Jyrki 69 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jyrki 69
Background information
Birth name	Jyrki Pekka Emil Linnankivi
Also known as	J. Darling
Born	(1968-10-15)15 October 1968 Helsinki, Finland
Genres	Gothic rock glam metal (early)
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	1989–present

Jyrki Pekka Emil Linnankivi (born 15 October 1968), known professionally as Jyrki 69, is a Finnish singer who is the lead vocalist of the gothic rock band The 69 Eyes. In their early years, the band's sound was closer to glam metal, but since the album Blessed Be they have shifted into gothic rock. The 69 Eyes prefer to label their sound as "goth'n'roll".

Jyrki's low and operatic bass-baritone vocal tone is reminiscent of fellow musicians Peter Steele of the gothic metal band Type O Negative and Andrew Eldritch of the gothic rock band The Sisters of Mercy (he covered their 1987 hit "This Corrosion" with Maryslim in 2007). His voice has been influenced by Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Glenn Danzig. He has written most of the lyrics of their songs.

Music career

In 1996, Jyrki joined forces with Claude, the lead singer of the legendary Finnish rock band Smack to form a side project The Fellow Reptiles. They released an EP "Yours Truly" and had plans for an album of duets, but the Fellow Reptiles broke up, when Claude died suddenly on September 22, 1996.

In 2002, Jyrki appeared on Kwan's album The Die Is Cast, performing vocals on the track "Lyrics of Poison".

On Maryslim's 2007 album A Perfect Mess, Jyrki provided guest vocals on their cover of The Sisters of Mercy's "This Corrosion" and also appeared in the music video for the track.

In October 2013, Jyrki joined forces with Danny B. Harvey and Chopper Franklin to form the rock band The 69 Cats. The group released their debut album Transylvanian Tapes in August 2014.

Other activities

In 2005, Jyrki was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Finland. .....

In 2006, he was honoured with a TOYP award by Junior Chamber International (JCI) in Seoul, South Korea.

He draws and reads comics specializing in Marvel Comics. A comic book called Zombie Love, featuring only Jyrki's comics, was published in Finland in 2006. It was a limited hard cover edition of 1,000 and all the copies were numbered by Jyrki. Number 666 was given to Glenn Danzig. A paperback edition is still available from the publisher Deggael Communications.

He has been vegan since 2014.

Recording history