00:00There isn't much to do in the vast forests of Finland, north of the Arctic Circle.
00:07Or so you would think.
00:18Until Tauno Lukinen shows up at the local tavern, kicking off karaoke night.
00:23Aside from karaoke, well, there's not much here to keep us entertained.
00:36The first song is performed by the DJ himself, to help the crowd warm up.
00:44Tonight's venue, a tavern on the edge of the forest.
00:47As the guests trickle in one by one, so do the song requests.
00:54But the most prepared singers have emailed Lukinen the request beforehand.
01:01Even the mosquitoes can't keep locals from enjoying the music.
01:07A mix of melancholic Finnish love songs and international hits.
01:11The crowd's mood begins to lift, albeit in a Finnish fashion.
01:29Karaoke allows people to really let loose.
01:32You have a few drinks, and have fun.
01:37It's a Finnish tradition.
01:43Just before midnight, the sun is still high in the sky.
01:47Only now do the first men muster the courage to take to the stage.
01:51It has nothing to do with that, if you can sing or not.
02:03Everybody is welcome.
02:05And I think that is the thing.
02:08When tourists see us Finns singing karaoke, they want to join in.
02:12For 20 years now, I have been connecting with French people.
02:16And I hear that karaoke is popular in France now, too.
02:20Maybe our trend has caught on around Europe over time.
02:24The 60-year-old DJ performs all over northern Finland.
02:34He'll sometimes drive 150 kilometres through long summer nights like this one.
02:39Or ice and snow in the dark of winter.
02:42All for a single gig.
02:44By day, Lukinen runs a small hardware store in Sala, a town of 3,000 people.
02:49The nearby Russian border has been closed, which has hurt business.
02:55Many Russians used to shop at his store.
02:59But his karaoke side hustle is still going strong.
03:04Karaoke?
03:06Let me think.
03:09I must have done 4,500 gigs.
03:12Singing is as much a part of my daily life as the sauna.
03:16Every day.
03:19It's the next day, and Lukinen is back on duty.
03:23This time, a special karaoke tent has been set up in his hometown.
03:28Even record temperatures of almost 30 degrees can't keep Finns from the mic.
03:40People of all ages and backgrounds are here, too.
03:42For example, this singer is a parish priest.
03:45We Finns express our feelings through songs.
04:01A singer's job is to convey these feelings to the people.
04:05I've seen people cry when they sing karaoke.
04:10Finland's karaoke culture offers a powerful emotional outlet, with Tauno Lukinen as their favourite DJ in this quiet town, north of the Arctic Circle.
04:27those of you have to be family members.
04:28Onlyочка's Working for the 를ố mill 중
04:30in Spain
04:31mourning
04:32in the arecetc circle.
04:35But Roa L Kopf
04:37is also recording Muriel
04:52in France
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