Juice Leskinen

Who was Juice Leskinen?

Juhani Juice Leskinen, better known as Juice Leskinen, was one of the most prominent Finnish singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. From the early 1970s onward he released nearly 30 full-length albums, as well as writing song lyrics for dozens of Finnish artists. Several of Leskinen's songs have reached classic status in Finnish popular music, e.g., "Viidestoista yö", "Kaksoiselämää" and "Syksyn sävel". His early records are considered staples of the so-called Manserock movement of the mid-'70s. In addition to Leskinen's musical work, he extended his focus to poetry and playwriting with nine collections of verse and seven plays published.

After moving to Tampere to study in 1970, Leskinen began his recording career in 1973 with the eponymous debut album of Juice Leskinen & Coitus Int. One more record, Per Vers, runoilija, was made under the same band name, but from then on he released records with several line-ups, most notably Juice Leskinen Slam and Juice Leskinen Grand Slam from the late '70s until mid '80s. Although concentrating more on poetry from the early '90s, Leskinen still released new music every few years despite his failing health caused by years of unhealthy life habits. After the longest hiatus of his recording career, L marked Leskinen's 50th birthday in 2000. His last record, Senaattori ja boheemi, is a collaboration with Mikko Alatalo, a return to their partnership of the early 1970s. He wrote Nuku pommiin in 1982 for the Eurovision Song Contest.