Ilkka Alanko

Ilkka Alanko is a Finnish singer/songwriter who made his Top Ten hit album debut in 2009 with the electro-pop effort Elektra after a two-decade tenure as the frontman of the chart-topping rock band Neljä Ruusua. Born on November 21, 1969, in Joensuu, Finland, he is the younger brother of Finnish rock singer/songwriter Ismo Alanko, who likewise experienced chart-topping success. He began his career as a member of the band Neljä Ruusua. Founded in 1982 in Helsinki, Finland, the band is comprised of Petteri "Kode" Koistinen (guitar), Jari "Lade" Laakkonen (bass), and Kari "Kämy" Kämäräinen (drums), in addition to Alanko (vocals, guitar). They made their eponymous album debut in 1987 with Neljä Ruusua, followed by another album every year or two. In the late '90s they released a couple English-language efforts, Mood (1996) and Not for Sale (1998). Their next Finnish-language album, Uusi Aalto (1999), was a commercial blockbuster success, topping the charts and spawning the smash hit singles "Varjo" and "Hunningolla." A chart-topping greatest-hits compilation, Popmuseo (2000), was released in the wake of this success. Subsequent full-length efforts Valuva Taivas (2001), Karelia Express (2004), and Ensi-Ilta (2006) were all at least Top Five hits on the Finnish albums chart and spawned the respective hit singles "Missä Vaan," "Popstars," and "Tahdon." Meanwhile, much of the band's back catalog was reissued in a series of remastered albums. Alanko embarked on a solo career in the late 2000s, making his recording debut in 2008 with the single "Kesä Meidän" on EMI, the long-time label of Neljä Ruusua. He made his solo album debut the following year with Elektra (2009), a Top Ten hit that spawned the singles "Sattuu" and "Etsin Sua." ~ Jason Birchmeier