The 2025 Stadin friidu and Stadin kundi are Elli Tiilikainen and Mikko-Olavi Seppälä

Stadin Slangi ry announced the 2025 Stadin friidu and Stadin kundi on the Espa Stage on Helsinki Day, 12 June. Haloo Helsinki! vocalist and bassist Elisa ‘Elli’ Tiilikainen was announced as this year’s Stadin friidu, and non-fiction writer Mikko-Olavi Seppälä, PhD, as Stadin kundi.

Elli, who was selected as the 2025 Stadin friidu, is known for her strong relationship with Helsinki slang and the spirit of Stadi, as the city is known in slang. She describes how the slang makes her stand tall and gives her good vibes: “it makes you feel alive.” Elli loves travelling but returning to her hometown always gives her the feeling of the real Stadi spirit. Naming Elli as Stadin friidu was also influenced by the fact that the band that she fronts, Haloo Helsinki!, bears the name of the city and denotes its roots. The band was founded in Helsinki in 2006, and it has since toured Finland, selling platinum and establishing itself at the top of Finnish pop music.

The non-fiction writer Mikko-Olavi Seppälä, PhD, was selected as this year’s Stadin kundi. Mikko-Olavi has been active in Stadin Slangi ry for many years in roles such as editor of Tsilari, the association’s member magazine. He is also the lead vocalist of the Sakilaiset band that he founded. As a historian, Mikko-Olavi is fascinated by old slang, which features in Sakilaiset’s songs and which he collects from various sources and publishes in Tsilari. In his roles as a researcher of theatre history and slang enthusiast, Mikko-Olavi does an important job cherishing cultural memories.

Helsinki is important for both the friidu and the kundi, just like it is for many people who live in the capital. Stadin Slangi ry’s main goal is to treasure Helsinki slang, urban culture and traditions. Selecting an artist and a cultural researcher who keep Helsinki in the limelight as Stadin friidu and Stadin kundi supports this goal.

Stadin Slangi ry celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and Stadin friidu and Stadin kundi have now also been announced 30 times. The association’s board makes the selection from a list of candidates proposed by its members. The association sums up the meaning of the titles friidu and kundi: they are the greatest accolades that a Stadi person can receive.

See all previous friidus and kundis on the association’s website: https://www.stadinslangi.fi/kundifriidu/

Image: Emilia Rautio