Antti Ketonen

As the voice of the Finnish group Neljänsuora since the late 1990s, Antti Ketonen has also pursued a solo career straddling iskelmä and pop in Finnish, with straightforward melodic songwriting and a restrained delivery geared toward sentimental songs and radio-friendly formats. Born in Lohja in 1978, Ketonen first established himself on the Finnish music scene with Neljänsuora before expanding his work under his own name. Between 2008 and 2014 he released several Christmas singles that were later collected on the album Joulu valtaa sydämen in 2015. His true solo breakthrough beyond seasonal material came with the single Olisitpa sylissäni in 2017, co-written with Lauri Tähkä and Sinikka Svärd among others, followed by the album Olisitpa sylissäni in 2019. Ketonen also took part in the third season of the show Tähdet, tähdet in 2016, an appearance that accompanied his move toward greater personal visibility. His subsequent discography includes Ainoo tie (2022), continuing an adult pop style with iskelmä inflections, marked by accessible arrangements and a vocal approach centered on the lyrics. He has also recorded occasional collaborations, notably with Vahtera and Katri Ylander.