Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  I didn't really listen to any Finnish music in the 80's, back then it was still (hard) rock or elderly schlager and the pop music as we know it now was totally unexisting. Then came Dingo. Of course they considered themselves (and everybody else) as rock band but their sound and melodies were pop to my ears. And they created a Dingomania comparable only to the Beatlesmania in the 60's. Teenage girls were fainting and screaming, and streets were filled with teenagers dressed up like them.... But all that aside, their music was good and they scored hit after hit and broke selling records. Autiotalo was for years the best selling Finnish single ever (maybe it still is?) and they sold nearly half a million albums in three years before they broke up. Their break up was main news in the Yle's  very conservative tv.news, making another first. The band and lead singer Neumann are still around in various combinations (the latest one including Lordi's Eurovision winnin...

Vain elämää dominates still the charts and another song from the show hits the #1 spot before the end of 2012. This time it's Erin covering Cheek's Mitä tänne jää . This is their live  duet version and Cheek's original .  There are still six songs from the show in Top-20 plus last week's #1 one by Cheek & Jonne Aaron, both from the show but the song isn't. The album is firmly at the #2 after becoming the most sold album in Finland of the 2000's selling already 6xplatinum. The follow up album takes the #1 spot this week!  Meanwhile the stars of the show Katri Helena, Jari Sillanpää, Erin, Cheek, Neumann, Kaija Koo and Jonne Aaron have given sold out concerts in Barona Arena in Helsinki on December 28 and 30, 2012. The tickets sold out in less than an hour....

The incredible (and deserved) success of Vain elämää continues. The album has become the most sold album of the 2000's in Finland with over 160.000 albums sold so far! That's 8xplatinum! And that's not all, this Friday sees the release of a follow-up 2-cd Vain elämää jatkuu including rest of the songs performed in the series. And after Christmas the stars Katri Helena, Jari Sillanpää, Cheek, Erin, Kaija Koo, Jonne Aaron and Neumann will give a sold out concert in Barona Arena in Espoo. Meanwhile the single songs are dominating the single's charts.... This follow up includes Kaija Koo's cover of Katson sineen taivaan , Jonne Aaron's L'oiseau et l'enfant and Katri Helena's Valkeaa unelmaa . A must have!

Vain elämää TV-series takes over the charts this week. The album firmly stands at number one and also Cheek's album is climbing again at #13, so is Katri Helena's compilation at #18.  The real take over happens in the singles/download chart as Cheek's Puhelinlangat laulaa climbs to #1. This is of course a Katri Helena cover.  Erin takes Cheek cover Mitä tänne jää to #2 and Cheek is with Jonne Aaron at #3 with Anna mä meen . Again Cheek covers Kaija Koo's Tinakenkätyttö at #5. Kaija Koo covers Vapaa by Erin is at #8, so is Kylmä ilman sua by Jonne Aaron. Cheek is again at #12 covering Erin/Nylon Beat with Rakastuin mä luuseriin followed by Jari Sillanpää cover Kaduilla tuulee at #13. Jari Sillanpää covering Cheek's Liekeissä is at #15, Erin covering Katri Helena's Vasten auringonsiltaa at #16 and Cheek covering Neumann/Dingo's Levoton tuhkimo at #17. And still more: Cheek is also at #19 with  Syypää sun hymyys and finally at #20 we have Jonne ...

This falls's real success and hit in Finnish TV has been Vain elämää , the format also known as De beste zangers Van Nederland in the Netherlands and Så mycket bättre in Sweden where it has also been a huge success. Second season will be done but in the first one Katri Helena, Jari Sillanpää, Erin (ex-Nylon Beat), Cheek, Neumann (of Dingo), Kaija Koo and Jonne Aaron (of Negative) have definitely gained new fans and we have been given some fantastic covers of their songs by the other artists. The compilation album featuring three of the songs by each artists sold platinum on its release and has given a real boost to the artists albums as well. So far twelve songs have entered the iTunes top-30 and six have entered the official singles top-20.  And what is a really nice, several Eurovision songs have got their reinterpretation as well! Katri Helena covered Jari Sillanpää's 1998 Euroviisut runner up Valkeaa unelmaa . Kaija Koo covered Katri Helena's...

Namely cancels her tour that was due to start next month. She hasn't cancelled any concerts for 20 years now. The reason is she the whooping cough she had this summer and still hasn't quite recovered and after doctor's advice she had to take this decision. Next year she will be celebrating her 50th anniversary in the music business and on top of it. With two Eurovisions to her credit and over one million albums sold already back in 1994 she is the most successful Finnish female artist by far. At the moment she's actual on TV as one of the singers in Vain elämää (originally De beste zangers van Nederland, also Så mycker bättre in Sweden) along with Jari Sillanpää, Neumann of Dingo, Cheek, Erin (ex-Nylon Beat), Kaija Koo and Jonne Aaron of Negative. In last week's episode they sung Erin's songs and Katri Helena did Vanha nainen hunningolla . Translates freely to "Old woman gone bad". Excellent job! In the first episode she sung Valkeaa unelmaa by ...

The Emma awards were give out last Friday again and I wrote about them here . But let's now take a look at the category of The Song of the Year. I was surprised Chisu wasn't even nominated in this one, but then she has won it already twice. The award went to Jukka Poika's Silkkii, and I totally agree. In this category the awards have been given out since 1996 under this name, before it there was The Schlager of the year or The composition of the year. And in 1988-1990 there was nothing for some weird reason! It is good to see now that the awards usually have gone to the right address as the songs are still here and alive.  And when the songs turn into English they are usually worldhits. Here are the winners in all three differently named categories: 1983 Avaa hakas - Kake Randelin, 1984 Levoton Tuhkimo - Dingo, 1985 Autiotalo - Dingo, 1986 Kaksoielämää - Juice Leskinen, 1987 Marraskuu - Miljoonasade, 1991 Taivas varjele - Mikko Kuustonen, 1992 Mies, jolle ei koskaan...

Varied artists today. The list regulars Anne Mattila and Agents are here but also many artists with only one entry: Dingo, Jonna Tervomaa and Eurovision veteran Markku Aro plus rockbands Mamba, Eppu Normaali and again Tik Tak. Jonna's song is a fantastic cover, so is Agent's (one of my all time favourite songs, btw) and I also like a lot Tik Tak's song! 221. SIELU SALAMOI - ANNE MATTILA 222. SAN FRANSISCO - AGENTS 223. TUULEKSI TAIVAANRANTAAN - TIKTAK 224. OLISHAN SE HIENOO - HECTOR 225. LAIVAUUTISIA - DINGO 226. RAKKAUDEN HAUDALLA - JONNA TERVOMAA 227. SÄ OOT HISTORIAA - MAMBA 228. MÄ LÄHDEN MAALLE - JUICE LESKINEN 229. KESTÄN MITÄ VAAN - MARKKU ARO 230. EI SANKARIAINESTA - EPPU NORMAALI

Lordi has just returned from another succesful trip to Japan. They played two sold out concerts in Tokyo and Osaka and will be back on stage this Thursday in Espoo, Finland. Listen Lordi's cover of Dingo's Autiotalo here.

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 ...

Dingo, the biggest thing in music in the 1980's - or ever - gets a tribute album next week. Lordi, Hanna Pakarinen, Jenni Vartiainen and Nylon Beat's Jonna Kosonen are amongst the artists who cover Dingo songs. Listen Lordi's version of Autiotalo (The house) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNHvevkQSTI and the original smash hit here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEl_AG16IrI . Dingo's period was rather short (1984-1986) but very intense. It were compared to Beatlemania in the 60's by the hysteria they created and will be always remembered also as the band who forced YLE's very conservative TV-news to change: When Dingo slipt up in Ocotber 1986 it was featured as their main news - something very unusual for the channel! The band was formed in 1982 and got their first TV appearance in popular Levyraati programme in January 1984 with Sinä ja minä. Debut album followed in April and stayed in Top-40 for over a year. Autiotalo was released as a single late...