Kairiin Kukk blends jazz with rock and contemporary music

Jazz musician Kairiin Kukk says she likes to challenge musical rules and blend styles. The recipient of the Jaak Sooäär young jazz musician scholarship spoke to Vikerraadio, part of ERR, about her music and plans.

Kukk is in the final year of a master’s degree studying keyboard instruments at a music academy. The scholarship came with 5,000 euros, which she said would help fund the release of her debut album. The music has been recorded, and she expects the album to come out early next year.

Jaak Sooäär said Kukk’s strengths include conceptual thinking, original ideas and compositions, and developing them in her own way. He added that few young musicians take such an individual approach, with many instead following established practices.

Kukk said she enjoys combining styles and questioning rules about how music in a particular genre should be played. She has performed rock, pop and jazz, and describes herself primarily as a jazz pianist. She cited Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan as a major influence and described her own sound as a mix of jazz, progressive rock, progressive metal and contemporary music.

Kukk said she hopes to make a living from her music, which she called a major dream. She is also considering further studies in the Netherlands after completing her master’s degree.