By Catharina Herlin,
translated by Simo Vassinen

A deep dive into the music of six Finnish artists shows how openness and honesty can pave the way to success.

In 2025, Finland’s pop and rap scene welcomed two artists who made striking breakthroughs: Ares and Olga, both set to perform at next summer’s Flow Festival. In this newsletter, we zoom in on the elements behind their music and rise to prominence. We also explore the secret to the growing popularity of four other emerging Finnish artists: Asla Jo, Louie Blue, Louna0nline and Jaakko Kulta.

From humility to glamour

The breakthrough album Apathia by Finnish-Greek rap artist Ares was released in January 2025 by the Rähinä and Kaiku Entertainment labels. The record earned him six Emma Award nominations at Finland’s premier annual music awards ceremony, including one for Newcomer of the Year. Yet Ares is far from a newcomer: the album was the most-streamed release on Spotify in Finland in 2025, the result of years of persistent work, self-belief and the support of trusted collaborators.

Mentored by Elastinen – a long-standing heavyweight of Finnish rap – and with experienced producers such as Salahpolo by his side, Ares honed his craft patiently. The results are evident in massive hits like Menestys on paras tapa kostaa. Ares stands firmly for humility and honesty, and has established himself as a role model for young listeners. As one fan told the daily newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, his music offers a sense of safety in moments of anxiety.

Olga burst into the brightest spotlight of the Finnish music scene in spring 2024 with the release of her debut single Uus bitch. The follow-up track Stadi (Alicia) with Isac Elliot cemented her position as one of the most closely followed stars in Finnish pop.

Her debut album Saint Olga was released in May 2025 through Alma’s Cyber Recordings, part of PME. The album is an irresistible blend of boldly self-directed hits, disarmingly sincere lyrics, delicious production hooks and wild party tracks that send live crowds into a frenzy. As an artist, Olga radiates glamour and determination, showing especially women why shame has no place on the road of self-expression.

Visual radiance

Unapologetic confidence naturally extends to the visual realm as well. In Olga’s case, her aesthetic blends a creative, free-spirited DIY sensibility with the pop star glamour of the early 2000s and a style that is unmistakably her own – one that has already reached iconic status in just a couple of years. In Olga’s image, echoes of stars like Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera can be felt, while the mindset behind the outfits recalls Lady Gaga’s fearless dedication to realising her own artistic vision.

Olga’s signature look might include thigh-length platinum blonde hair, a nude-toned bodysuit and towering boots. Mini denim shorts paired with a striking fur hat, or a tight white top with bold black lettering declaring her Finland’s #1 bitch. Feather-covered high heels in a Vogue Scandinavia interview, a dress made of banknotes at the Emma Awards, and diamond-studded underwear on the cover of her debut album.

Olga may look every bit the million-dollar star, but in reality her outfits can come together on an almost non-existent budget. The ideas and styling are developed together with her best friend Seena Talvi, who also works as Olga’s stylist. As the duo explained in an interview with Finland’s main newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, many pieces are sourced from vintage shops, flea markets and Talvi’s own wardrobe.

“That’s basically our thing, just messing around with looks,” Talvi remarks in the article. In their finished form, the striking outfits feel anything but casually thrown together, yet the modest remark aligns with the grounded sincerity that radiates from Olga’s artistic persona.

While Olga’s visual world is dominated by light tones and golden sparkle, Ares represents the complete opposite. His understated, dark style carries a certain weight: black outfits and the large Orthodox cross hanging around his neck create a powerful presence. Part of this comes from the confidence with which he carries himself, but it is also a result of the precision and consistency of his visual identity. When simple elements are selected with enough care, an artist’s entire brand can rest on something as minimal as a black leather jacket and studded gloves.

While Olga’s style channels luxury through dazzling abundance and the grand gestures of a pop star, Ares lets touches of affluence emerge in subtler details that quietly complement the whole.

Music rooted in openness

The world of pop music has room for many kinds of honesty. While Ares reflects on his long journey to success and Olga speaks openly about the prejudices she has faced, singer-songwriter Asla Jo approaches powerful emotions in their music with striking directness. Released in February, their debut album Papin tytär unfolds through autofictional songs that explore themes such as queer experiences, grief and loneliness, the tender fault lines of youth, and the complex terrain of relationships.

Signed to Kaiku Entertainment, Asla Jo creates uniquely beautiful lyrics in which pain and hope often intertwine, reflecting something deeply recognisable at the core of human experience. At the start of the year, the Indie Awards named their single Pussailen tyttöjen kaa Song of the Year, and the track has been widely praised, particularly within indie music circles.

Honesty continues to be a guiding thread for the next artist as well, shaping not only his sound but his entire approach to making music. Louie Blue, signed to Booa Music, has been a remarkable presence from the very beginning of his career, from the international attention sparked by his earliest releases to the organic depths of last autumn’s album Blood & Bones.

Louie Blue released his debut single at just seventeen, followed in quick succession by his first EP and album. He then made a decision that ultimately served his art above all else: he paused releasing music, retreated to the studio he had built himself, and began exploring more analogue ways of making music. The result was the mesmerising Blood & Bones, an album whose atmosphere of authenticity and intuition is both captivating and hypnotic. Paying tribute to the spirit of 1980s rock, the record moves through a rich sonic landscape that draws from blues, progressive rock, R&B and alternative pop.

Voices of a new generation

If anyone is set to make major waves in 2026, it is the independently releasing Louna0nline. The signs are already clear: an Indie Award in the Newcomer of the Year category and a third-place spot on YleX’s breakthrough chart, run by Finland’s public broadcaster. Their debut EP Web, released in October 2025, also points towards big things ahead, packing an impressive amount of vibrant, electrifying energy into its five tracks.

Blending modern rap, experimental pop, witch house and hyperpop, Louna0nline draws inspiration from internet culture. In an interview with the Finnish music magazine Rumba, they named the artist Yung Lean and his producer Gud as their biggest musical influences. A holistic artistic vision lies at the centre of their work, as they approach music with a strong visual sensibility as well. Produced together with Aaro630 and Onni.flp, the tracks on Web feel almost like short films, carrying the listener’s imagination from one fantastical world to another.

While Louna0nline’s music captivates with its forward-looking, trend-setting energy, Jaakko Kulta charms audiences with his ability to embrace the past. He seamlessly fuses the experiences of his generation with the traditions of rock music, creating a sound that resonates with both seasoned rock fans and younger listeners raised on TikTok. Released in late 2025 through Warner Music Finland, his debut album Ihminen tackles vast themes such as mental health and toxic models of masculinity with striking openness. Throughout the record, Jaakko Kulta carries the listener with the warmth and reassurance of his voice.

From dreaming to confidence

In the YleX documentary series about Olga (2026), the artist reflects on how high the threshold for pursuing one’s dreams can feel for women, especially when weighed down by the idea that the outcome must be perfect. “I dream as big as possible. We’re out here with the girls making those dreams come true,” she says in the documentary with a mischievous, disarming smile.

Like many generations of artists before them, the six artists featured in this newsletter share two defining factors behind their success. The first is a belief that their own voice and style matter in this world. The second is the confidence and courage to let that voice be heard: something that ultimately grows from that same belief.

For decades, confidence in rap music often meant boasting loudly about one’s own superiority. Today’s artists show that the culture has moved beyond that kind of chest-thumping bravado. Ares, for example, reshapes the rap tradition by believing firmly in himself, yet doing so with a humility that feels almost philosophical – a fairly novel quality compared to his predecessors. “If I could give one pointer to the young ones, it would be: be polite to everyone,” Ares said in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat.

Olga, meanwhile, has spoken openly about the hateful comments she receives, often targeting her appearance and dismissing her as if she were not making music at all. She refuses to let misogynistic attitudes stand in her way, continuing her long-term work to carve out space in the music industry for herself and other women artists.

Asla Jo, Louie Blue and Jaakko Kulta move in more poetic territories of contemporary music. Asla Jo writes like a poet, Louie Blue’s music seems to emerge straight from the soul, and Jaakko Kulta’s songs allow listeners to experience complex emotions such as melancholy and incompleteness. Louna0nline, in turn, captivates with the concentrated intensity of energy that runs through their music, something quite unlike anything else around.

The popularity these six artists have achieved is a testament to the weight and resonance of their work. Whether it is chart-dominating rap and pop, bold artistic vision, inventive reinterpretations of tradition, or the creation of entirely new sounds, each of them is carving out important paths in contemporary music.

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Catharina Herlin is a Finnish music journalist specialising in Finnish rap and pop. As a freelance journalist, Herlin writes reviews and interviews for Helsingin Sanomat, Rumba, Soundi, and Klangi. Herlin has been a member of the grand jury for Emma Gaala for four years. This year marks her second time as part of a team of music industry professionals who help choose the performing artists for the music showcase festival Lost In Music.

This article is part of Flow’s newsletter series, Monthly Deep Dive. Each month, we publish essays and articles by journalists, scholars, and independent writers that explore the festival’s program and the cultural phenomena surrounding Flow. Subscribe to the Monthly Deep Dive here.