Ada Aik (FI)

Ada Aik is the alter ego of musician Karin Mäkiranta—a conceptual character through which she creates music that bridges multiple art forms. Her live performances draw from performing arts culture, resembling performance art more than traditional concerts. Mäkiranta, known for her work in Karina and Babel, is also a sound designer and film composer. Karina has been nominated for the Nordic Music Prize and toured Europe with acts like Beirut.

5 Hours of Light, released April 11, is Ada Aik’s second album. At its core is the relationship between scent, memory, and association—focusing on feeling, the senses, and the remembrance of smells. Created with France-based producer Jonas Verwijnen (Colin Stetson, Kings of Convenience), the album explores quiet longing, summer’s absence, and the search for meaning. In collaboration with scent artist Salla Keskinen, the project also asks: can music create scent memories? The physical LP includes a custom-designed scent by Keskinen.

Ada Aik’s debut, The Mysterious Life of Ada Aik, was based on a dollhouse representing the narrator’s inner world. Its nine rooms formed the foundation for both the album and a performance at Korjaamo, featuring lighting by Sofia Palillo and Marketta Tikkanen as Ada’s inner world. The concert was completed by Mäkiranta, sound designer Eetu Pylkkänen, and drummers Saana Pohjonen and Eero Jääskeläinen—and was praised for its innovation in live music.