A distinctive personal style, hit records with Finland's most intriguing artists, and finally an expansion into international markets. Sounds like a carefully planned career trajectory, right? "Honestly, it's one big accident that I ended up where I am now," says Jurek Reunamäki, one of Finland's most internationally accomplished producers.

Ten years ago, Jurek Reunamäki’s life was about to change. Early in 2015, the hit single Peto on irti brought pop star Antti Tuisku back to the top of the Finnish pop scene with a bang, while also introducing a new star producer to the country. Soon, everyone seeking a bold new direction wanted a piece of Jurek's magic.

There was just one problem: there was no "Jurek sound." Beyond Tuisku’s vibrant electro-pop, Jurek had already crafted, for example, serene atmospheres for Johanna Kurkela. And much more was on the horizon.

"People like to box things up and simplify. Like, 'We need this kind of production, let’s call that guy.' But I didn’t want to get labeled like that, so I had to make extra effort to avoid it," Jurek reflects.

A recognizable signature is an important asset for any producer. Jurek has one, but it’s not tied to a specific sound or musical style.

I have this strong urge to express myself and bring my aesthetics into the work.

"I’m an artist-producer. I have this strong urge to express myself and bring my aesthetics into the work," Jurek explains, adding that he rarely produces anything that he hasn’t written.

However, he’s quick to emphasize that he always puts the artist first.

"It’s not my music. It’s always the artist’s music, with little pieces of me in it."

Jurek points out a key distinction: while he gives his all to the artist’s music, he doesn’t share much of himself to it.

"It wouldn’t be in the artist’s best interest. That’s why I have a hard drive full of music I’ve made just for myself, for fun, with no intention of releasing it."

Curiosity is key

Being a producer isn’t just about crafting beats or mastering the latest plugins.

"For me, the most important thing is curiosity. You can’t just settle after mastering music-making and think you’re done learning. You have to keep evolving and stay curious. The most successful producers have managed to maintain a certain childlike wonder.”

A producer is often the person who walks alongside the artist for an extended period, supporting them through the most intimate creative moments.

"Sometimes you’re there when they’re writing their first songs, and that can be an incredibly sensitive and uncertain time for the artist."

The most successful producers have managed to maintain a certain childlike wonder.

A producer’s success often comes from helping to launch a new artist’s career.

"That’s when it becomes super important to know how to navigate and work with fresh talent."

Jurek’s greatest joy is in balancing artistic ambition with commercial appeal. Does Finnish pop culture have enough courage?

"No, not at all," Jurek laughs.

He attributes this lack of boldness to the small size of the Finnish market. There’s no room for the same kind of risk-taking as in the U.S., where even niche music can reach a vast audience worldwide.

"If you want to make a living from music here, the realities hit you pretty quickly. If you’re even slightly on the fringe, there just aren’t enough listeners to sustain you financially."

A leap beyond Finland

By the turn of the 2020s, Jurek was producing hit records for Finnish pop royalty — Erin, Jenni Vartiainen, Sanni, and Vesala. At Emma-gaala, the Finnish equivalent of the Grammy Awards, Jurek was nominated Producer Of Year and Songwriter Of The Year. At the same time, he started venturing abroad, with his first songwriting trips to Los Angeles taking place nearly seven years ago.

But don’t call it a carefully crafted plan.

”Honestly, it's one big accident that I ended up where I am now”, Jurek laughs.

"I’ve always been a drifter, wandering from place to place. Sometimes I could’ve thought more carefully about where I was heading, but curiosity always won out.”

Growing up in Kuopio, Jurek aspired to be a dancer and played English-language art rock in local bands. His music career took off after he moved to Helsinki to study film sound design and landed an internship at the publishing house Kaiku Entertainment. Soon, he was entrusted with increasingly significant projects.

Honestly, it's one big accident that I ended up where I am now.

"In the early days, my biggest asset was sheer determination. I worked relentlessly in the studio, and the more you work, the more results, opportunities, and successes you get.”

I ask if his pivot to international markets came from having "beaten the game" in Finland.

"Well, in a way, you could say that. I indeed felt there weren’t as many new mountains to climb here anymore.”

Jurek also credits his domestic success for providing the safety net to take risks, like going on writing trips with no guaranteed outcomes.

"Living in Los Angeles costs ten grand a month if you want a decent place. But now I can afford to fail, and that freedom is wonderful. I don’t always have to land releases. And yeah, I’ve had complete flop trips too."

Starting from scratch again

Fortunately, Jurek’s international track record balances the misses with a solid lineup of successes. He’s already written and produced songs for artists like blackbear, Nessa Barrett, and Matoma. In the K-pop realm, his work has reached acts like NCT, Twice, and Riize.

While his Finnish success honed his skills to a razor’s edge, his international career has required starting from scratch in many ways, building networks piece by piece.

"I’m not in the early stages anymore, thankfully. I’m at a point where work comes in nicely," Jurek says modestly, before straightening up.

I can create big global hits. Now it’s just about aligning the pieces and keeping my head in the game.

"I feel confident now. I can create big global hits. I have the skills and experience. Now it’s just about aligning the pieces and keeping my head in the game.”

Success is about timing as much as it's about talent and connections. For instance, Jurek recalls working with Gayle a few years before her breakout hit ABCDEFU.

Jurek believes that the recent international success of Finnish producers could pave the way for Finnish pop’s broader global presence.

"Eventually, when the culture heads in a strong direction long enough, it will start to show more broadly. Emerging artists will start to realize that writing in English and reaching for a wider audience is completely achievable.”

Showcase: Jurek

Jurek Reunamäki selected five internationally significant productions that hold personal meaning to him.

Everglow: Bon Bon Chocolat (2019)

“This was during a time when I knew nothing about K-pop. Luckily, my good friend, American songwriter Melanie Fontana, was deeply immersed in that world, and we created this together. The song’s name wasn’t this when we sent it to them.”

The choice of title clearly didn’t hurt its success, with nearly 135 million streams on Spotify alone.

Alan Wake 2: Dark, Twisted and Cruel (2024)

"I’ve been an avid gamer my whole life, so this project was truly a dream come true and deeply meaningful on a personal level. My publisher, Nordic Music Partners, organized a song camp for Remedy Entertainment, and I somehow managed to contain my fanboy excitement over Sam Lake (Sami Järvi, Creative Director at Remedy).”

”I co-wrote and produced four songs that ended up in the game. 'Dark, Twisted, and Cruel' is my favorite, both stylistically and because I had the chance to collaborate with Paleface, whose work I greatly admire.”

Blackbear: 1 Sided Love (2019)

“This was the first major U.S. artist I got a release with, and it really opened doors. I’d been a fan of Blackbear for a long time before I got the chance to work on this. It turned out my friend living there had worked with Blackbear and gave me an opportunity to get involved.”

“This went through a major process, with several versions, and the final product is entirely different from where we started. It was amazing to see my name on the credits and to be part of this release.”

Yeonjun: Ggum (2024)

“We made this one with Teemu Brunila here in Finland. A good reminder that you don’t always have to go abroad to fish for opportunities. It’s enough to have people nearby who think internationally and have great networks, so an mp3 can be sent to the right place.”

“One afternoon in Helsinki, we just hammered out this hook. It took only six months for it to be released, which is very fast by international standards.”

Mr Gaveup: Everything Reminds Me of You (2024)

“This hasn’t even been released yet, but it’s coming out this December. A good friend of mine makes music under the name Mr Gaveup. We worked on this together back in 2018. We went synth shopping, and I bought an FM synth that didn’t produce metallic hyperpop sounds as expected but gave these wonderfully warm, dreamy analog tones.”

“If we’re talking about something that feels closest to me in terms of production, this has a lot of that. In this case, it doesn’t really matter how it performs because the process was so dear to me, and the result is this good.”