# Kullervo Pushes Finnish Rap Into New Territory With High-Energy Single “Woah”
### Finnish rapper Kullervo draws on a lifelong love of heavy music, modern hip-hop, his South Ostrobothnian identity and a refusal to stay inside genre boundaries as he moves toward his debut full-length album.
Finnish rap artist **Kullervo** is looking toward the future with his new single **“Woah,”** a high-energy track that pushes his music away from more traditional rap and into a heavier, atmospheric and distinctly modern hip-hop sound.
Released on **September 4, 2026**, “Woah” represents more than another single in Kullervo’s growing catalog. It is a signal of where he believes his music can go next.
The song combines booming production, 808s, heavily processed vocals and a large sonic atmosphere with Kullervo’s energetic Finnish-language delivery. Rather than positioning the vocal simply on top of the instrumental, the production allows his voice to become another component of the track itself.
That approach may sound like a radical shift for listeners familiar with Kullervo’s previous work, but his appetite for heavy music goes back much further than his career in rap.
## FROM SLIPKNOT AND LINKIN PARK TO FINNISH HIP-HOP
Kullervo describes himself as a **“high energy, high-impact and very versatile”** artist whose music is built around both a large sonic landscape and an extremely present vocal delivery.
His musical beginnings, however, weren’t rooted in hip-hop.
Kullervo grew up listening to artists including **Slipknot, Linkin Park, 50 Cent and Eminem**. He started playing bass at around 10 years old and spent years playing in bands, initially dreaming of becoming a heavy metal rock star.
That path began to change as adulthood arrived and members of the bands around him started moving across Finland for school, mandatory military service and other commitments.
Unable to rely on having a full band around him, Kullervo started experimenting with creating music by himself.
That eventually led him to rap when he was around 18 or 19 years old.
“I’ve always enjoyed insightful, clever or moving lyrics in music and poetry,” he explains, “so rap was a pretty logical step to start fiddling around with.”
Although his chosen format changed, his attraction to massive and aggressive sounds never disappeared.
That connection to heavy music became especially important in the creation of “Woah.”
## FINDING THE SOUND OF “WOAH”
Coming from a metal background, Kullervo says he has always loved **“large and heavy walls of sound.”**
He had previously experimented with heavier musical ideas alongside producer **SORMI**, but the pair eventually began looking for a middle ground that would maintain the power Kullervo wanted while remaining rooted in contemporary rap.
The solution came when Kullervo proposed experimenting with a **Travis Scott-inspired rage sound**.
There wasn’t a giant master plan behind the session.
In fact, there were almost no expectations.
The song came together in less than an hour.
After SORMI put together an early mix, the two listened back and immediately realized they had stumbled onto something.
As Kullervo remembers it, they looked at each other and essentially had the same reaction:
**This actually works.**
That first playback was also the moment Kullervo began seeing the track as more than an experiment.
“When SORMI pressed play, and the 808 dropped with the metallic sound of the autotune-washed vocals, I was very surprised to notice that I got excited as hell,” he says.
During the writing and recording process, Kullervo admits he wasn’t completely certain the approach would succeed.
Hearing the finished sound changed everything.
“It made sense.”
## TURNING THE VOICE INTO ANOTHER INSTRUMENT
One of the most distinctive elements of “Woah” is the treatment of Kullervo’s vocals.
Rather than avoiding obvious Auto-Tune, Kullervo encouraged SORMI to push the effect aggressively.
The result allowed the vocal to become part of the instrumental landscape.
“I wanted the vocals to be an instrument within the beat just as the 808 or the lead synth would be,” Kullervo explains.
The voice remains recognizable and cuts through the production, but it simultaneously becomes embedded within the song.
Interestingly, that wasn’t necessarily how the track had originally been envisioned.
It emerged through experimentation.
That willingness to follow an unexpected idea rather than obey a predetermined musical formula appears to be becoming increasingly important to Kullervo’s creative identity.
## WHY KULLERVO CONTINUES TO RAP IN FINNISH
Even as the production becomes more internationally influenced, one element Kullervo has no intention of abandoning is his native language.
He continues to rap primarily in **Finnish**.
For an artist interested in expanding his audience, switching to English might appear to be an obvious commercial strategy.
Kullervo doesn’t see it that way.
“Finnish is such a beautiful, unique and versatile language to express oneself in, so I’m going to stick with it,” he says.
There may occasionally be some “Finglish” mixed into the songs—something listeners can hear on “Woah”—but Finnish remains the foundation.
Kullervo also believes music does not necessarily require literal translation to make an emotional connection.
He points toward artists including **Rammstein** and **Bad Bunny**, whose international audiences extend far beyond listeners who speak their primary languages.
Finland has an example of its own.
Kullervo specifically cites **Käärijä**, whose international success demonstrated that a Finnish-language artist doesn’t necessarily need to abandon Finnish to connect with audiences outside the country.
Emotion, energy and delivery can sometimes communicate what individual words cannot.
## OSTROBOTHNIAN ROOTS ARE STILL THERE
Kullervo’s music has also traditionally drawn heavily from the culture and traditions of **Ostrobothnia in western Finland**, particularly South Ostrobothnia.
“Woah,” however, deliberately turns down some of those regional elements.
There’s a strategic reason behind the change.
Kullervo wants to reach a broader audience across Finland.
He believes that music tied extremely closely to one particular region can occasionally create a barrier for people who don’t immediately identify with that culture.
Instead of abandoning where he comes from, he’s temporarily widening the doorway.
“The plan is to provide something a bit more general this time,” he says.
Once new listeners have discovered the music, don’t expect the regional identity to disappear.
Quite the opposite.
Kullervo fully intends to bring those elements back.
And even when the dialect and obvious cultural references aren’t front and center, he believes the South Ostrobothnian mentality remains embedded in his personality and his music.
“We’re here and we’re the best,” he says of the attitude.
For Kullervo, being South Ostrobothnian means being big, being loud and committing completely when you decide to do something.
That philosophy fits “Woah” remarkably well.
## BRINGING “WOAH” TO LIFE ON VIDEO
The new sound also received a new visual identity through the official **“Woah” music video**, directed by **Väinö Parjanen**.
Parjanen previously directed Kullervo’s video for **“KIHO,”** giving the pair an established creative relationship before work began on the new project.
Their shared South Ostrobothnian background also helped build trust.
The objective for “Woah” was relatively simple: create visuals that could match the intensity of the music.
One particular lyric helped guide the concept:
**“Ja tää jengi huutaa” — “And the crowd is shouting.”**
The video incorporates people going wild within a dramatically lit environment to reinforce that sense of crowd energy.
Kullervo also wanted the video to visually communicate that something had changed.
This was not supposed to look like just another release.
It was supposed to look like the beginning of the next phase.
Among Kullervo’s initial ideas were the opening shot, the warehouse location and a backlit crowd scene.
He also had one very specific visual requirement.
Blue.
“I had a strong feeling that the visuals around the song have to be blue,” he explains.
From there, he handed much of the creative responsibility to Parjanen.
“I trust Väinö, so I let him do his thing, the pro he is.”
The official video premiered on Kullervo’s YouTube channel on **September 5, 2026**.
## LEARNING TO PUT THE MESSAGE AHEAD OF THE RHYME
“Woah” arrives after an already substantial run of releases from Kullervo.
Heading toward his debut full-length album, he has released **11 singles and one EP**.
That experience has changed how he approaches songwriting.
One of the biggest lessons has been learning when **not** to chase the perfect rhyme.
Kullervo believes many developing rappers initially become obsessed with rhyming to the point that the rhyme can begin controlling the song.
The technical achievement becomes more important than the message.
He found himself increasingly moving away from that approach.
“I feel like letting go of that, and focusing more on actually delivering the message has been something that’s improved my writing a bunch,” he says.
Ironically, Kullervo believes that focusing less aggressively on rhymes has actually improved his rhyming.
Instead of forcing words into place, he allows the message to come first and lets the rhymes develop naturally around it.
“I’d rather trust the process, get what I want to say out, and let the rhymes flow naturally.”
## BREAKING AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL RAP
Kullervo’s move toward alternative rap sounds also comes after spending several years working with a record label.
During that period, he says he frequently encountered resistance when attempting to release songs he personally believed were strong.
The experience gradually changed his relationship with traditional rap.
“That grind and resistance made me a little resentful towards that type of rap if I’m completely honest,” he says.
Eventually, he began getting bored with more conventional sounds.
That opened the door to alternative approaches including **rage-inspired production and hyperpop-influenced rap**.
He has also found inspiration in artists willing to ignore convention, citing **2hollis** as one particularly refreshing recent discovery.
For Kullervo, the appeal is not simply about jumping onto whatever sound is currently popular.
It is the excitement that comes from hearing someone do something unexpected—and somehow make it work.
That philosophy now appears to be guiding his own music.
## EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED FROM THE DEBUT ALBUM
If “Woah” offers listeners an indication of what the upcoming Kullervo album will sound like, it doesn’t necessarily provide a complete blueprint.
That’s intentional.
Kullervo has little interest in finding one successful sound and endlessly repeating it.
“I don’t put myself in a box. Never have,” he says.
Instead of defining himself by saying what his sound **should** be, Kullervo prefers to follow whatever music genuinely excites him.
“Damn, this really speaks to me and I like it—let’s dig deeper here.”
That approach means the upcoming releases are likely to be diverse.
Perhaps extremely diverse.
Kullervo describes himself as potentially **“one of the most multifaceted artists in Finland, let alone among rappers,”** and says he intends to explore his complete musical repertoire throughout his career.
Considering that repertoire stretches from heavy metal and bass guitar to traditional rap, rage sounds, hyperpop influences and distinctly Finnish regional culture, that leaves plenty of directions still unexplored.
“Woah” may represent Kullervo’s future.
But the more important message behind the track might be that listeners shouldn’t expect that future to stay in one place for very long.
As Kullervo puts it:
**“Expect the unexpected.”**
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## LISTEN TO “WOAH”
**Release Date:** September 4, 2026
**ISRC:** QT6HM2630829
[Listen on Spotify](https://eka1i.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeFuBlb5QjVrTraiFQYu0/h3D4PoN24Ghd)
[Listen on Apple Music](https://eka1i.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeG13DjuNug0xxQ0zOrUG/FsiKB14vvnXO)
[Listen on Deezer](https://eka1i.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeG7ufsjL5qAS3FJjNA4W/zywV2QP9TwJc)
[Listen on Tidal](https://eka1i.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeGEm81YIH0Jw94cTLSem/qH2SiYMbat6k)
[Listen on Qobuz](https://eka1i.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeGLdaANFSATQEtvDJlF2/AVBVTsqCRJcd)
## FOLLOW KULLERVO
[Instagram](https://eka1i.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeGSV2JCCdKcuKjDxI3pI/FzlUXc_MLjY3) | [TikTok](https://eka1i.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeGZMUS19oUmOQYWhGMPY/eBqEdS_sVg6C) | [Facebook](https://eka1i.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeGgDwaq6zevsWNpREezo/uAW4kTNwrypk)
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### “WOAH” CREDITS
**Music:** Marko Yliollitervo
**Lyrics:** Kalle Lahtinen
**Arrangement:** Marko Yliollitervo and Kalle Lahtinen
**Mastering:** Pablo Okas
**Music Video Director:** Väinö Parjanen
### MEDIA CONTACT
**Presshopper**
Helsinki, Finland
**[juha.juoni@presshopper.fi](mailto:juha.juoni@presshopper.fi)**