spent some time in psychiatric ward due to her problems.

After gymnasium, studied singing in . In 2007, she moved to where her aunt had lived. She studied at 's Music Conservatorium, but felt that the institution was excessively rigid for a creative artist. She switched to the department of music science to the University of and graduated in 2015. Her master thesis examined 's indie music scene, especially underground station Radio Hear. Her doctoral studies were left incomplete when demand for gigs increased.Mattila, Mikael: "Kuhmolainen kuvittelija – haastattelussa Litku Klemetti", Rumba 4/2017 had been in the bands , , Zorse, and as a member, but finally in became bandleader in the band . The band's name was later dropped without line-up changes.

years

Whereas in her previous bands, like and , she had written progressive or experimental music, she adopted the stage name (a derogatory word for beverages and other liquids) and started to make deliberately simple music. The impetus for making simple rock music had arisen after seeing the live performance of , a band led by .

When the band's debut album ''Horror '15'' was released in 2016, the music magazine named her as the new talent of the year. The album was recorded at a local rehearsal place. The album was more influenced by punk, and featured the autobiographical song "" (prog-rock girl).

Her next album (2017, "train to ") led to a commercial breakthrough for the wannabe underground star. The title track received large amounts of radio play and the album received an Award in the Critics' Choice category. did not find it easy to deal with the sudden burst of attention, and resulting burnout made her consider stopping her career. While the band's name was dropped afterwards, they released a straightforward rock album ("Less day by day") on the same year. It included the song "" (referring to singers and ) with lyrics being about the fan phenomenon around schlager singers.

Nevertheless, in 2018 released the album ("magic happens"). While the character was initially meant to perform simple music, this album occasionally featured slightly more complex song structures, taking stronger influences from progressive rock and Frank Zappa in particular. Famous songs from the album include "" ("nights are for sleeping") and "" ("Why wouldn't I go to the city").

The album was released in the late 2019. The album's lyrical concept follows a fictional character "" ("Mad ") which was a name others had called her during her school years. has explained that the album's character is what she would have become had she not left her small home town. Stylistically the album is varied, containing more straightforward as well as slightly progressive songs. It has a cleaner sound than its predecessors. Notable songs from the album include "" (you know it) and "" ("faery waltz") which has a music video where band members are running in the streets of .

For her 2021 album, ("Flowers in plastic bag"), switched style to the 1980s disco (notably inspiration being singer after whom one of the singles from the album is named). Thematically the album is related to the lives of teen girls. Featuring electronic percussions and basslines, the album contains output mostly from herself and producer-guitarist , giving a break for the rest of the band. Also album's opening track "Tour de France" was released as a single and video. Another video was made for "Google Earth Rock".

Artistic vision

has stated that she composes very fast, often one album in a week. Her aesthetic vision favors jumble sale clothing and lo-fi sound. She states that she does not do "retro" but uses the past as a material to construct new unfashionable things. Her use of the past and abandoned things is done as a counterstatement to the prevailing economic order.Hirvonen, Iida Sofia, "Sanna Klemetti oli kiusattu musiikkinörtti, jolle bändissä soittaminen oli unelma. Syntyi Litku Klemetti", Seura, 27 April 2017

plays keyboards and during the early years also electric balalaika. Among the most prominent musicians in her band have been Alexi (guitar), Baba-R (bass) and Sammy (drums). Keyboardist Sussu Ketola joined in the autumn 2022.

Discography

Albums

* , 2010

Zorse

* ''Zorse'' (EP), 2012

* ''Bili Bara Bani Bili'' (EP), 2015

* , 2016
* , 2017

* ''Horror '15'', 2016
* , 2017

* , 2017
* , 2018
* , 2019
* , 2021
* , 2022

References

External links

* https://www.luovarecords.com/litkuklemetti
*
* Kangas, Laura
Kaikki hylätty kiinnostaa Litku Klemettiä – vaatteet, vinyylit ja entiset hittibiisit
''Jyväskylän ylioppilaslehti'' 25.9.2017.
* Mattila, Mikael
Kuhmolainen kuvittelija – haastattelussa Litku Klemetti
''Rumba'' 22.1.2018.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klemetti, Litku
1987 births
Living people
People from Kuhmo
Finnish rock musicians
21st-century Finnish women singers
Finnish women singer-songwriters
Balalaika players