Aleksi Juhani Sariola (born 22 March 1980), professionally sometimes also known as Illi, is a Finnish actor, singer, television presenter and director.

Acting career

Sariola first became known as an actor when he played the character Ken Ojala in the Finnish television series ''

Salatut elämät ''Salatut elämät'' ("Secret Lives", literally "Concealed Lives") is a Finnish television soap opera that premiered on MTV3 on 25 January 1999. The series' storylines follow the daily lives of several families who live in the same apartment bl ...

'' 2000–2004. He has appeared in such films as ''Pian on aamu'' (2005) and ''Tali-Ihantala 1944'' (2007). On television, Sariola has been seen as a presenter in various programs, such as ''Buusteri'', ''Ruuvari'' and ''Pientä pintaremonttia''. In the latter two, he has served as a writer and producer. He is also one of the directors of the musical television show ''SuomiLOVE''.

Musical career

As a singer, Sariola uses the pseudonym Illi. Illi's first single "Punaista", released in 2005, reached number 12 on the

Finnish Singles Chart The Official Finnish Charts ( fi, Suomen virallinen lista; sv, Finlands officiella lista) are national record charts in Finland compiled and published by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. The name ''Suomen virallinen lista/Finlands officiell ...

. His debut album ''Kokoa mut'' followed in 2006. Illi wrote all the lyrics on the album, while the production was handled by

Elastinen Kimmo Ilpo Juhani Laiho (born 1981), better known by his stage name Elastinen (meaning ''elastic'' in Finnish), is a Finnish rap musician and also known as one of the founders and is the CEO of the Finnish independent rap label Rähinä Records ...

and

Jukka Immonen Jukka Immonen (born 14 April 1978) is a Finnish musician, record producer and composer. Career beginnings Immonen started to develop an interest in music as a teenager when his parents bought him a computer. Although his family was not especially ...

. Illi has also appeared as a featured artist on several songs by artists such as

Fintelligens Fintelligens is a hip hop group from Helsinki, Finland. The band is formed of two MCs: Elastinen and Iso H. The band has released three albums and one compilation, all selling more than 150,000 copies. Career In the early 1990s the Finnish hi ...

, Elastinen,

Redrama Lasse Mellberg (born 2 October 1977), better known by his stage name Redrama, is a Finnish rapper. He made a breakthrough in 2003. Redrama, who performs primarily in English, but also in Swedish and Finnish was part of a hip-hop group Alien Allie ...

Brädi Kari Olavi "Kapa" Härkönen (born 9 April 1979), better known by his stage name Brädi, is a Finnish hip hop artist. Brädi (pronounced "Braddy") has sung in Finnish language and in English (the latter mostly under the name Brad Spitt), in ban ...

and

Cheek The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside ...

Filmography

In films

*''Pian on aamu'' (2005) *''Kummelin Jackpot'' (2006) *''Tali-Ihantala 1944'' (2006)

On television

*''Salatut elämät'' (2001–2005) *''Buusteri'' (2005–2007) *''Ruuvari'' (2008–present) *''Pientä pintaremonttia'' (2009–present)

Selected discography

Albums

*''Kokoa mut'' (2006)

Singles

*"Punaista" (2005)

As a featured artist

*"Vaan sil on väliä" by Fintelligens (2003) *"En pyydä muuta" by

Uniikki Dan Ahti Tolppanen (born 11 June 1981) is a Finnish rapper, better known by his stage name Uniikki (meaning unique). He is the co-founder in of Rähinä Records (founded in 1998) with Elastinen, Iso H, Andu and Tasis. Uniikki was born to a Jewi ...

(2005) *"Yksin mut en yksinäinen" by

Kapasiteettiyksikkö Kapasiteettiyksikkö (Finnish for "capacity unit") was a Finnish hip hop group from Helsinki. The group was formed in 1997 by Anders "Andu" Westerholm, Markku "Tasis" Wettenranta and Dan "Uniikki" Tolppanen. Along with Fintelligens, Kapasiteett ...

(2006) *"Lennän pois" by Elastinen (2006) *"Tila haltuun" by Elastinen (2007) *"Yhtenä iltana humalassa" by Steen1 (2007) *"Kanssa tai ilman" by Cheek (2008) *"Mä tarjoon" by Brädi (2010) *"Ruusutarha" by

Timo Pieni Huijaus Timo Juhani Snellman (born June 2, 1982), professionally known as Timo Pieni Huijaus (''Timo The Little Hoax''), is a Finnish rapper and fashion designer. Career beginnings Timo Pieni Huijaus comes from a family with musical background. He has ...

(2010) *"Katkeaa" by Flowboysfam (2011) *"Pilviin" by Uniikki (2012) *"Saturnus" by

(2016)

References

Finnish male actors Finnish television presenters 1980 births Living people {{Finland-bio-stub