Antti Paalanen

Finnish accordionist and throat singer Antti Paalanen blends folk, techno, and rock and is competing in UMK with his song “Takatukka.” In recent months he has become a major social media phenomenon: his “Antti’s School of Accordion” videos have gathered over 10 million views in two months. Paalanen’s style has grown organically from childhood influences ranging from local folk traditions to bands discovered via MusicTV, such as AC/DC. After studying folk music at the Sibelius Academy, he adopted Mongolian-inspired throat singing, now a hallmark of his deep, growling vocals. This unique approach has produced four solo albums. Paalanen has toured widely in Europe, North America, Hong Kong, and Japan. As a one-man band, h...