Mirella - Kunpa oisin kertonut (Album Initial Thoughts)

 A pop album that's been doing great numbers in Finland. It came out in October last year, but I only now got to listening to it.

It has been doing those numbers for a reason. The album's full of well-produced pop songs. The album title translates to "I wish I would have told", but there's no song titled the same way. All of the songs are about a heartbreak or a friend betraying you, etc, negative emotions caused by another person. So, the album is kind of a concept album, of all the things Mirella wishes she would have told someone, about how they hurt her, but she didn't.

Like so many other people, women especially, she was raised to "be a good girl, don't make a fuss" and also, you know how boys are often raised, like, that they have to be tough and withstand whatever comes their way? Well, in Finland that's everyone. Everyone is raised to be strong and to get up and try again and again. Which is both a good and a bad thing. They mean well. It stems from us being involved in so many wars, and the persecution before that. We had to endure. And now we're "the happiest country in the world" for the 8th year straight. More like "We've been through so much shit that we've learned to be content with what we got, and that people don't function properly if they're not ok, so we also believe taking care of the people benefits everyone". But the culture of shoving down the negative emotions and trying to stay strong all the time also means that our depression rates and suicide rates are very very high. And domestic violence rates, but that's past the point. The point is, that this album REALLY hits home for women, and Finnish women especially. Hell, men probably relate, too.

So far, this is the best pop album I've heard this year. Maybe sharing the top spot with Chappelle Roan and Lady Gaga, but anyway.