Estonian jazz vocalist and improviser Kadi Vija has recently received one of the most prestigious recognitions in Finnish music. At the 2026 Emma Gaala, Vija won the Jazz of the Year (Jazz Emma) award for her album Tiny Hands Gathering Wonder, The World Becomes Magic. The Emma Awards are Finland’s largest and most influential music industry awards, honouring outstanding artists and releases each year.

Known for her distinctive approach as a “vocal instrumentalist,” Vija works at the intersection of vocal jazz improvisation, modern sound textures and electronics. Her music explores rhythmic variety and abstraction, often treating the human voice like a wind instrument. In 2025 she released two albums: Freedom, built around the concept of a traditional wind trio with voice as the melodic instrument, and the more electronically oriented Tiny Hands Gathering Wonder, The World Becomes Magic, produced by Finnish drummer and producer Teppo Mäkynen.

Estonian audiences will soon have the chance to hear Vija live: on 11 April she will perform with her trio Kadi Vija 3 at the Jazz Stage of Tallinn Music Week in Fotografiska Tallinn. The Helsinki-based ensemble – featuring double bassist Mikael Saastamoinen and drummer Ville Luukkonen – brings together joyful experimentation, improvisational dialogue and Vija’s unique vocal sound, which has often been described as a rare instrument in contemporary jazz.