Marko Vilhelm Vuoriheimo (born 26 June 1978 in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

), professionally known as Signmark, is a

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...

Finnish

rap artist Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. He describes his music as being party hip hop that takes a stand. Born into a signing family, Vuoriheimo feels that society should not treat the deaf as

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

people but as a

linguistic minority A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities. With a total number of 196 sovereign states recognized internationally (as of 2019) and ...

with their own

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

and history.

Biography

Although it was only in 2004 that Vuoriheimo started creating his own music, he has signed poetry and music since he was a child. Christmas carols were some of the first music he learned to sig

When performing, he rhymes signs by ensuring that they have the same types of hand forms and signs. The bass line is important for him, as it helps him follow the music and time his rhymes. His facial expressions reinforce the signs, while improvisation is an essential part of the overall package. His debut album, '' Signmark (album), Signmark'' was released on 29 November 2006. The album included the soundtrack on CD and signed music videos on DVD. The album had eight songs on it, many of which dealt with the history, culture and rights of the Finnish signing community. His songs are freeform signing, even though the vocal versions rhyme. His goal is to incorporate more rhyming signed lyrics on his next album. Signmark was one of the artists competing in Finland's national qualifications to represent it in the

2009 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Moscow, Russia, following the country's victory at the with the song " Believe" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ...

. Signmark won his qualifying round on 23 January 2009, with ''Speakerbox'', which he performed with Osmo Ikonen, as he received 46.5% of the votes. At the finals on 31 January Signmark placed second behind

Waldo's People Waldo's People is a Finland, Finnish Eurodance band. The lead singer of the band is Waldo (musician), Waldo, whose real name is Marko Reijonen. They represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, with the song "Lose Control (Waldo's Peo ...

with 41.2% of the votes. The original Signmark group split up in May 2009, after which Signmark signed a record deal with

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

as a solo artist. He became the first deaf person to sign a recording contract with an international record compan

Filmography

* '' Mondaze.tv#Marko's Diary, Marko's Diary'' (2018)

Discography

* ''Signmark'' (2006) * ''Breaking The Rules'' (2010) * ''Silent Shout'' (2014) * ''Deam Awake'' (2018)

References

External links

Official Website
(in English)
Facebook Page

MySpace Page

Twitter Page

Youtube Channel

Interview with Signmark on Gebärdenwelt.tv
(in English with German subtitles) {{Authority control Finnish rappers Deaf musicians Living people 1978 births Finnish deaf people