Kiureli

Kiureli, originally from East Helsinki and later settled in Espoo, is a musician, songwriter, and father of a large family. For three decades, he has been synonymous with good vibes and irresistible groove! Kiureli has sung and played his accordion at gigs, concert stages, street corners, festivals, and parties both in Finland and abroad - he has performed in twenty-one countries on three continents. As a true music innovator, he has initiated several groundbreaking projects, the most famous of which is the band Shava, localizing Panjabi bhangra music to Finland. Other active gig bands include Hilja Grönfors & Latso Džinta, Totuus ja valhe, and the new group Balladeja ja hävyttömyyksiä founded with Karri "Paleface" Miettinen and Daniela Fogelholm.

Kiureli has created many unprecedented and definitely unique performances, such as the musical drama Space Habib, which had its premiere at the Cultural Centre Caisa in the spring of 2022. He both wrote and composed the piece. Kiureli also performed as a live musician in the show, portraying a space soldier who served under the galactic villain played by Remu Aaltonen. In 2016, he was a driving force behind the Bollywood KaBOOM! performance produced by Opera Skaala, which he also composed and wrote together with the creative team, while playing one of the leading roles.

Over the years, he has worked in several bands and many professional theater productions, including at the Helsinki and Vaasa City Theatres, Lilla Teatern, Teatteri Jurkka, Teatteri Avoimet Ovet, KOM Theatre, and most recently at the Dance Theatre Raatikko in 2020 and 2022."

Some things said about Kiureli in print, digital media and conversations -

"Art is meant to surprise, and this performance truly surprised me!"
– Visual artist Eila Hutri on the Space Habib performance, 2022

"The strong melodrama was accompanied by Shankara in a very stylish way."
"...the finest silent film performance in a long time in Helsinki."
– Harri Römpötti, Facebook, October 2019

”...the excellent accordeon playing of Kiureli Sammallahti and fine guitar work of Valtteri Bruun add considerably to her lovely voice...” - Vic Smith, fRoots, september 2018 (Hilja Grönfors Trio: Katta Ame Aavaa)

"The key elements of the Opera Skaala performance were the internationally acclaimed, excellent musicians, the energetic and sensual dance group, as well as the confident contribution of the singers... The songwriting trio masters both the bhangra style and the Finnish close touch."
- Matti Saurama, Demokraatti, October 2016 (Bollywood KaBOOM!, review)

"One of the absolute highlights of the competition is Shava, which has been spreading the message of Punjabi bhangra and East Helsinki suburban romance for years. You only need to listen to the song Ostarilla for a couple of seconds, and you got yourself an earworm."
- Mari Koppinen, Helsingin Sanomat, January 2015 (UMK 2015, HS analysis)

"Two weeks ago, something strange happened in Helsinki. The band Shava held their Betoninen kotimaani album release gig at the Hakaniemi Juttutupa. The audience went completely wild."
- Mari Koppinen, Helsingin Sanomat, October 30, 2010 (Interview)

"Kiureli Sammallahti’s passionate musician, squeezing the box in an acrobatic way, rages like a wild beast. Sammallahti has also composed the music which has a fresh, Russian character"
- Jukka Kajava, Helsingin Sanomat, March 27, 2004 (Lilla Teatern: Tre Systrar)

photos jeremy barrois