Music for travellers – the New Finnair music takes you on a journey that feels unmistakably Finnish

Finnish composer and musician Lauri Porra has composed a new music collection, Matkantekijä: Music for Travellers, for Finnair. The new music accompanies customers throughout the different stages of their Finnair journey. You can hear it on our flights (gradually available this spring), in Finnair lounges at Helsinki airport, across marketing and customer service, and on Spotify and other streaming platforms. 

The music is part of the new Finnair brand, with Finnishness at its core. 

"Finnishness has always been an essential part of us, and it also serves as a differentiating factor with international customers," says Simon Large, our Chief Customer Officer. "Now that same Finnish mindscape can also be heard in our music."

A fourth-generation musician with a lifelong dream 

Lauri Porra is no ordinary composer. He is the great-grandson of iconic Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and a fourth-generation musician, also widely known as a member of Finnish metal band Stratovarius. He moves naturally between musical styles and fields, with a body of work that stretches from concert halls to the electric guitar. 

Composing music for Finnair had been a dream of his for decades. 

"I will let you in on a secret. I was commissioned to do this music last year, but I have secretly dreamt of it for almost 20 years," Lauri says. 

The roots of the music go back to his early touring years. "When I was about 20, I started touring the world and noticed I started to miss Finland. So, I started doing a little musical diary, secret recordings of my own Finnish memories, of nature and moments and feelings, and had this on my headphones while travelling so I could stay a little bit at home between all the concerts."

A blank slate for the traveller 

The Matkantekijä collection was inspired by the different stages of a journey, from anticipation before departure, the calm of cruising altitude and the feeling of arriving somewhere new. 

"I've always loved airports and flying because you see a lot of people and everybody has a story to tell. Some are going on holiday, some on a business trip, some are lovers on a honeymoon. Everybody's on their way to something, and everybody's in a state of anticipation. This was a very big influence on the way I approached writing music for Finnair."

Finnishness lives in the simplicity of the music. Traditional Finnish instruments, including ‘jouhikko’, a bowed lyre, and ‘kantele’, a Finnish zither, give the composition an organic and genuine quality. 

"I try to have a lot of space in the music, space for people's thoughts and experiences, and use a very small amount of musical ingredients to create something that's breathing and relaxing," Lauri says. 

The music is designed to feel like a welcome. "I was thinking of this idea that the music is, in a way, a hug that you receive when you get into the plane, and you can get ready to your travelling mode."

And the intention is the same for every traveller, regardless of why they are flying.

 "The music is a blank slate where you can put your adventure on. I tried to create a painting where everyone can paint their own stories." 

The new music is being rolled out across all our aircraft in stages. You can also listen to the music on Spotify.