Second video from the log house. The first cold nights have arrived, so this morning we went out with the camera: fog, sun through the pines, the lavender still going, and a water lily I’ve never seen in September.
Then a few thoughts on safety, in singing and improvising and in places: New York blocks that felt like villages, a hometown that never quite did, and six years at the farm before it stopped feeling like being a visitor and started feeling like inviting people home.

I’ve included the video and the cleaned-up transcript in this post. Closed captions are also available. Read along as you watch and listen to the September 4, 2026 edition of my video blog using the player below. You can subscribe to future editions on YouTube and browse my archive of posts here.

Take 2

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Okay. Good morning. Hello. Schönen Nachmittag. Ihanaa iltaa. Ihan mitä vaan.

Second video. Second video. I still keep looking at the screen, because I have the laptop right here. And… yeah.
It’s a beautiful Friday in the Finnish woods, and this morning was so spectacular — we’re getting the first cold nights now — so we went out and took some pictures. I thought I’d share them with you here. Let’s see if it works. So beautiful. Maybe I’ll just look at those for a second.

(humming)

There’s the lavender.

And there was actually a lumme (water lily). I’ve never seen that in September.

That was our morning. How was yours?

I remember sometimes I lived in places where I really wanted to share where I was at, and sometimes those were neighbourhoods where I didn’t feel it was appropriate, or I just wouldn’t dare, or I was too afraid. But here I don’t have to ask anybody. And that feels great.
Safety. It’s about safety, actually — also when we make music, or how I improvise.

Oh, by the way, Drama is here as well. Let’s see if we can get — yep, he’s sleeping now. Our Drama camera.

So, yeah. About safety. There are so many things in music that we think are our fault somehow, or our failure, or something we’re missing — especially in technique, but also in the skill of being authentic. Is there such a thing? Often it’s just about feeling safe.

When I used to live in the city, in New York — which was way, way, way back — but I’m so glad you guys are still there. Many of you I’ve known since 2000, 2007, and we still stay in touch. I love that. So meaningful.
To me, living there was almost like — you know, the blocks made little villages. So to me the big city always felt small. And visiting Helsinki from there, or afterwards when I moved to Helsinki for a short while, I never got that feeling. I was always sort of scared, because I couldn’t comprehend the city, even though it’s my hometown. I mean, that’s the town where I was born. I knew every street better than a taxi driver in the nineties, when we were driving — we had three cafés, and we would drive from one café to another. Anyway. But the sense of togetherness was missing, and the sense of belonging, somehow.

It always takes a long time. I’ve lived here at the farm now for — what is it, about six years, since 2019 — and until about last spring I still felt like a visitor, a little bit. But now, step by step, little by little, I feel like I’m inviting you to my home. Not only my musical home, but my physical home. Here we are. In the woods.

I’ll keep this short today, because I’m driving to Helsinki to work with actors. We’ll be surrounded by the same topic. Safety, I’m sure. It always comes up in voice lessons.

But maybe I’ll just do one song, and we’ll close it for this second take.

(sings “When I Fall in Love”)

Doorbell. Phone. Let’s see.

So even though I said I’d never do a second take — even though this is the second take — the phone started to ring. I’m such an amateur. A happy amateur. Anyway, the phone started ringing and Drama started barking, so I think we’ll do another song. How’s that? And then we’ll finish, and then we’ll continue with the day. All right.

(sings “When I Fall in Love”)

See you soon.

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Featured song: When I Fall in Love (at 9:43 and 11:26)