Pauli Hanhiniemi

Born in Alavus, Finland, Pauli Hanhiniemi established himself in the Finnish music scene from the 1980s as a singer, songwriter and lyricist, with a Finnish-language writing rooted in rock and infused with elements of folk music. He first emerges within Kolmas Nainen, a group founded in the early 1980s and discographically active since 1986, with which he develops a repertoire of melodic rock attentive to the lyrics. After the group’s first split in 1994, Pauli Hanhiniemi continues with Pauli Hanhiniemen Perunateatteri, a formation that broadens his approach toward more acoustic and narrative forms, then with Hehkumo, a project more closely tied to folk traditions. In parallel with his groups, Pauli Hanhiniemi pursues a solo career, documented notably by the albums Minä ja Hehkumo in 2014, Pölyä, hiuksia, risuja in 2016 and Minä ja Retkue in 2023. The reformation of Kolmas Nainen also yields new records, including Sydänääniä in 2009, Me ollaan ne in 2013 and Linjassa in 2019. Also active as a lyricist for other performers, Hanhiniemi has worked for stage, cinema and television, while maintaining a musical line based on Finnish rock songs where chronicles of daily life, measured lyricism, and instrumentation ranging from electric to acoustic intersect.