Believe it or not, reggae in Finnish does exist, and it is pretty popular too. Jukka Poika is the biggest star and last year he had a great run after the release of Yhdestä Puusta. Last summer he even got performed at Flow Festival for the hipster crowd. They guys over Gaming Club help us taking another look at Jukka Poika.
Jukka Poika, a Finnish reggae artist, is playing in multiple music festivals during this summer and as the man himself says the sunshine fits to his relaxed music style perfectly. The popular musician probably doesn’t have time to enjoy the short Finnish summer due to his hectic schedule – it’s possible to find him in Tornio, Saarijärvi, Hämeenlinna, Tampere, Jämsä and Oulu during this month alone. Into the man’s busy schedule also surprisingly fits a couple of wedding gigs; popular due to his renowned love-themed songs, which are in high demand at summer weddings.
Before moving to a solo career Jukka Poika (real name Jukka Rousu) has collaborated with many bands during his career including Soul Capital Band, Kapteeni Ä-ni, Jukka Poika & Kompostikopla, and Jukka Poika & Jenkkarekka. This reggae musician rose to the knowledge of mass audiences with his hit song “Silkkii” which was released in 2011. The song also won Best Song, as well as the Best Live Performance award in Emma Gala the same year. His latest album “Yhdestä Puusta” was released in March 2012, and it rose to the top of Finland’s Official Album Charts the week 12.
Jukka Poika’s newest single “Pelimies” was released May this year, foretelling ongoing success for the artist. The title of the song can be translated as “The Player” but the word doesn’t fit into the urban dictionary’s definition of ”a hardcore womaniser” in Jukka Poika’s song, for the narrator is only “one woman’s player” who “hits all the cards to the table face upwards”. So don’t confuse “Pelimies” with the legendary karaoke song of Matti Vainaa & Sallitut Aineet with the same title, which most definitely lives up to the definition of a womaniser – at least in the narrator’s mind.
Gambling has been a popular theme among the songs of love and life – after all it is the perfect allegory for luck, coincidence, and resourcefulness. Even though Jukka Poika uses the concepts of card games like “you don’t need your poker face / you can let melt to smile” (translation), to clearly influence his music the song’s music video doesn’t show websites such as Gaming Club or grand Casino Helsinki, but rather showcases the likes of retro computer games from the 80’s and 90’s such as Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt; the character bearing striking resemblance to Jukka Poika. Despite this clever video take, it’s clear Jukka uses casino and card games as inspiration to add a more metaphorical depth to the meaning of the song, and with the success of the artist continuously growing, he should perhaps use his luck to try his hand at online gaming too!
Glue 