Funky Awards 2025 – Celebrating the soulful Suomi!
One more great voyage around our sun is over and a new one is beginning. It’s a good moment to look back and collect together the best of the soulful Finnish music from the year 2025. The Funky Awards returns to pick out the top artists, albums, songs, music videos and radio shows from the past year and searches for the best of the best through public and jury voting.
The lists of artists, bands, newcomers and music below are inevitably just a small sample of the music released in Finland last year. Over the course of the year, we listened to over two thousand songs and selected the nominees for this year’s Funky Awards poll. It wasn’t an easy task, but we’re happy to say that the art of getting funky is thriving domestically. Lots of brilliant music is being made in Finland! The Funky Awards is the celebration of that.
There are nine categories this year. The prestigious jury selected the nominees and now it’s your turn to have a listen and vote for your favorites. The voting form can be found by clicking the button below.
Funky Awards 2024 – Nominees
There are a lot of nominations this year. The lists include a wide range of all kind of finnish music rooted in the black music traditions. There is great radio also being made in Finland! This year’s special category honors a selection of radio programs, which we listen frequently and enjoy enormously. A big thank you to all the artists!
Artist of the year
Eero Savela (webpage)
Emilia Sisco (webpage)
Hannibal (Instagram)
Ina Forsman (webpage)
Jimi Tenor (webpage)
Misha (webpage)
Ville Valavuo (Discogs)
band of the year
Good Boys (Instagram)
Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble (FunkyFinland.fi)
JätkäJätkät (FunkyFinland.fi)
The Northern Lights (live band of Emilia Sisco)
Punomo (webpage)
Rosettes (Instagram)
Vodou Fusion (FunkyFinland.fi)
newcomer of the year
Ani Harmi (Instagram)
B!rthday (Instagram)
Heili (Instagram)
J.EM (Instagram)
Kalabaliikki (Instagram)
Kraiden (Instagram)
Mimosa (Instagram)
albums of the year
The album of the year nominees were again divided into three separate categories. Rytmi selection collects together the music drawing from the soul, funk and jazz traditions. Rap is rap! The best of the finnish rap in various languages and styles. Rajojen Ylittäjä category presents music that avoids known genres and operates on its own orbit.
album of the year – Rytmi
Ina Forsman – After Dark Hour (Spotify / Youtube)
Jimi Tenor – Selenites, Selenites! (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Joska Josafat – Pystyn Mihin Vaan (Spotify / Youtube)
JätkäJätkät – Norsun selässä (Spotify / Youtube)
Misha & cocabona – JOMO (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Nössö Nova – Pitäis ja Pitäis (Spotify / Youtube)
Punomo – Kahdeksan kertaa (Spotify / Youtube)
Rosettes – Lifestyles (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Sami Saari ja Jazzpojat – Nyt Tai Ei Koskaan (Spotify / Youtube)
Syskofrenia – Vapaa (Spotify / Youtube)
album of the year – Rap
Are – In Memoriam (Spotify / Youtube)
Bentality – regular life, volume two (Spotify / Youtube)
Ceebrolistics – blue byroads (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Ex Tuuttiz – Venlafaxin Cowboy (Spotify / Youtube)
FYRK – Lama (Spotify / Youtube)
good boys – Hittaa (Spotify / Youtube)
Hannibal – Uutisia Ei Mistään (Spotify / Youtube)
Mactopias – UNRELEASED-UNRELEASABLE-SESSIONS (Spotify / Youtube)
Matriarkaatti – Rikosrekisteri (Spotify / Youtube)
Petos – Petos (Spotify / Youtube)
Yeboyah – Emotional Gangsta (Spotify / Youtube)
album of the year – Rajojen Ylittäjä
Flinga – Hum (Bandcamp/ Youtube)
Ilkka Arola Sound Tagine – Adventures in the Now (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Kalabaliikki – Leijonan Kääntöpiiri (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Mikko Pettinen Why Not – Patient Patient (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Paleface & Laulava Unioni – Hoopon Elämän Mysteerit (Spotify / Youtube)
RAMSES – Espiritus (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Rinneradio – 4/4 (Spotify / Youtube)
Sonja Selene – Pimeä Pää (Spotify / Youtube)
Stiletti-Ana – Stiletti City Tape Archives (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Zangoma – Faka Mulilo (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
song of the year
Dashing Waves – Rivière (Spotify / Youtube)
Dub Vallila – Ruffneck Bizness feat. Paleface (Spotify / Youtube)
Eternal Erection – Not So Pretty (Emperor’s New Clothes) (Spotify / Youtube)
Halme Prospekt Present Queen Djenny Djella – Bon Bon Bon (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Jimi Tenor – Release Me! (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
Muscular – Day 2 (Tokyo) (Spotify / Youtube)
Nea Neuroosi – Helsinki City Cowgirl feat. Valma (Spotify / Youtube)
Ricky-Tick Big Band & Julkinen Sana – Konttori Auki (Spotify / Youtube)
Stepa – Tärkeä Hetki Suomiräpille (Spotify / Youtube)
Tuomo & Recluse Crew – Glorious feat. Dankery Harv (Bandcamp / Spotify / Youtube)
musicvideo of the year
Adeola – I Think Of You (Youtube)
Barbaro El Urbano Vargas – O.N.G LA BANDA (Youtube)
Grande Mahogany – Salford Softie (Youtube)
Ilkka Arola Sound Tagine – Surrender (Youtube)
Kaisa’s Machine – Origin’s Story feat. Melissa Aldana (Youtube)
Kolmiyo – Kukat feat. DJ Massimo (Youtube)
Koneveljet – Gone (Youtube)
Laineen Kasperi – Taikahattu feat. Ronda (Youtube)
Mimosa – Helyi, Laukkui jne. (Youtube)
SUAD – Morning (Youtube)
Yona & Saimaa – Laula Mulle Laulu (Youtube)
RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR
20HZ (IDA Radio)
De Räp Radio Show (Radio Helsinki)
Jazz Kiinnostaa (Radio Helsinki)
Klaus Wing Sessions (Totally Wired Radio)
Lux med DJ Bunuel (YLE Vega)
Ritmo (IDA Radio)
Tuuli Saksalan Keidas (YLE Radio 1)
Enjoy! You can find the voting form here. Selections from the albums of the year and the song of the year nominees can be found on the Funky Awards 2025 Spotify playlist. All nominees for the music video of the year are on the Funky Awards 2025 Youtube playlist. The winners will be announced on Wednesday 5th of February.