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Mikko Saarela was a Finnish musician, songwriter, and producer, born on January 16, 1958, in Tampere. He was influential in the Finnish new wave scene during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Saarela served as the bassist and main lyricist for a punk-new wave crossover act from 1976 to 1979, having been school friends with the Syrjä brothers. He wrote lyrics for many Finnish new wave hits during this period and toured with Kollaa Kestää as a stand-in bass player, ironically replacing Mikko Nevalainen, who had replaced him in Eppu Normaali. Later in life, Saarela transitioned to a career in biology, earning his DPhil in 1985. He became a respected biologist and lecturer at the University of Helsinki and worked in a technical role at a fish farming facility. Saarela continued to contribute to music in his later years, participating in two acts after Eppu Normaali: the new wave country band Freud Marx Engels & Jung and the synthpop group Organ. He passed away from cancer on January 11, 2019, in Helsinki.

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