Päkä’s first solo album Menestysalbumi (Success Album) was released in November 2022. Put out by PME Records, the album tells deeply personal stories ranging from gratitude to arrogance, showcasing the artist in a vulnerable light.

“The theme of the record is success. In our society, there’s this recurring narrative where professional success is considered synonymous with happiness. That’s how I learned to think too. We chase after success, and when we finally achieve it, we’re left disappointed—because external validation or financial gain doesn’t solve our problems, and the same restlessness still lingers,” Salminen explains.

As a taste of the album, the single Bensaa (“Gasoline”) was released, about which Klangi wrote: “The track is highly relatable, and Päkä seems to be continuing just enough from where he left off with Gasellit.”

The album was produced by DJ Arsi (Loost Koos), with Visa Mäkinen (known for Aivovuoto, among others) serving as executive producer. “I wanted the record to sound timeless, and I’ve been vibing with Arsi’s work in that field since I was a teenager, so I asked him to join,” Päkä says. Since DJ Arsi was based in London, they brought in old friend Visa Mäkinen to help out in the studio. “In the end, Visa’s role grew far beyond recording—he was coaching Arsi on the beats and me on the raps,” Päkä continues.

Päkä, real name Pekka Salminen, is a musician, author, and one of the three MCs of Gasellit, a rap group that has grown into major popularity in Finland. Gasellit, founded in 2008 in Oulunkylä, Helsinki, has won Emma Awards in both the Band of the Year and Rap/R&B of the Year categories. Alongside music, Salminen has written Gasellit: Matka (2021), a biographical book chronicling the group’s story, as well as Sä maksat (2017), a novel about graffiti-painting friends, co-written with his bandmate Hätä-Miikka.