Estonian songwriter Mari Kalkun shares new song – Somewhere There’s War

The sorceress of traditional Estonian music, Mari Kalkun addresses the war with a warmhearted message.

Mari Kalkun is one of the major contributors to the Estonian folk revival. Originally coming from Võru (south-eastern part of the country), the songwriter has been celebrating the misty landscapes and traditional music of her native land. Her compositions are sonic love letters, written in the language of kannel (Estonian plucked string instrument) and heartfelt singing.

With the new song addressing the international conflict, Kalkun alters the mode of communication, singing in English and accompanying herself on the piano. Seemingly keeping in with the tradition of protest songs, e.g. Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind, the lyrics recollects anxieties, fear, denial (“Somewhere there’s war but far from me”) – feelings that we all do not need to familiarise ourselves with. Wisely and soothingly, the song tells that each of us has an inner child inside who despite her vulnerability can make the world a better place to be. “When I was a child, I looked up at the sky, I used to feel my heart is free, my mind is free, your mind is free”.