Lau Nau Sings An Enchanting Lullaby To Her Younger Self

What would you say to your younger self? It'd probably be vaguely encouraging — "It gets better" and "don't stop being weird" — or something practical: "Avoid getting bangs at 16." Laura Naukkarinen, who makes beautiful and wandering folk music as Lau Nau, sings a gentle and poetic peace to "Elina."

"'Elina' is a message that I wrote for a ten-year old, younger, depressed me," Naukkarinen tells NPR. "You can see it as a comforting song for a friend who is feeling very tired. I finished the composition in a residency at ZDB in Lisbon where I was able to take a break from everything else. I think you can hear the ease of that moment in the song."

Translated from Finnish, it reads and sings like a lullaby, cradled by wind and string instruments: "I'd take the baby in my arms / You'd rest there by my side / Your hair is a drawing on the pillow / Hear the whispers of the willows." Over a decade into her career, "Elina" is one of Lau Nau's most enchanting works, a dream smoothed over by stone. Here it receives a video directed by Hannes Renvall, as Naukkarinen wanders through the snow and forests of Kemiönsaari (the island she lives on) and Turku in Finland.

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