Jesse Markin

Hailing from the tiny south-western Finnish town Viljakkala, Jesse Markin is without a doubt one of the most intriguing and engaging artists in Finland at the moment. Markin’s music could be described as a unique mix of indie pop, rap, soul, r'n'b, prog rock and African folk. In his own words, Markin approaches “serious topics with honest interpretations, topics like love, xenophobia, hope, lust for money, loneliness and brotherhood”.

After releasing his debut album FOLK in 2019 Markin skyrocketed to the limelight in his home country Finland. Markin was awarded with numerous awards including Newcomer of the Year and Critics choice awards in the annual Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammys), one of the biggest Nordic music prices, Teosto-palkinto, Album of the Year and Most Important Act of the Year prices in Indie Awards and in Femma Gaala.

Markin’s sophomore album NOIR was released in 2021 and it continued from where FOLK left off: the album received praising reviews and was awarded the Rock of the Year nomination at Emma Gaala.

Jesse Markin has also received a lot of international attention. NPR, KEXP, American Songwriter, Fault Magazine, Afropunk, Complex, Clash Magazine, and CQ Japan are among those that have featured Markin and his music. Markin has also toured live across Europe, playing shows at clubs and festivals in France, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Russia, Romania, Lithuania and Estonia.