Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The annual award for the merits in the schlager field will be given out tonight. As usual the audience has a poll and the people's favourite will be awarded with a diploma but the real winner of 10.000 euros and name in the music history will be decided by Arto Alaspää alone. This is the 11th time the award will be given and last year the winner was Laura Voutilainen. Previous winners include Marion Rung, Kari Tapio, Jari Sillanpää and Paula Koivuniemi.  This year the moniness feature four veterans and a surprising newcomer, Mariska . She started as a hip hop artists but has then moved to pop, jazz and schalger also writing songs to other artists like Anna Puu, Jenni Vartiainen. Four albums todate with the latest hit being Suloinen myrkynkeittäjä . Very underrated name in this is Meiju Suvas . She started in 1982, has participated in Euroviisut and has based her career on cover versions mainly but has showed over the 30 years she's got it what it takes to stay in this business...

Toto Cutugno came only 5th with L'Italiano in Sanremo 1983 but it was clearly the big seller of that edition and an international hit. Kari Tapio covered it in Finnish as Olen suomalainen (I'm a Finn) and the lyrics are even more patriotic than the original Italian version if possible - praising Finland and it's white and blue spirit and people. Finns fell in love instantly and this song became Kari Tapio's trademark song that he would (or have to) perform in every gig until his sudden death last December. An evergreen, a karaoke favourite and another song most every Finn knows the lyrics by heart - some of them at least! And here's the perfect duet .

Lady Gaga enters with Born this way   the singles chart right away at #1 pushing Petri Nygärd down to number one after three weeks at the top. Bruno Mars with Grenade is steady at #3 and Just the way you are enters at #17! In albums he enters at #3 while late Kari Tapio's greatest hits stays at #1. His other compilation is at #14 going down

Finnish legend Kari Tapio (65) died suddenly in Espoo today. He came second in Euroviisut 2008 with Valaise yö. He has scored dozens of hits over the past 40 years. One of his most known songs in a cover of Toto Cutugno's L'Italiano, titled Olen suomalainen (I'm a Finn) that has become almost a national anthem. Kari Tapio released his first album in 1974 but only his 7th album Olen suomalainen  in 1983 brought him his first gold album. In all he released 29 albums, latest being gold selling Vieras paratiisissa (2010). He has also released 15 compilations over the years and the album sales are around one million gaining his 19 gold discs, 9 platinum discs and one multiplatinum, Myrskyn jälkeen (1995). His only #1 album is Kuin taivaisiin (2007). He won iskelmä-Finlandia in 2003 and Emma for the best male artist in 2006. He's described for having the "Blue and white voice", just like Katri Helena, two real icons of Finnish popular music. His passing has ...

The usual cast here, too: Kari Tapio, Sillanpää, Yö. Eppu Normaali, Kela, Edelmann, Eriksson but then we have Janne Raappana with his fantastic cover of Biagio Antonacci's Iris and one hit wonder Teleks. 81. SE JOKIN ALKAA - KARI TAPIO 82. TAHDOIN TAIKKA EN - JARI SILLANPÄÄ 83. HÄN TANSSI KANSSA ENKELEIDEN - YÖ 84. TAHDON SUT - EPPU NORMAALI 85. 1972 - ANSSI KELA 86. JOS VAIN VOISIN - JANNE RAAPPANA 87. SININEN SOINTU - SAMULI EDELMANN 88. KUKA SAA SUT NYT - ANNA ERIKSSON 89. KAKSOISELÄMÄÄ - PATE MUSTAJÄRVI 90. TUULILASIN NURKKAAN - TELEKS

Anssi Kela's got two songs here - including the fantastic Mikan faijan BMW - and so does Pate Mustajärvi as he is als the lead vocalist of Popeda. Kari Tapio is present here, too, as well as Kristian and Mamba. 111. LÄPI YÖN - KRISTIAN MEURMAN 112. MIKAN FAIJAN BMW - ANSSI KELA 113. KAKSI SISARTA - ANSSI KELA 114. MÄ ELÄN VIELÄKIN - PATE MUSTAJÄRVI 115. VIELÄ TOIVON - JUHA METSÄPERÄ 116. YKSINÄINEN PITKÄ TIE - JANNE TULKKI 117. PAALUPAIKKA - KARI TAPIO 118. LAULU JOUTSENIEN - TOMMI SOIDINMÄKI 119. RIO DE JANEIRO - POPEDA 120. VIE MUT LÄPI YÖN - MAMBA

This part is filled with dancebands and three excellent songs to spice it up: Puhu äänellä jonka kuulen, Oo siellä jossain mun and Kaunis päivä . Three acts very popular at the moment and with young and not so young. 141. PUHU ÄÄNELLÄ JONKA KUULEN - HAPPORADIO 142 . ANNA JATKUA YÖN - FINLANDERS 143. ETKÖ UNTA SAA - YÖ 144. MENNYTTÄ MIESTÄ - YÖLINTU 145. KELLOT SOI - TOPI SORSAKOSKI 146. OO SIELLÄ JOSSAIN MUN - PMMP 147. SYDÄNPUOLI SÄÄTÄ VASTEN - KARI TAPIO 148. MEIDÄN LAULU - MATTI JA TEPPO 149. UNOHTUMATON ILTA - AGENTS 150. KAUNIS PÄIVÄ - ANNA PUU

Euroviisut favourite by Johanna Kurkela is just outside the top-200 with  Petri Munck's megahit, yet another Kari Tapio and Paula Koivuniemi song. Koop Arponen and Kristian Meurman from Idols or/and Euroviisut are in as well. Girlbands Nylon Beat and Tik Tak are featured, too. 201. OLET UNENI KAUNEIN - JOHANNA KURKELA 202. YHDEN TÄHDEN HOTELLI - JORMA KÄÄRIÄINEN 203. LEVOTON PRINSSI - PETRI MUNCK 204. MILLOINKAAN EN LÖYDÄ SAMANLAISTA - KARI TAPIO 205. ROCK HALLELUJA - PAULA KOIVUNIEMI 206. EVERY SONG I HEAR - KOOP ARPONEN 207. SANOJA - NYLON BEAT 208. SISÄLTÄ KULTAA - JANNE TULKKI 209. SAMANTEKEVÄÄ - TIKTAK 210. TUMMAT, SYVÄT VEET - KRISTIAN MEURMAN

In this 7th set we have the usual Matti ja Teppo, Anne Mattila, Kari Tapio, one of the very few Katri Helena songs but also Johanna Pakonen and Jore Marjaranta with his superhit. And on top of all that Maija Vilkkumaa's only song on this schlager list! 231. POHJAN POIKA - MATTI JA TEPPO 232. EI - MAIJA VILKKUMAA 233. ELÄMÄN VIRTA - KARI TAPIO 234. KAIKEN PITÄS MUUTTUU - KOLMAS NAINEN 235. UNIHIEKKAA - ANNE MATTILA 236. ONNEN ONKIJA - KATRI HELENA 237. KUN RAKKAUS SAAPUU KAUPUNKIIN - HECTOR 238. ÄLÄ PUHU RAKKAUDESTA - JOHANNA PAKONEN 239. SÄ LÄHDIT LUOTANI TÄNÄÄN - JORMA KÄÄRIÄINEN 240. HAAVEET KAATUU - JORE MARJARANTA

Kari Tapio releases his 29th album (excluding compilations) Vieras paratiisissa . No change in style or whatsoever, Kari Tapio is and stays the same and people like it apparently. He almost beat Teräsbetoni in Euroviisut 2008 with Valaise yö. Jann Wilde took part in Euroviisut 2007 with Rose Avenue, caused a scandal by entering with already released songs and had them replaced in a short notice. The band released one album Tokio okei before splitting up but now Jann goes solo. You can listen a sampler of the album here . Anna Puu broke through in the Finnish Idols and her debut album sold platinum and gave us one of the biggest hits of 2009: C'est la vie . The new single is Riko minut .

The Finnish stars joined forced for Haiti last weekend in the Cathedral of Helsinki. at the presence of  Tarja Halonen, president of Finland. Katri Helena, Jari Sillanpää, Samuli Edelmann, Kari Tapio and Mikko Kuustonen were amongst the very emotional concert broadcasted live also my YLE. Over 800.000 euros were collected. Watch here and here (jump to 59' for Katri Helena's absolutely fantastic Kuudenikäinen or Six years old )

In Finland the taxes are public information and every year the papers publish who earned what, how much less or more than before, who has to pay more taxes and who gets a refund (lucky me, I do get a big one!) Anyways, the internationally famous Finnish artists are of course also of interest and once again Lauri Ylönen, the lead singer of The Rasmus earned the most: 541.000 euros but that's 100.000 less than last year. It's a lot more than the next one, Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish (378.000) and Ville Valo of Him (360.000). Lauri Tähkä , even if being "only a Finnish" artist singing in Finnish and performing only in Finland almost earned as much as them: 318.000, but the real King of income in Finnish is Kari Tapio with 565.000, more than Lauri Ylönen. That means the best earning pop/rock artist in Finland for the first time in many years earns his money inside the Finnish borders! Mr Lordi or Tomi Putaansuu is far behind with 72.000, much less than a year befo...

Vesa-Matti Loiri finally has to give up the #1 spot in the Top-40 as Guns N' Roses enters the chart at #1 and drops him at #2. Ipanapa 2 , children's song CD rises one spot to #11 and includes Hanna Pakarinen's Mörkö mainio . Samuli Edelmann's Virsiä 2 drops one place to #12. Tomi Metsäketo's new CD Roma enters the at #14. Celine Dion's My love climbs to #15. Anna Eriksson stays at #19. Dingo tribute drops to #22, including versions by Lordi and Hanna Pakarinen. Also Johanna Kurkela and Kari Tapio are on their way down at #30 and #33. Same faith for Maria Lund at #35 while ABBA - The Albums re-enter at #39. Lordi has already dropped out of Top-40 while Metsäketo enters. As we all remember he lost to Lordi in Euroviisut 2006 with the televotes.... Listen/download the new album here: http://download.mtv3.fi/Album.aspx?id=0304EF41-5A93-46CC-8989-7A74AC6F3B3D . It includes covers of Gigliola Cinquetti/Katri Helena hit Alla porte del sole/Vasten auringon siltaa ...

Vesa-Matti Loiri (63) enters the Finnish album chart at #1 again this week with the album Kasari , that he says might be his last one. It's the final part of his trilogy of Finnish pop-rock classics revisited acustically. Lordi's Deadache enters the Top-40 at #5. The Dingo tribute with Lordi and Hanna Pakarinen enters at #8. Euroviisut veteran Samuli Edelmann drops to #11. Kari Tapio's new compilation with 40 of his biggest hits enters at #15 and Johanna Kurkela's new one drops to #19. Celine Dion's compilations enters at #21 and Jari Sillanpää's latest drops 16 places to #27. Mamma mia! soundtrack drops to # 31 but ABBA's The Albums enters at #38.

Katri Helena has been one of the leading ladies of Finnish music since the 1960's and these days she's the best earning female singer, and altogether second only to Kari Tapio. Jari Sillanpää completes the top-3. Both Katri and Jari have been very clever investing the money they earn in their companies, and paying themselves only enough (less than 9% of the income) to avoid the huge taxes in Finland. In Katri's case this means that for the fourth year in a row she has taken around 80.000 euros cash taxfree. Rest of the money lies in properties like the apartment in Helsinki and a villa near Porvoo. Jari Sillanpää has a penthouse in Helsinki, a mansion outside Helsinki and a villa in Haparanda....