Juhani Valkama is a Tampere-based singer-songwriter, musician and uncompromising theater man .
The new album Kotiin (Eclipse Music) was released on October 23, 2020!
Valkama released his debut album Kahleet (Eclipse Music) in 2009, before which his music has been heard on the album Violence Musical, among others (Eclipse Music, 2008). Valkama has composed stage music and songs for the city theaters of Joensuu, Kotka and Kajaani, for example, and for TV2. He is also a musician at the Tampere Improvisational Theater Snorkkel.
Valkama’s melodic music respects the lyricist tradition, takes material from different genres of music and appeals to the listener on many levels. The songs feature traditional pop-rock and vocalism and include echoes of jazz, percussion, folk and chanson.
In addition to a long and varied musical experience, Valkama also has solid experience in theater work, not only as a composer, but also as a director, writer and performer. He holds a Master of Philosophy from the University of Tampere with a major in theater and drama studies. He is also a member of the Composers ’and Lyricists’ Association Elvis.
JUHANI VALKAMA
”I grew up surrounded by music because of what I am now. One of my earliest musical memories is the c-cassettes of Kari Tapio and Katri Helena, which I listened to with my mother. In addition to them, Sibelius, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Sting became interested. In addition to these bedrock, my musical stone foot soon came to be built by Stevie Wonder, Scott Walker, Prokofiev, Brel, Nirvana. And so on.
I have always experienced a charming music as a field of freedom which sweeps over the narrow genre definitions. The songs for me has always been very important to also depends on what and how it is said and I am immersed in the fine copywriter to work over and over again: Dylan, Cohen, Lennon, Mitchell, Walker and Springsteen – and perhaps even more important Helismaa, Vainio, Nurmio, the Netherlands, Röyhkä, Juice , Gösta Sundqvist, Heikki Salo and J. Karjalainen.
All of these and many others have poured me the pot in which I boil my own soup. Each song is one window, a whole drama and its own world. If it succeeds, we will experience something familiar, something essential and deeply touching – something we have in common. The songwriter can only partially influence it, the rest happens if it happens, in the listener. ”