Mariska receives 2024 Iskelmä-Finlandia award in Nokia, Finland

The 2024 Iskelmä-Finlandia award was presented to musician and singer-songwriter Mariska in Nokia on Thursday. Born Anna Maria Rahikainen, Mariska received the €15,000 prize during the Tapsan tahdit event. The Iskelmä-Finlandia award honors individuals who have significantly contributed to Finnish pop and light music.

Aki Karjalainen, the chairman of the jury that selected the winner, praised Mariska as an exceptional artist whose lyrics have been marked in the living history of iskelmä music. He noted that songs like “Missä muruseni on” and “Mestaripiirros” resonate with many Finns as tales of their own lives. Over the years, her songs have been performed by numerous artists, including Jenni Vartiainen, Paula Koivuniemi, and Anna Puu from the band Yö.

Mariska rose to fame with her debut album “Toisin sanoen” released in 2002. In the early 2010s, she transitioned her music style from rap to jazz and iskelmä, collaborating with the band Pahat Sudet.

The Iskelmä-Finlandia award has been presented a total of 22 times, with last year’s recipient being Tuure Kilpeläinen. Other notable awardees this decade include Mikko Alatalo in 2022 and Arja Koriseva in 2021. The award was not given in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently, Mariska has received another accolade, the prestigious Juha Vainio Songwriter Award worth €6,000. In an interview, she reminisced about her childhood wish to marry Juha Vainio due to his song “Vanhojapoikia Viiksekkäitä” and its main character, Nestori Miikkulainen.