Samuli Putro

Samuli Putro, the longtime frontman of the Finnish rock band Zen Café, with whom he experienced years of chart-topping success, is a singer/songwriter who made his blockbuster solo album debut in 2009. Born on August 21, 1970, in Helsinki, he co-founded Zen Café in 1992. The band includes Kari Nylander (bass) and Pete Parkkonen (drums), in addition to Putro (vocals, guitar). Zen Café made their album debut in 1997 with Romuna. Subsequent albums include Idiootti (1998), Ua Ua (1999), and Helvetisti Järkeä (2001). Zen Café then hit number one with each of their next three albums, Helvetisti Järkeä (2001), Vuokralainen (2002), and Jättiläinen (2003); moreover, these albums include the Top Ten hit singles "Aamuisin," "Piha Ilman Sadettajaa," and "Tavallaan Jokainen On Surullinen." The latter-day albums Laiska, Tyhmä Ja Saamaton (2005) and Stop (2006) were similarly successful, hitting number two and one, respectively. Well known for his longtime frontman status in Zen Café, Putro made his blockbuster solo album debut in 2009 with Elämä On Juhla. Yet another in a long line of chart-topping albums for Putro, Elämä On Juhla includes the singles "Elämä On Juhla," "Älä Huuda Mulle," and "Mitäpä Jos." ~ Jason Birchmeier