Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Hanna-Riikka Siitonen's funeral took place on August 19 in Töölö church, Helsinki. Several Finnish Eurovision stars gathered to greet the much loved actress, singer, vocal coach and multiple national finalists and ESC backing singer for the last time and the ceremony was a very emotional one. Her white casket was decorated with yellow and orange gerberas matching her sunny and bright personality that will be so much missed.  It is said when when her Taikapeili friend Nina Tapio sung there were no dry eyes in the church. The girls have been friends all their life, and Nina's mother was at Eurovision 1976 backing Fredi in Pump pump.  Her father Fredi (ESC 1967, 1976) and mother, ex-Mayor of Helsinki; Fredi, Hanna-Riikka's husband and daughter; Titta Jokinen (ESC 1976), conductor Olli Ahvenlahti (ESC conductor 1990-98) with Marjatta Leppänen, multiple national finalists and hostess) Jari Sillanpää (ESC 2004); Sonja Lumme (ESC 1985);  Anneli Saaristo (ESC 1989)...

Hanna-Riikka Siitonen (47) has died of thyroid cancer she was diagnosed in 2000.  She was multiple times a backing singer for Finland in the Eurovision song contest (1996, 2004, 2005) and participated in the national selection 2006 and was a featuring figure in the opening and interval acts in Helsinki 2007 Eurovision. She was one of the most used backing and studio singers in Finland, and worked a lot in television and theatre both in music and acting, radio and was Idols vocal coach. She was a daughter of Fredi aka Matti Siitonen (Finland ESC 1967, 1976, composer 1979).  In 1990's she formed multiplatinum selling duo Taikapeili with Nina Tapio. 

Fredi aka Matti Siitonen  turns 75 today! He has represented Finland twice in the Eurovision and has even written an additional entry (1979). His daughter Hanna-Riikka has kept the family name alive in the Eurovision in the 1990's and 2000's as a backing singer and national final competitor. Congratulations!

Turkish Ayşe Özyılmazel who is Neco's daughter has covered his father's Eurovision 1982 entry Hani for Turkey, and Neco himself is seen in the video. I remember liking the song back then - yes, I'm that old – and Ayşe makes it all very sweet and cute, and the arragement is pretty much the same. But it is not the first time Eurovision kids cover their parents songs. Danish Rasmus Seebach covered his father's 1993 Eurovision entry Under stjernerne på himlen (and did a great job with it!) and in Finland Milana Misic has recorded various songs by her mother Laila Kinnunen, including her 1961 Eurovision entry Valoa ikkunassa . Surely there are more similar cases (hints are welcome in the comment box!). I have a burning desire to have Taikapeili girls Hanna-Riikka Siitonen (Fredi's daughter) and Nina Tapio (backing singer's daughter) cover the Finnish entry Pump pump from 1976. How cool would that be?! Both girls have also multiple Eurovision backing singer exper...

Some of you might remember Aia from the open internet selection for Euroviisut 2011. If they sounded familiar it's because amongst the vocalists are Nina Tapio and Hanna-Riikka Siitonen of Taikapeili fame and of several Euroviisut selections and back up singing efforts, as well as Riikka Timonen , also familiar from Euroviisut. With a few other singer-musicians they have now released their debut album Omia . The band describes itself as etnopop band that uses electric sounds, accapella technique, strong pop melodies and all coveed with a touch of the ethnic. Something tells me they might try again in 2012 in the UMK aka Euroviisut. Here's their debut single Kesän jälkeen .

Euroviisut (and Eurovision) stars Laura Voutilainen, Hanna-Riikka Siitonen, Nina Tapio and Ville Pusa will be doing a humourous Kabbas Abbaa show in Tampere's Palatsi music theater in May 2010. The story is based on Abba's songs. The show is a rerun of the succesful performances last fall but Laura has replaced Veeti Kallio. Nina and Hanna-Riikka formed the megasuccesful Taikapeili duo in the 1990's besides being backing vocalists in Eurovision in several occasion as well as national finals. Laura won in 2002 with Addicted to you and tried again in 2007 with Kosketa mua and Take a chance . Ville Pusa tried in 2007 with Eternally .

Fredi (67) has had to cancel half of his 50th anniversary tour Avaa sydämesi mulle due to poor ticket sales. Twelve cities have become only six when Fredi will be on the road next month. His manager blames the economical crisis: "The risks were too high so it's better to cancel after poor pre-sale of the tickets. " Fredi represanted Finland in Eurovision twice: in 1967 with Varjoon suojaan and in 1974 with legendary Pump Pump . He also wrote Katri Helena's Katson sineen taivaan and his daughter Hanna-Riikka Siitonen is a regular Eurovision back up singer and participant, also trying to get to Euroviisut 2010 with the group Aia. Fredi's latest release is Soittaja from 2007.