STINAKo

NEW ALBUM  'G H O S T I N A'  OUT NOW!!
 

Stinako on Ghostina: "Ghostina is a phantom living in the ruins of my memories. The album is a collection of songs grown out of those ruins, coming to life as they’re sung and played by my beautiful band which consists of Tapio Viitasaari, Aili Järvelä, Mila Laine and myself. Memories are always partly true and partly invented by our minds.

Ghostina is an alias of Stinako.”

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STINA KOISTINEN alias STINAKO is a Finnish artist and music maker from Helsinki city. She is known for her dynamic voice and intriguing music making skills. Koistinen has won the prestigious Finnish music award Teosto Prize with her band Color Dolor's album Love (2018) and was nominated for Hyundai Nordic Music Prize 2020 with her solo album, Stinako's Ikuisuus (2019). Koistinen has done many collaborations with other artists, such as Mopo, Jesse Markin and Rinneradio and warmed up the stage for St. Vincent (US) and Susanne Sundfør (NO).

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“Stinako’s or singer Stina Koistinen's and her band's entire album 'Ghostina' is international level music. Distinctive, personal, completely musical, honest, unconcerned about trends and pleasing. Human singing to another, that's the basis of everything.

Stinako has received the "art pop" label, but for me the music is much more. Koistinen makes strong melodic songs, for which he and his group manage to create an extraordinary soundscape full of color and soaring dreamlike atmospheres. Small and big. Pop, electro, chamber music, folk, folk music. The texts are almost poetry, the wonder of human life with its pains and joys. Sometimes I wonder if we Finns even realize what a treasure we have in Koistinen.”

-Mari Koppinen, Helsingin Sanomat, Vuoden levyt  / Albums of the year 2022

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"This is not just music, but now we travel deeper, farther and bolder, with all kinds of negative elitism shining through its absence. Living in transition, Koistinen opens her heart, soul and words so powerfully that even the parts sung quietly are really felt. And there's no need for big sound barriers, because the notes are thrown straight from the heart and reach the purifying speed of light almost immediately. Pop is just a narrow word, but its most modern and touching side is probably the stylistic home of this music."

- Mika Roth / Desibeli on "Ghostina" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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“Ghostina" grows into an elegant piece of art by Stina Koistinen, or Stinako. The art-pop outburst that reaches into the dreamlike colors does not leave a trace of Kate Bush's and Björk's ambitious takeovers. The recording, dedicated to a spirit being called Ghostina, overlaps wistfulness and mysticism, which entices you along for a fun trip. Stina Koistinen's reaching song fascinates with its breadth."

-Juha Seitz, Ilkka/Pohjalainen on "Ghostina" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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"With Stinako, challenging does not mean difficult to understand. Ambitious pop art can feel boldly and skip distant abstraction. Both as a lyricist and a singer, Stina Koistinen eschews the obvious, but she doesn't skimp on either lane either." - Pekka Laine / Soundi on "Ghostina" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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“The Teosto Award winning singer-songwriter Stina Koistinen is one of the strongest voices in the Finnish music scene, strong yet fragile, timeless yet completely in this time and even in the future, unfortunately a rare kind of an artist in contemporary Finland.” - Aleksi Pahkala, Päivän Biisit

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"It wouldn’t be too extravagant to describe it as an unassuming pop banger if you can imagine such a thing. Stina suggests ‘a melancholic party anthem’ ....But what happens next is astonishing. It’s a full-on dance track, with the main thumping synth-generated theme supported by what are nigh on trap beats…and violins! And from around the 2:45 mark it explodes, setting your goose bumps on fire."

- Nordic Music Central on Stinako's single "Pelasta mut"

 

“…when she hits the high notes towards the end the rawness and richness together are emotionally overwhelming. She simply has the knack of doing that.” - God Is In The TV Zine

 

“Immediately the tone of the stately piano will hit you, melancholy and deliberate, and that throws all the intention on to those vocals, which are just phenomenal, intoxicatingly powerful but almost fragile at times, they soar to an extraordinary level, delivering a beautiful cascading melody that climaxes and fades. ‘Kun Viimein Saavuit’ is a simply stunning song.” - Nordic Music Review

 

“…but I can easily sense the intensity of the feeling – and that power will lift this song high.” - Desibeli

 

"I’m really quite taken with this hauntingly beautiful piece" - SWIT