Björn Suomivuori
Björn Suomivuori | |
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| Born | January 28, 1986 |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Citizenship | Finland |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
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Björn Suomivuori (born 28 January 1986 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish musician, composer, producer, and entrepreneur. He is best known as composer, vocalist, concept developer, and producer of Heaven and Heaven + Diary. Suomivuori has collaborated with notable artists such as Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks), Max Lilja (Ex-Apocalyptica), and Sampsa Astala (Ex-Lordi), as well as producers Johnny Lee Michaels and Hiili Hiilesmaa, best known for their work with The 69 Eyes and HIM, respectively. He was mentored by both Doug Blair (W.A.S.P) and Michael Monroe in Turku, Finland.
Early life and education
Suomivuori began studying piano in childhood after being inspired by Miloš Forman’s Amadeus. Influenced by bands such as Europe, Stratovarius, Hanoi Rocks, and HIM, he later turned to guitar and vocals. Alongside music, he developed a passion for visual storytelling and studied portrait photography for three years at the Queensland College of Art in Australia. He later earned a B.Sc in Corporate Finance from Lund University in Sweden, combining creativity with analytical discipline - an approach that continues to inform his artistic and business pursuits.
Career
Suomivuori’s career began in 2001 with a live performance on Finland’s Swedish-language radio channel X3M. By 2007, he was working as both a musician and photographer, and his early single Paint My Windows (2008), recorded in Australia, gained traction online.
After returning to Finland, Suomivuori apprenticed with acclaimed fashion photographer Samuli Karala, whose mentorship helped refine his visual and conceptual sensibility.
In 2015, Suomivuori gained national attention as a Live Finalist on The Voice of Finland under the mentorship of Michael Monroe, which led to subsequent collaborations and live performances. Later that year, he released Waterworks, which received airplay on Finland’s Radio Rock, and his first EP Nothing But a Scar (2016), featuring saxophone and harmonica performances by Michael Monroe.
He subsequently collaborated with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa and began shifting focus toward conceptual audiovisual works.
During the 2020s, Suomivuori expanded his artistic vision into film production through the award-winning Heaven and Heaven + Diary projects.
- Heaven, composed and performed by Suomivuori, with concept development and executive production under his direction, is a symbolic exploration of transcendence and human emotion through music and visual narrative.
- Heaven + Diary, also conceptually developed and produced by Suomivuori, extends this world into an experimental short film combining movement, visual metaphor, and cinematic texture.
Alongside his artistic endeavors, Suomivuori runs a growth consultancy working with creative and technology-driven startups across the Nordics and consulting assignments internationally.
Awards and Recognitions
As performer, and executive producer of Heaven and Heaven + Diary, Suomivuori has achieved significant international recognition across multiple film and music festivals.
Heaven
(composed and performed by Björn Suomivuori; concept development and executive producer)
- Global Music Awards - Award Winner, Music Video (2023) - La Jolla, California, United States
- Filmmakers Connect Awards - Award Winner, Music Video (2024) - London, United Kingdom
- New York Film Awards - Award Winner, Music Video (2024) - New York, United States
- Festigious Los Angeles - Award Winner, Music Video (2024) - Los Angeles, United States
- Los Angeles Film Awards - Award Winner, Music Video (2024) - Los Angeles, United States
- South Film & Arts Academy Festival - Award Winner, Music Video (2024) - Rancagua, Chile
- Montreal Independent Film Festival - Award Winner, Best Music Video (2024) - Montréal, Québec, Canada
- New York International Film Awards (NYIFA) - Finalist, Best Music Video (2024) - New York, United States
- Oniros Film Awards (New York) - Finalist, Best Music Video (2024) - New York, United States
- Sweden Film Awards - Finalist, Best Music Video (2024) - Sweden
- New York International CINEVERSE Film Festival - Finalist, Music Video: Any Genre (2024) - New York, United States
- Byron Bay International Film Festival - Selected, Music Video (2024) - Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia
- Chicago Indie Film Awards - Selected, Best Music Video (2024) - Chicago, United States
- Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival - Selected, Musical Film & Music Video Submission (2024) - Toronto, Canada
- Buenos Aires International Film Festival - Selected, Music Video (2024) - Buenos Aires, Argentina
- RED Movie Awards - Selected, Best Video Clip (Main Category) (2024) - Reims, France
- Septimius Awards - Selected, Best Music Video (2024) - Amsterdam, Netherlands
- New York Lift-Off Film Festival - Selected, Music Videos (2024) - New York, United States
- Seattle Film Festival - Selected, Best Music Video (2024) - Seattle, United States
- WSXA Barcelona International Film Festival - Award Winner, Best Music Video (2025) - Barcelona, Spain
- Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival - Selected, Music Videos (2025) - Tokyo, Japan
Heaven + Diary
(concept development and executive producer: Björn Suomivuori)
- Chicago Indie Film Awards - Award Winner, Best Experimental (2024) - Chicago, United States
- ARFF Berlin International Film Festival - Award Winner, Best Experimental Film (2024) - Berlin, Germany
- ARFF Amsterdam International Film Festival - Award Winner, Best Experimental Film (2024) - Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Swedish International Film Festival - Award Winner, Best Experimental Film (2024) - Arvika, Sweden
- Sweden Film Awards - Award Winner, Best Experimental Film (2024) - Sweden
- SoCal Film Awards - Selected, Experimental (2024) - Southern California, United States
- Rome International Movie Awards - Award Winner, Experimental Short (2025) - Rome, Italy
- Social World Film Festival - Selected, Short Films (Cortometraggi) (2025) - Vico Equense, Italy
Personal life
Suomivuori is fluent in Swedish, Finnish, and English. He resides in the Middle East and enjoys painting, writing and reading. He actively promotes creativity, wellness, and sobriety within the arts, encouraging emerging artists to pursue sustainable and mindful creative practices.