Teemu Keisteri (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈteːmu ˈkei̯steri]; born 22 August 1985) is a Finnish visual artist and DJ who is known for his stage persona Windows95man.[2][3] As a visual artist, he gained recognition in Finland for his paintings and prints of the fictional character Ukkeli (lit.'Old man'), whom he created in 2008.[2] As a DJ, his artistic style and appearance draw inspiration from the mid-1990s, during which the Windows 95 operating system was released. He represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "No Rules!", alongside singer Henri Piispanen.

Teemu Keisteri
Keisteri performing as Windows95man at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Born (1985-08-22) 22 August 1985 (age 39)[1]
Espoo, Finland
Other names
  • Windows95man
  • Ukkeli
Occupations
  • Visual artist
  • disc jockey
Websitewww.teemukeisteri.net

Early life

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Keisteri has studied photography at the Institute of Design in Lahti. He has said that he learned during his studies that he is more of a visual artist than a photographer.[4] He is also known as a video artist, dance performer and DJ. Keisteri has his own art gallery called Kalleria (wordplay on the word for gallery "galleria") in Kallio, Helsinki.[3]

Career

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Early career

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He appeared in a music video by the rock band Pariisin Kevät, directed as an old-school video.[5]

Spread

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Keisteri originally mastered Windows95man during the Flow Festival 2013, which caught the attention of many journalists and bloggers. He also caught the attention of electronic artist Evian Christ, from which who posted a picture of Keisteri over social media, making the character viral. Since then, his home videos circulated worldwide, he also got invited to multiple music festivals, even working as a DJ in Finnair flight. Several months later, he performed at Helsinki's new year festival for 2022, hosted at the Helsinki City Hall.[6] Other than his character, Keisteri possesses another character named Ukkeli, based on masculinity and greek statues. Ukkeli has since became popular and had appeared on some t-shirts.

Musical projects

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Another project Keisteri is part of is Peu, which is an 80's dance band which specialized in making dark pop music.[7]

Eurovision

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Keisteri participated as Windows95man with Henri Piispanen (vocals) in the 2024 edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, with the song "No Rules!".[8] Despite finishing last in the jury voting, he came first overall with 313 points thanks to the televote in Finland. He was thus selected to represent his country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[9] In the Grand Final on 11 May 2024, the song received 7 points from the national juries, and a further 31 points from the general public, giving a grand total of 38 points, putting him in 19th place out of 26.[10][11]

Discography

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Extended plays

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List of EPs, with selected details
Title Details
Yaksa Yaksa
  • Released: 11 July 2019[12]
  • Label: Tokio Drift
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Epic Tax Party
No Rules! Megamix
  • Released: 14 June 2024[14]
  • Label: All Day Entertainment Oy
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart positions Album or EP
FIN
[15]
LTU
[16]
SWE
[17]
"No Rules!"[a] 2024 6 35 82 Non-album single

Notes

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  1. ^ The song features uncredited vocals by Henri Piispanen.

References

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  1. ^ Massa, Silja; Onninen, Oskari (6 August 2014). "Teokset eivät enää riitä – kuvataiteilijan on pakko brändätä itsensä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Artist: Teemu Keisteri". Av-arkki. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b Ylitalo, Marko (30 April 2016). "Tämä mies piirsi puistossa työttömänä ukkelin, tuli siitä maankuuluksi ja valloittaa nyt Japania Windows 95 -miehenä" [This man drew a little old man while unemployed in a park, became a celebrity and is now conquering Japan as the Windows95Man]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  4. ^ Varpula, Salla (23 September 2016). "Partioukkeli". Partio-lehti. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  5. ^ Nybergh, Thomas (6 November 2016). "Darude on a plane: The silly art of Finnish Windows 95 DJ Teemu Keisteri". Ink Tank. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Who the hell is Windows95man, Finland's choice for Eurovision 2024?". Music Finland. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  7. ^ Santos, Pedro (24 April 2024). "Windows95man from Finland: "My song is far from a joke"". Eurovision World. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Onko Windows95manin artistinimi laiton? Näin kommentoi Yle". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  9. ^ Stojanović, Nikola (10 February 2024). "Windows95man Will Represent Finland At Eurovision 2024!". ESCBubble. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  10. ^ "The Jury results of Eurovision 2024". Eurovision Song Contest. 12 May 2024. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Public Vote – The televote results of Eurovision 2024". Eurovision Song Contest. 12 May 2024. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Yaksa Yaksa – EP by Windows95Man". Spotify. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Epic Tax Party – EP by Verohallinto, Windows95Man". Spotify. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  14. ^ "NO RULES! MEGAMIX – EP by Windows95Man". Spotify. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Suomen virallinen lista – Artistit: Windows95man" [Finland's official list – Artists: Windows95man]. Musiikkituottajat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  16. ^ "2024 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 17 May 2024. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 20". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
2024
Succeeded by
TBD