Anni Pohto In Concert
It doesn't take much to touch people as a musician. Just a bit of dedication to the instrument, joy in making music and the courage to turn one's innermost self outward. Newcomer Anni Pohto has realized this like in a picture book.
I am in front of the Mojo Jazz Café in Hamburg. The summer announces itself with a warm wind, the evening light bathes asphalt and people in gold and I sit with my cold drink on a lounger and let my soul dangle. A perfect start to the evening.
When Anni Pohto enters the stage a little later, my impression is as follows: a deeply relaxed soul who brings the nonchalance of her native Finland to shine. White tracksuit, sneakers and a sympathetic smile. 'She had already heard that the Germans should be asked to stand further forward to fill the big gap between stage and audience,' she begins with an inviting gesture. Light laughter and a willingness to fill half of the gap herald the concert.
If there's one thing I remember about Anni, it's the dedication with which she presents her songs. It is a roller coaster of emotions. The first thing that catches my eye is the sensual way her fingers caress the keys and her dainty feet operate the pedal. I have to think of modern Tolkien stories, when elves no longer dwell in the Shire, but between electric pianos and computers.
Their music can be attributed to an experimental pop that elegantly dances on the border between RnB and singer songwriter. If in their recordings one can still enjoy compositional polyphony and instrumental layering, in Mojo everything falls back on two components. Minimalism makes her songs suddenly seem much more fragile, much more natural and in tune with themselves. The fact that you don't get lost in the process is thanks to her strong personality.
Highlights of the evening for me are everywoman and My Smile Is Not An Invitation. Both songs make me feel seen and understood by her as a woman, without immediately being pigeonholed as a feminist. Especially the second of the mentioned songs arises from a situation that I guarantee every single woman has already experienced.
In the middle of the concert she dared a kind of rap attempt a la Lauren Hill. Not quite as sure of the lyrics, but incredibly confident, she pulls out her phone to look up the lyrics. She doesn't want to sing anything wrong. Hats off. Of course, her new song 33610 is not missing. At the end we get an encore before she mingles with the audience or her acquaintances. Because just as it felt, this evening turns out to be a living room concert (of the stylish variety).
After a short conversation with this incredibly warm-hearted woman, I leave the Mojo with a mixture of melancholy and good mood and the hope to enjoy one of her live performances again soon.
Until then, Spotify will have to help me.
Listen and Repeat
