Life & Work with Eeppi Ursin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eeppi Ursin.

Hi Eeppi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Helsinki, Finland, and always knew I was going to be a singer and musician. I started playing piano very young and learned to accompany my singing. I was listening to songwriters like Carole King and Stevie Wonder and started songwriting as well. In high school, I got into jazz music, and after my high school diploma, I began my studies at the Helsinki Pop Jazz Conservatory with voice as my major. I started singing with jazz bands and continued writing original music which has always been a combination of pop, jazz, and singer-songwriter tradition.

In 2001, I won the Lady Summertime International Jazz Singers Contest. I released my first solo album “Violet” in 2005 and since then I have released five solo albums altogether, the latest “My Finnish Soul” in 2023. I’m also featured as a guest vocalist on dozens of recordings which vary in genres from pop, jazz, dance, a cappella, and children’s music. I’ve traveled a lot around the world performing with great artists such as trumpeter Leroy Jones and Spirit of New Orleans, Vocal Ensemble Club For Five, and UMO Jazz Orchestra, to name a few.

I also work intensively with theatre and modern opera as a composer and arranger. In 2020, I moved to New York City to pursue a more international career. It’s been a long-time dream of mine to be able to live and work in New York. In 2022, I was chosen as “Performer of the Year” by Finlandia Foundation National which has kept me touring in the US for almost two years now. This nomination also brought me to Duluth, Minnesota for FinnFest in the summer of 2023.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an independent freelance artist is kind of a struggle every day – though wouldn’t change it to anything.

Maybe the most challenging moment was when I decided to leave the great A Cappella group Club For Five. That was a tough decision to make and I felt bad about letting down my bandmates. But it was something I had to do to pursue a more international solo career.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider versatility my strength. I’m pretty fluent in many different genres when it comes to popular music. I sing and play the piano, I write original music that has a strong singer-songwriter feel to it with flavors from Nordic serenity, jazz, and soul.

I’ve been described as Nordic Alicia Keys and a new-age Carole King – these words make me very happy! I also love doing my versions of all kinds of songs and often do this when people ask me to perform at weddings or private parties for instance.

I also have a live-stream concert series called “Love Boat” on my social media platforms where I play and sing songs of all kinds based on the audience requests. I’ve been touring a lot in the United States and met a lot of Finnish Americans. My latest album “My Finnish Soul” is dedicated to my roots as it consists of well-known Finnish songs as my unique vocal-piano versions.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is being genuine. I always try to be true to myself in doing music.

My goal is to deliver stories and emotions to people and to have something to share with whoever is listening to me. I find that being open and genuine is the best way to achieve this.

Source: Voyage Minnesota