Even if the world comes crashing down
And even if my luck would turn around
I stand tall, proud, back against the wall
[fold arms across chest]Signmark, Against the Wall
On a warm, sunny May evening, the audience that had passively gathered in Design Factory to see deaf rapper Signmark instantly became a sign-rapping flash mob. Likely not many of us had either signed or rapped before, let alone in combination, so the experience was a powerful illustration of how one person can bridge gaps and create space for those who are usually seen but not heard.
ASI invited Signmark and his business partner Nuppu Stenros to tell the story of his remarkable journey from being a child whose teacher told him to forget music, to a successful artist who is the first deaf person to sign a recording contract with an international record company–and a second-place finalist in last year’s Eurovision contest.
“You have to have a picture, a dream,” Signmark explained, and the people who support you need see it in the same way. He calls it the Puzzle Theory–everyone needs to know what the big picture is to assemble all the pieces.
In childhood, Signmark had three dreams: to become a singer, an athlete, or an entrepreneur. And in a sense, he has been able to combine all three. As an avid sports enthusiast, Signmark realized that sports and music both need rhythm, and he transferred the rhythm of sports into the rhythm of music, where facial expressions, body movements, and the physical embodiment of the beat are an integral part.
“I understood that music was for everyone.”
Signmark jumped into his musical career in university, initially performing cover songs and later developing his own material. His debut was not entirely positive, but he said, with characteristic Signmark attitude, “I decided that I had to show these people that I could do it.”
With the help of “the machine”–a group of 24 dedicated friends–Signmark released his first album, Signmark, in November 2006. It was the first sign language rap album in the world, with half the sales coming from abroad. For Signmark, a person without a network is like a spider without a web, but you have to have the courage to ask people to help you.
Nuppu said that, in working with Signmark, she is attracted to his inability to accept the conventional mindset, even in the face of failure. For her, failure is a sign of ambitious people with ambitious dreams. “You just need to try stuff.”
Signmark’s passion is to strive for human rights, but he wants to get there in a positive way. The Silent Shout flash-mobbing gig in different parts of the world–including Helsinki, Hong Kong, and soon in Stockholm–is part of the fun, as well as a significant statement. Signmark explained that in the early 1970s, signing was considered shameful in Finland. He remembers his parents telling him and his brother to be discreet while they were signing in a bookshop so that no one would notice. Such intolerance was also enshrined in the law, which forbade deaf people to marry and included forced sterilization.
These days, the Finnish parliament plays a different tune. Just a few days ago, Finland’s foreign minister Alexander Stubb recommended Signmark’s new album. Adding a loud and welcome voice to the Silent Shout.
