the band.
The Rasmus are a Finnish rock band that formed in 1994 in Helsinki while the band members were still in school, the original band members were Lauri Ylonen (lead singer/songwriter), Eero Heinonen (bass), Pauli Rantasalmi (guitar) and Jarno Lahti (drums). Jarno Lahti left the year after and was replaced by Janne Heiskanen in 1995. Heiskanen quit the band in 1998 and was soon replaced by Aki Hakala. The Rasmus has sold 4 million albums worldwide, 400,000 in Finland alone. They have won numerous of awards both domestic and international.
formation (1994 - 1995)
While still in highschool, Lauri Ylönen, Eero Heinonen, Pauli Rantasalmi and Jarno Lahti formed the band "Rasmus". The band played their first gig at their schools pre-Christmas party (December 23, 1994). In 1995 Jarno left the band, and was replaced by Janne Heiskanen. In December 1995 they released their debut EP "1st", including the songs "Funky Jam", "Myself", "Frog" and "Rakkauslaulu". Only after a few weeks the EP has already sold 1000 copies. The EP was originally released independently through Teja G. Records but was re-released through Warner Music Finland after they signed with them in early 1996.
peep & playboys
In 1996 they released their debut album "Peep" through Warner Music Finland. The album was first released in Finland on September 23, where it went Gold, and later in Estonia and Russia, and subsequently worldwide. Later in 1996 the band released two more EP's, "2nd" and "3rd". Even though labeled as an EP, "3rd" went No. 8 on the Finnish Singles Chart later that year.
Next year the band won an EMMA (the Finnish equivalent of Grammys) for the best new comer of 1996. Lauri and Pauli decide to quit school to focus fully on Rasmus and on August 29 they released their second album "Playboys". It went Gold in Finland, and the single "Blue" also went Gold when it was released in May the same year.
Next year the band won an EMMA (the Finnish equivalent of Grammys) for the best new comer of 1996. Lauri and Pauli decide to quit school to focus fully on Rasmus and on August 29 they released their second album "Playboys". It went Gold in Finland, and the single "Blue" also went Gold when it was released in May the same year.
Hellofatester and musical change (1998)
1998 marked the release of the third Rasmus album "Hell of a Tester". The album was released on November 2 and marks a change in their musical style from funk to more solid rock. The album received Gold status in Finland. The most popular single was "Liquid", which was released in September, getting into the Top 40 on MTV Nordic. It was voted Single of the Year for 1998 by music critics and fans and the video won an award in 1999 at the Finnish Music Video Awards.
Janne leaves the band and Dynasty is born (1999)
During 1999 Rasmus were headlining big festivals in Finland. Janne Heiskanen left the band after playing his last gig supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers. Janne decided to retire himself in meditation in India, where he lived for some years. This left the band in dissaray and were close to breaking up. Aki Hakala, who had previously sold merchandise for the band, was eventually asked to become the new drummer. Together with Killer and Kwan they formed the Dynasty association a small, independent record label for recruitment of new Finnish artists.
Signing with Playground Music (2000) - Into & Hell of a Collection (2001-2002)
In 2000 the band changed their name from "Rasmus" to "The Rasmus" to avoid confusion with the Swedish Dj of the same name. Having released three albums in Finland and achieved modest success they were looking to develop their career outside of the country and Playground agreed to help them do this. In late 2000 the band began working with producers Martin Hansen & Micke Nord in Sweden for their next album, ending in leaving their funk sound completely behind and changes into straight forward pop rock. Once signed to Playground the band spent time developing their act to meet the demands of establishing themselves internationally. They did a lot of things that were new to them - they spent a long time working on their songs before recording, they worked with producers for the first time, and they recorded outside of Finland. They already had a strong stage show but welcomed ideas in improving it still.
In October 2001 The Rasmus released Into their fourth studio album, and first album for Playground Music. It was the first The Rasmus to be released in other European countries such as France and Spain. The album reached No. 1 in the Finnish album charts and spawned the singles "F-F-F-Falling", "Chill", "Madness" and "Heartbreaker/Days".
In 2001 they also released their first compilation album, "Hell of a Collection", composed of eighteen songs, nearly all of which were revamped versions of songs from the previous three albums. The exceptions are the final track, "Liquid" (Demo), which is a demo tape of their hit song "Liquid", and the songs "F-F-F-Falling" and "Chill" which were the first new songs released after Aki replaced Janne.
They won four EMMAs in 2002 for Best Group, Best Album, Best Pop/Rock Album and Best Song (for "F-F-F-Falling").
In October 2001 The Rasmus released Into their fourth studio album, and first album for Playground Music. It was the first The Rasmus to be released in other European countries such as France and Spain. The album reached No. 1 in the Finnish album charts and spawned the singles "F-F-F-Falling", "Chill", "Madness" and "Heartbreaker/Days".
In 2001 they also released their first compilation album, "Hell of a Collection", composed of eighteen songs, nearly all of which were revamped versions of songs from the previous three albums. The exceptions are the final track, "Liquid" (Demo), which is a demo tape of their hit song "Liquid", and the songs "F-F-F-Falling" and "Chill" which were the first new songs released after Aki replaced Janne.
They won four EMMAs in 2002 for Best Group, Best Album, Best Pop/Rock Album and Best Song (for "F-F-F-Falling").
dead letters (2003).
On March 21, 2003 The Rasmus released their fifth studio album, "Dead Letters". Dead Letters sold 1.7 million copies worldwide and signified the band's major break-through, receiving 8 Gold and 6 Platinum music certification awards.
Lead single "In the Shadows" received 6 gold and 2 platinum awards, selling over 1 million copies and breaking the record for performance royalities received abroad on a Finnish composition (overtaking the works of Jean Sibelius.)
The success of the album saw the band receiving numerous music awards across Europe, winning the 'Best Nordic Act' category in the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards, and five Finnish EMMA awards for Best Group, Best Album, Best Video (In My Life), Best Artist and Export in 2004. They also won an ECHO award for best international newcomer and were awarded "Best International Artist" at 20004 MTV Russia Music Awards. "In The Shadows" was on the nominations list for the 2004 Kerrang! Award for Best Single.
Such success lead to extensive touring around the world. In 2004 they released their first live DVD Live Letters which was filmed at Gampel Open Air in Switzerland on August 21, 2004.
Lead single "In the Shadows" received 6 gold and 2 platinum awards, selling over 1 million copies and breaking the record for performance royalities received abroad on a Finnish composition (overtaking the works of Jean Sibelius.)
The success of the album saw the band receiving numerous music awards across Europe, winning the 'Best Nordic Act' category in the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards, and five Finnish EMMA awards for Best Group, Best Album, Best Video (In My Life), Best Artist and Export in 2004. They also won an ECHO award for best international newcomer and were awarded "Best International Artist" at 20004 MTV Russia Music Awards. "In The Shadows" was on the nominations list for the 2004 Kerrang! Award for Best Single.
Such success lead to extensive touring around the world. In 2004 they released their first live DVD Live Letters which was filmed at Gampel Open Air in Switzerland on August 21, 2004.
Hide from the Sun (2005-2006) - Black Roses (2007-2008)
On September 12, 2005, The Rasmus released their sixth studio album, "Hide From the sun". The album received Platinum status in Finland and sold more than 15,000 copies in the UK alone. Overall, Hide from the Sun sold 500,000 copies worldwide.
The band received a nomination for 'Best Rock Band' at the 2006 ESKA awards, and performed at the ceremony. They were also nominated in the 'Rock Album Of The Year', 'Song Of The Year' (No Fear), 'Best Finnish Band' categories at the EMMA awards 2006. Bassist Eero Heinonen released his solo album "Making Waves" with his side project Hay & Stone on September 20, 2006.
"Black Roses" was released on September 24, 2008. It Immediately replaced Metallica's Death Magnetic at the top of the Finnish Album Charts and went Gold after one week. The album was originally planned to be released in March of that year, but was delayed due to new songs the band still wanted to record, including the lead single, "Livin' in a World Without You". The album's sound is generally less heavy than that of Hide from the Sun. However, a few of the album's songs, such as "Ten Black Roses", "The Fight", and "Lost and Lonely", contain symphonic rock/metal elements. The album spawned a second single "Justify" in 2009. In total Black Roses Sold 350,000 Copies worldwide.
The band received a nomination for 'Best Rock Band' at the 2006 ESKA awards, and performed at the ceremony. They were also nominated in the 'Rock Album Of The Year', 'Song Of The Year' (No Fear), 'Best Finnish Band' categories at the EMMA awards 2006. Bassist Eero Heinonen released his solo album "Making Waves" with his side project Hay & Stone on September 20, 2006.
"Black Roses" was released on September 24, 2008. It Immediately replaced Metallica's Death Magnetic at the top of the Finnish Album Charts and went Gold after one week. The album was originally planned to be released in March of that year, but was delayed due to new songs the band still wanted to record, including the lead single, "Livin' in a World Without You". The album's sound is generally less heavy than that of Hide from the Sun. However, a few of the album's songs, such as "Ten Black Roses", "The Fight", and "Lost and Lonely", contain symphonic rock/metal elements. The album spawned a second single "Justify" in 2009. In total Black Roses Sold 350,000 Copies worldwide.
Best of 2001–2009
On November 28, 2009 they released their second compilation album, "Best of 2001 - 2009", featuring songs recorded between 2001 and 2009. While most of the songs were already released, it features a new unreleased song called "October & April" which features vocals by Anette Olzon. . This song was recorded during the same time as Black Roses, but wasn't included as it didn't follow the album concept.
the rasmus (2012)
In 2011 the band signed a contract with Universal Music Finland. Shortly after The Rasmus began producing their eighth studio album, lead singer Lauri Ylönen claimed they were aiming to revisit the sound of one of their earlier albums, Into. The albums lead single, 'I'm a mess' was first performed on the 25th February 2012 during the show to choose Finland's Eurovision act for 2012, and was also the official song for the 2012 European Athletics Championships.
The band's eighth studio album was announced to be self-titled, and was released on April 18, 2012 in several European countries. 'Stranger', the second single from the album, was released on 15 May 2012.
The album was re-issued as 'The Rasmus tour edition' in Autumn 2012, and featured the single Mysteria.
The band's eighth studio album was announced to be self-titled, and was released on April 18, 2012 in several European countries. 'Stranger', the second single from the album, was released on 15 May 2012.
The album was re-issued as 'The Rasmus tour edition' in Autumn 2012, and featured the single Mysteria.