About
Peela is a musical powerhouse comprised of Helsinki's rising jazz talent, with Guitarist Johannes Granroth as the visionary behind their genre-defying compositions.
Infusing jazz, funk, rock, and neo soul, they deliver a performance marked by improvisation, soul-stirring melodies, lush harmonies, and groovy rhythms.
With a mix of instrumentals and Maja Mannila's soulful vocals, Peela's music is a feast for the ears and heart.
”Peela has great chemistry – as it only consists of strong personalities, that still don't overshadow each other.
Together these talents are even more”, Pentti Ronkanen praises the group on the site Suomijazz.com
Their mutual musical journey began in 2016, birthing their debut album "Layers'' in 2018 and "Stepping Stones'' in 2020.
The singles released during the past year finally culminated in their 3rd album "Notbad" in March, 2024, further elevating their already impressive body of work.
Their goal is to share the joy of experiencing great music with others, as each note and beat played serves to bring people closer, united in their shared love for music.
Members
Saxophone - Jimi Ahlroos
Drums - Severi Sorjonen
Guitar - Johannes Granroth
Percussion/Keys - Mikko Antila
Vocals/Keys - Maja Mannila
Bass - Oliver Karttunen
History
Peela was founded in 2016 by Johannes Granroth, Johan Dahlbo (drs) & Filemon von Numers (bass), who had already been playing together for a few years by then.
The band started taking its form when they started playing original compositions, which is when singer/keyboardist Maja Mannila joined to be part of their first concert under the name Peela. They were all in the same high school "Tölö Gymnasium" in Helsinki at that time.
Johannes first met saxophonist Sami Leponiemi in 2015 at the "Pop & Jazz" summer camp in Nakkila. As Sami was moving from Oulu to Helsinki in late 2016, he was asked to “feature in a couple tunes” on a gig, and became a part of the band until he went to Paris for an exchange year in 2022 and was replaced by Jimi Ahlroos.
In 2017, Filemon moved to Sweden to study music, giving the spot to Antti Ahoniemi who played on both debut album "Layers" and EP "Stepping Stones".
Percussionist Jani Lehtioksa also played percussion on their debut album “Layers”, but soon after moved to the Netherlands to study music. Vibrafonist/Percussionist Mikko Antila was then recruited instead.
After meeting drummer Severi Sorjonen, Johannes fell so deeply in love with his playing that Severi ended up on Peela's drum throne in late 2020. Around the same time, Antti left the band, so now Oliver Karttunen in charge of the low end in Peela.
After Sami Leponiemi went to study abroad in 2022 the Saxophone has been handled by Jimi Ahlroos.
The band is actively gigging around Finland and looking to broaden its reach across borders.