Pekka Ruuska began his career in the gospel band Livingstone and rose to a prominent position within Finland’s strongly flourishing gospel culture of the 1980s, alongside Jaakko Löytty, Jukka Leppilampi, and Pekka Simojoki’s Exit. He released two gospel-influenced solo albums before the major hit Rafaelin enkeli, released in 1990, brought him to the attention of the wider public and launched a pop career that lasted for half a decade.
Later, Ruuska moved into record production at Warner Music, where he worked with artists such as Juha Tapio, Maija Vilkkumaa, Samuli Putro, and Johanna Kurkela. Before returning to his career as an artist, he led his own company Kaiku Entertainment for fifteen years; the company was sold to Sanoma in 2018.
Ruuska’s well-known songs from his gospel years include “Kuljeta ja johda”, “Anna mun etsiä”, and the Christmas song “Suutari ja vieras”, while his best-known works from the 1990s include “Rafaelin enkeli”, “Mä tahdon sun elämään”, and “Yhdestoista hetki”. Among the songs he has written for other artists is “Naimisiin”, performed by Essi Wuorela.
At Glow Festival, Pekka Ruuska will be heard in the opening concert of the event, where he will perform together with Jari Levy and Jukka Leppilampi.