Helsinki, Finland

June 1, 1957

J. Karjalainen is a Finnish singer/songwriter whose popularity spans decades, beginning in the 1980s. Born Jukka Tapio Karjalainen on April 1, 1957, in Helsinki, he made his album debut in 1981 with J. Karjalainen ja Mustat Lasit. Follow-up albums were released more or less annually throughout the 1980s and beyond. Among his follow-up releases, Electric Sauna (1996) was especially successful. The album topped the Finnish albums chart and spawned a series of follow-up albums featuring the same band lineup: Electric Picnic (1999), Marjaniemessä (2001), and Valtatie (2002), all of which were Top Five hits. Among his singles, "On Kaikki Niinkuin Ennenkin" (1998) and "Valtatie" (2002) were especially big hits. ~ Jason Birchmeier