Samuli Laiho

Samuli Laiho (b. 1969) is a Helsinki-based author, songwriter, musician, and producer. 

With a bad home life and disinterest in school, Laiho found solace in music and at an early age he dedicated himself to diligent music practice. At the end of the ’80s, he found his place as the guitarist of the Finnish rock band Hearthill. The band soon became legendary in the indie music scene.  

At the tender age of 17, Laiho started touring with Hearthill, mostly in Finland but he also played in Europe and the US. However, the party ended after only four years. Laiho’s mother lost the battle against alcoholism, and the band split up. The young artist felt his dreams were shattered. Drugs and alcohol darkened this rough period.

But eventually, Laiho sobered up and started to study music. He graduated from Helsinki Theater Academy with a master’s degree and began writing music for theatres – and pop-songs. Within two years he had written and composed two top-one singles and was writing music to significant Finnish singers. He signed a deal with a major music publisher and started working internationally. 

The artist, however, grew tired of the pop-scene. “The melody was lost, it was time to move on.” He then turned to writing, and in 2018 his debut novel, Topliner, was released. Topliner follows a musician struggling to survive in the difficult music industry, and was praised by critics and readers. 

His third book, Play with Fire, was released in 2021 and is the first part of the thriller series Deadly Sins. Here, Laiho introduced his new protagonist, Muska Meriläinen, a strong and intellectual character through whom the author also keeps the spirit of his rock ‘n’ roll years alive. The book was followed by The House Upon the Rock, published in 2023. 

 

Photo: © Ville Malja

 

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