This year, the stages at Womex Woldwide Music Expo, held in Tampere, Finland, will be filled with great Finnish music! We have acts on the Official Showcase programme, the Regional Stage, as well as the opening party. Read on and get to know the Finnish artists playing at Womex 2025!

As already announced in June, the fierce, punky, and environmentally active indie/folk band Vimma will be part of the Official Showcase programme! The seven-member band delivers emotionally charged lyrics centered on environmental activism. Fronted by Eeva Rajakangas — an acclaimed actress — the group’s live shows are marked by her fierce, heartfelt presence, inspiring audiences to pursue their convictions and make courageous social change. Read more about Vimma in our recent spotlight article.

The Northern Connections stage

The Northern Connections showcase stage is a joint effort of Finland in collaboration with other northern countries. Showcasing top-notch talent from the host country and the region, The Northern Connections stage will celebrate the diverse music that comes from Finland, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Canada – helping talented artists from these nations gain international recognition on the world stage.

The host country Finland will feature two excellent acts, Hildá Länsman & Tuomas Norvio and Antti Paalanen.

Hildá Länsman is one of Sápmi’s strongest vocalists and a proud knowledge bearer and champion of the vocal style luohti. Together with sound designer, composer, producer, and musician Tuomas Norvio, she blends Sámi vocal tradition with distinctive electronic soundscapes, creating a modern concert experience that invites both movement and emotion. Their debut album Dajan was released in 2025. Read more about Hilda Länsman on our recent spotlight article.

Accordion experimentalist Antti Paalanen has created his own sound with his diatonic instrument and he uses it to weave hypnotic and minimalistic tunes, that take inspiration equally from the heavy metal that he loved as a teenager, and contemporary electronic dance music (EDM). In his mercilessly intense folk music, Paalanen makes these two worlds collide, interpreted with an electronic two-row accordion, furious throat singing, and stomping his feet. Read more about Antti Paalanen in this recent interview and this 2019 spotlight article!

Check out the full line-up of the Northern Connections stage here.

The opening party

The opening party will include four excellent Finnish acts, ranging from legends to (sort-of) newcomers: Áššu, Ne Lintuizet, Kimmo Pohjonen, and Värttinä.

Áššu's music is inspired by Northern Sámi style joiks, with soundscapes spanning from primal rhythms to ambient soundscapes. Performing traditional joiks and original compositions by celebrated Sami artist Ulla Pirttijärvi-Länsman, the band's line-up in completed by Kenneth Ekornes and Olav Torget.

New Finnish folk supergroup, comprised of Kielo Kärkkäinen, Laura Moisio, Lauri Myllymäki, and Pekko Käppi, Ne Lintuizet’s sound combines Finnish and American folk and country traditions, with a strong emphasis on vocal harmonies, fiddles, and acoustic guitars.

Finnish accordion adventurist and composer Kimmo Pohjonen has been touring the world regularly for the last thirty years in festivals, events and venues of all genres. The recipient of several Folk Musician of the Year awards, Kimmo Pohjonen has brought a modern sensibility to the traditional accordion music of Finland.

The "Crown Jewel of Finnish folk music scene", Värttinä’s trademark are their razor-sharp harmonies sung by powerful leading ladies Mari Kaasinen, Susan Aho, and Karoliina Kantelinen. Since their international breakthrough in 1991, Värttinä has toured globally, carrying the rich sounds of Karelian songs from generation to generation, and their new album Kyly is proof that the band is still strongly alive. Read more about Värttinä on our spotlight article.

WOMEX conference programme includes several Finnish speakers

The Finnish knowhow will be present also in several Conference sessions and Network meetings. Local panelists and speakers added to the conference programme include Sanni Kahilainen on the panel Sound Barriers: Defending Artistic Freedom, Paulina Ahokas, on Diversifying Concert Halls, Anna Dantchev (Bulgaria/Finland), on the subject Fire and Ice: Where the Balkans Meet the North, Barbora Silhanova (Czech Republic/Finland) covering Nature as Collaborator, and finally, Leo Niemi joining the panel Sync: How to Start?.

Find the entire conference content announced so far here.