She has recorded nearly 500 songs, released over 50 albums and sold almost two million records and she can cover a wall or two with her gold, platimun and diamond discs. Besides doing Eurovision song contest twice for Finland, she also did Rostock 1965, Cannes 1967 and Sopot 1969. She has performed in Japan, France, Estonia, USSR, DDR and Poland. In Finland she's been touring and performing since 1963 and over the decades won several awards.
She has taken part in the Finnish Eurovision national final Euroviisut six times and you can enjoy those songs below:
1965 - Minne tuuli kuljettaa (1st/3rd)
The 1965 Euroviisut is still remembred but for all the wrong reasons. Katri Helena actually won the public voting - and many still believe she would have given a run for their money for France Gall's winning song being rather similar up tempo number by a cascet blonde. She got 16.839 postcards out of about 63.000, nearly double of the runner up! But with the confusing regional juries vote she was only 3rd after Marjatta Leppänen's Iltaisin and Viktor Klimenko's Aurinko laskee länteen. Enter third, so called Pohjola jury of experts who declared their favorite is Klimenko and thus Yle decided after two days Klimenko it is, maybe wanting to honor song's author Reino Helismaa who had passed away just some weeks before. This said we all know how it all ended up in Naples: zero points and last place. Marjatta Leppänen became the first winner who didn't get to the international final before poor Aksel, and 19-year-old Katri Helena rocketed to the stardom.
1969 - Maailman pihamaat (2nd)
In 1969 the Euroviisut finalists were all Big Names and three of them already Eurovision veterans: Marion, Viktor Klimenko and Laila Kinnunen. Add superpopular Katri Helena and new young hearthtrob Markku Aro. The overwhelming winner was however a teenage couple (still married today) Jarkko & Laura who delivered a sweet & innocent performance; they got 85.040 (double of Katri Helena's) of 188.200 postcards and finished 12th out of 16 in Madrid.
1972 - Sua rakastan (2nd)
Once again a couple stood in Katri's way to the victory, this time very popular Päivi Paunu with rather unknown Kim Floor who apparently agreed to take part only because he needed money. Both also criticized the voters for choosing something so Finnish and uninternational afterwards! Katri's song was considered more international and stylish but it lost with 18.530 postcards vs. 24.963. Kirka came third with 10.324 so it was a pretty clear top-2. The winning duo would finish 12th out of 18 at Eurovision.
1978 - Ystävä (2nd)
Nearly three million Finns watched when Katri Helena got yet another second place while Seija Simola beat her 271-258 after 15 regional juries had voted. Seija would bomb big time in Paris (unfairly imho) and that pretty much ended her until then succesful career. The media killed her and feasted in Eurovision negativity that comes and goes regularly until these days and has kept many bigger names away from the contest from then on....
1979 - Katson sineen taivaan (1st)
Finally! 3-2-2-2-1. Katri took an easy win with both the professional and public jury beating newcomer and unknown Yvonne Gräsbeck 140-113. Most everyone agreed with the choice and even if Katri herself said she was a bit afraid of Seija Simola's faith if she failed in Jerusalem that possibility was very unlikely due to her solid popularity. She did worse than expected (14th) but the next morning she got a congratulation telex for a job well done from the prime minister & co. Case closed. She also said if she failed to win Euroviisut this time she wouldn't take part again....
1993 - Tule luo (1st)
Yle went for total invitation in 1993: four female artists, eight composers to write songs for them. Katri had made a huge comeback after being out of the spotlight a few years after her husband died in 1988. Katri took a convincing victory with Tule luo and her other song, Viesti, placed 5th. Tule luo beat runner up Sulta laulun sain by Arja Koriseva 96-77. The four ladies (besides Katri and Arja Marjorie and Paula Koivuniemi) hit it off so well that for awhile it was planned they would go to Millstreet as her backing singers, or even form a quartet to perform the song! That didn't happen and she did one of her most stunning performances ever with a magnificent live orchestration by Olli Ahvenlahti. She ended 17th but times had changed and it was considered pretty good in Finland.....This blogger still remembers her first comment right after the performance to Yle's microphones on spot: This granny kicked some a**!
We can't ignore the number of Eurovision covers she has done in Finnish, many of them real evergreens and so much hers people don't even remember they are not her own songs, some less so. Check them below:
Comments