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When I was just 10, I discovered a story in my community gazette about the Air Guitar World Championships, held annually every year in my hometown of Oulu, Finland. My parents had helped out at the very first contest starting from 1996 – my mum distributed flyers, my dad organized the music. Since then, country-level contests have been organized globally, with the winners assembling in Oulu every summer.

Initially, I asked my parents if I could compete. They weren't sure at first; the event was in a bar, and there would be many grown-ups. They believed it might be an overwhelming atmosphere, but I was determined.

In my youth, I was always miming air guitar, pretending to play to the biggest rock tunes with my invisible instrument. Mom and Dad were enthusiasts – dad loved Springsteen and the Irish rock band. the Australian rockers was the initial group I stumbled upon myself. Angus Young, the lead guitarist, was my idol.

As I took the stage, I performed my act to the band's the song Whole Lotta Rosie. The audience started yelling “Angus”, just like the concert version, and it hit me: this must be to be a music icon. I reached the championship, competing to hundreds of people in the public plaza, and I was addicted. I earned the moniker “Little Angus” that day.

After that I stopped. I was a judge one year, and kicked off the show another time, but I stayed out of the contest. I went back at 18, tried a few different stage names, but everyone still referred to me as “Little Angus” so I accepted it fully and make “The Angus” as my stage name. I’ve qualified for the last round every year since 2022, and in 2023 I was the runner-up, so I was resolved to take the title this year.

The air guitar community is like a family. Our motto is ‘Play air guitar, avoid battles’. It sounds silly, but it’s a real philosophy.

The competition itself is competitive but uplifting. Competitors have one minute to put their all – high-powered performance, precise mimicry, rock star charisma – on an nonexistent axe. Adjudicators evaluate you on a grading system from four to six. When it's a draw, there’s an “air-off” between the last two competitors: a song plays and you improvise.

Training is crucial. I picked an Avenged Sevenfold song for my performance. I had it on repeat for multiple weeks. I practiced flexibility, trying to get my limbs flexible enough to jump, my fingers nimble enough to mimic solos and my spine prepared for those gestures and hops. Once competition day came, I could sense the music in my being.

Once all acts were done, the results were tallied, and I had drawn with the titleholder from Japan, the Japanese titleholder – it was time for an tiebreaker. We competed directly to the Guns N’ Roses hit by the iconic band. Once the track began, I felt relieved because it was one that I knew, and above all I was so eager to play again. As they declared I’d triumphed, the square exploded.

My memory is blurry. I think I lost consciousness from surprise. Then everyone started singing the song that well-known track and raised me up on to their backs. One of the greats – AKA his stage name – a former champion and one of my closest friends, was hugging me. I shed tears. I was Finland’s first air guitar global winner in a quarter-century. The previous Finnish champion, the former champion, was there, too. He offered me the biggest hug and said it was “long overdue”.

The air guitar community is like a support system. Our guiding saying is “Make air, not war”. It may seem humorous, but it’s a real philosophy. People come from globally, and each person is supportive and encouraging. As you prepare to compete, all participants comes and hugs you. Then for one minute you’re allowed to be free, silly, the ultimate music icon in the world.

I’m also a beat keeper and guitarist in a musical act with my family member called the group title, named after the sports figure, as we’re fans of UK rock and post-punk. I’ve been working in bars for a short time, and I direct short films and song visuals. The title hasn’t changed my day-to-day life significantly but I’ve been doing a lot of press, and I aspire it brings more artistic projects. Oulu will be a cultural hub the coming year, so there are exciting things ahead.

At present, I’m just appreciative: for the network, for the chance to perform, and for that budding enthusiast who picked up a newspaper and thought, “I want to do that.”