J. Karjalainen (Jukka Tapio Karjalainen, born 1. April 1957, Helsinki) is possibly the most critically acclaimed and successful Finnish singer-songwriter. Starting out in 1980 his early albums were a mix of rhytmic blue-eyed soul and pop rock, while his latter albums have been increasingly influenced by folk and blues. J. Karjalainen has had a huge influence in Finnish rock music since the 1980’s, as well as in the formation of Finnish blue-eyed soul scene. His music has been compared to the likes of Van Morrison and Bob Dylan, but of course, Karjalainen sings in his native tongue, Finnish.