Four original heavy metal tracks for an unconventional beauty campaign — released on streaming services worldwide, awarded a Silver Clio Music Award, and listed alongside Apple and Netflix.
In spring 2025, Anni Nissi from TBWA\Helsinki asked if I knew any heavy metal producers. The freelancer in me answered without hesitation: "Yes!" — and I called Leo Niemi, a collaborator and friend I knew had both the connections and the ideas to pull something remarkable together.
The brief was to create music for an unconventional beauty campaign for K-Citymarket. The idea: original heavy metal tracks for social media make-up tutorials under the hashtag #getreadywithmetal — a riff on the hugely popular #getreadywithme format. The music would live on streaming services and across social media as a standalone release, not just campaign underscore.
That last part was the crucial constraint — and the creative opportunity. The music had to be good enough to stand on its own. No marketing crutches, no winking at the audience. Real heavy metal, made with real artists, released properly into the world.
Together with Leo, we assembled a lineup of some of Finland's finest heavy metal talent. Four artists, four subgenres, one campaign:
The tracks feature Glam, Power, Pop and Death Metal. My role combined music supervision with co-production, and the project drew heavily on both sides of my background: the creative instincts of a music producer and the organisational discipline of a project manager. Coordinating artists, producers, a creative agency, and a major retail client across a tight timeline is exactly the kind of project where those two skill sets need to work together.
Heavy Meikki smashed beauty stereotypes by turning everyday make-up tutorials into genuine heavy metal anthems. The four tracks were released on all major streaming platforms under the Heavy Meikki artist name — not as a marketing stunt, but as a real release that stands up on its own terms. I'm still proud of every track we made.
The campaign has been recognised at the highest levels of the industry — both internationally and at home.