An audio company built around one voice – and the quiet it creates
Kirinaja is an independent production company founded in 2012 and run by Henrik Ståhl – Swedish actor, author and playwright. What began in 2018 with a simple idea, a podcast you don't have to listen to, has grown into 7 shows and more than 1 238 episodes in Swedish and English.
Everything is unscripted. Henrik presses record and talks – about everything and nothing – until you drift off. Some shows are walks through Swedish nature in spatial audio, some are wordless soundscapes, and one was an early experiment in letting a machine write bedtime monotony. The common thread: calm, curiosity and craft.
About us
The people behind Kirinaja
These are the people who make Kirinaja work – from the first word in the microphone to the moment an episode lands in your feed.
Henrik Ståhl
Founder, CEO & host
Henrik started Kirinaja in 2012 for one simple reason: he had far more ideas than patience. Rather than waiting for someone else to say yes, he wanted a platform where he could realise them himself – on his own terms, at his own pace.
He is an actor, author and director. He has written plays and operas, and since 2018 he has been one of Sweden's most listened-to podcasters, with Somna med Henrik – the country's biggest sleep podcast – and its English sister show Fall asleep with Henrik. These days he is also a digital creator, building the shows' worlds across video and social media.
Whatever the format, the method is the same: no script, no plan. Just a voice, a thought, and the trust that the next one will come.
Julia joined Kirinaja in 2026 and is the reason an episode is ready when you are. She handles the full post-production of Somna med Henrik – editing the audio and video, writing the episode notes, and scheduling every release.
She also runs the show's daily presence on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts – clips, stories and behind-the-scenes glimpses – and keeps an eye on what works and what doesn't.
And she looks after the people: as community manager for the official Somna med Henrik Facebook group she starts the conversations, answers questions and keeps the group a calm place to be. When the show goes live on stage, Julia is part of making it happen.
The name
Kirinaja is a made-up word, like much of what happens in the shows. It sounded right. It still does.
Frequently asked
Is it really unscripted? Yes. No notes, no plan. That's the point – and why it works when you're trying to fall asleep.
How often do new episodes come out? Somna med Henrik publishes twice a week (Wednesdays and Sundays), Fall asleep with Henrik weekly. The other shows are complete series – every episode is still available wherever you listen.
How do I skip the ads? Both flagship shows offer ad-free listening – see each show's website for details.
Contact
Collaborations, advertising, press, listener mail – one address for everything: info@kirinaja.com. We read everything, and reply as soon as we can.
