Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  This time let's have a UMK/Euroviisut special. Annika Eklund placed 3rd with Shanghain valot in the Euroviisut aka national selection in 2006 but it has become an evergreen and it was featured in this new version in UMK final with Annika, Eini, Keira, Bess, Laura Voutilainen and Linda Lampenius. Markku Aro of ESC 1971 has released a new track and is still actively performing and touring. Tina Petterson of Beat and ESC 1990 fame continues to release self written music and finally we have Waldo's People's ( ESC 2009 ) latest effort for the summer. Enjoy! Annika Eklund & co. - Shanghain valot 2025 Markku Aro - Sulle annoin mun elämän Tina Pettersson -Ajatuksen voimalla Waldo's People - La Fiesta

After a break let's relaunch the weekly #Finpop series. And here comes the latest from Eurovision fan favorites Erika Vikman and Käärijä, separate this time but pretty much dealing with the same topic: Sex sells. And what a banger chorus once again from Käärijä! We follow with another Eurovision veteran and another fan favorite, namely Laura Voutilainen (could she be doing a comeback to UMK in 2025?) feeling like a teenager again  and Sara Siipola urging you to love, love, love her. ERIKA VIKMAN - MYYNNISSÄ KÄÄRIJÄ - SEX = MONEY LAURA VOUTILAINEN - TEINI TAAS SARA SIIPOLA - RAKASTA MUA, RAKASTA MUA, RAKASTA

When YLE's #UMK2021 jury announced it has selected the seven entries for the final they praised the quality and variety of the entries and even gave out clues of different kind of categories the submissions can be divided, one of them being old Eurovision participants, fans started speculating right away who could they be? This blogger included. But as they spoke about submissions we don't know if any of those were actually selected for the final.  On the other hand if one reads carefully one can note there are seven entries chosen, and they gave us six categories: Eurovision veteran, Emma award winning artist (or writer as they indeed didn't mention artists but submission by..... could be artists, writers, authors or producers), artists from hugely popular Vain elämää series, an export hope, energetic rock band and a hot name from the alternative music genre. Ok, one is missing and the extra slot could go to UMK2020 winner Aksel Kankaanranta after all?  Anyways, let...

All together now Suomi debuted in tv last night, after being postponed from spring season (having been filmed in March before Covid-19 restrictions) and has Laura Voutilainen (ESC 2002) as the captain and Jaana Pelkonen (ESC 2007 in Helsinki) as the host. She makes a very welcome comeback to entertainment television after being in politics and in the parliament for years now.  The first episode already had familiar names trying their luck with the 100 judges, namely UMK (and every other possible talent show) hopeful Ilari Hämäläinen who scored 61 but in the end didn't make it any further. The winner of the evening and finalist with 94 was a girl trio Heroines including UMK hopefuls Rafaela Truda and  fabulous personal favorite back then Ylona. Among the 100 another UMK stars spotted, namely Eini, Niki from Barbe-Q-Barbies and Jepa Lambert. Let's wait and see who pops up in the future episodes!

 

Yle organized among its other consolation Eurovision 2020 programming also a voting to find out the most loved Finnish entries of each decade ( here ). And this is no surprise: Hard rock hallelujah!   When eveything else has been tried go over the top and just risk it full time. It paid off. The hell froze over and liberated Finns from the decades long trauma of "Finland zero points" and for a year or so everyone was an Eurovision and Lordi fan. Well, it didn't last long...... Once again Finns had to sit home thanks to poor results in 2001 and 2003 before that insanity was changed. Or rather semi-final introduced. 2006 Lordi - Hard rock hallelujah  63,3% 2002 Laura Voutilainen - Addicted to you  10,7% 2007 Hanna Pakarinen - Leave me alone  8,6% 2008 Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa   6,5% 2009 Waldo's People - Lose control  5.6% 2004 Jari Sillanpää - Takes 2 to tango   3,7% 2005 Geir Rönning - Why? 1,0% 2000 Nina Åstro...

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)...

Yle is going internal again in 2019 and it will be very curious to see who they choose (or get) after Saara Aalto - will they go for big international name or something big in Finland.  Or someone new and emerging? One of the big international names would surely be Sunrise Avenue or their front man Samu Haber solo. He has already flirted with Eurovision song contest back in 2007 when Forever yours was ment for Hanna Pakarinen. Later he ended up singing it with another Eurovision veteran Laura Voutilainen in Vain elämää series that made him known to most everyone, and kinda launched the idea of his solo career.  Sunrise Avenue is big(ger than in Finland actually) in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Their latest album topped the German album charts, as did their compilation album (and also in Switzerland). In Finland they have been regular top10 only. Their singles have charted also in Greece, Sweden and Belgium over the years.  Below are their biggest hits....

  Finland celebrates its 100th year as an independent state and has ever since searched for its place in Europe and the world, between East and West. Sometimes with less success. As we speak in 1939 we were at war again with Soviet Union but - let's make a huge change of subject here -  since 1961 Finland has been taking part in the Eurovision song contest (and we also took part, and won twice, the copycat contest behind the Iron curtain, Intervision song contest). It may have taken awhile before we won, but it never stopped us taking part. EBU did, in those crazy 1990's-early 2000's. Let's look back in coming days as a countdown to the Big Day some of the most memorable and significant entries from Finland..... In 2002 Finland sent Laura Voutilainen with Addicted to you to southern neighbour Estonia. Expectations were high as usual, and there was a thrilling buzz all around Helsinki the big night; bars were showing the contest, thousends of Finns were at...

The ever so popular Mamma mia! musical by ABBA is having its Finnish version coming up next May in Helsinki. Laura Voutilainen has landed the role as Donna (played by Meryl Streep in the movie) and she describes it as her dream role and as written for her. She's done musicals before but says this is her first experience in such an acting role. She auditioned for the role by the request by the producers and there was no doubt she'll be perfect.  But the Eurovision connections don't end here: Nina Tapio and Tomi Metsäketo are also in the cast. Nina Tapio has been several times in Eurovision as a backing singer, as well as in the national final and even performed in the opening numbers in Helsinki 2007 Eurovision. Tomi Metsäketo nearly beat Lordi in Euroviisut 2006 but let's see how it goes for him now. He's in the middle of #metoo scandal now and was kicked out last week from a tv production he was supposed to be in several future episodes still in coming we...

It's September and the Eurovision 2018 season is officially on. I will feature in coming days names that could be in UMK18, if only...... I say if only, as most likely we won't see any of them in there for UMK is profilied as a newcomers contest instead of being our own Sanremo or Melodifestivalen. In short: a major contest all the big names want to take part not only to win but to boost their record sales and score hits. But one can dream, right? I have thrown in some not so known names for variety. Let's go.... Alex Mattson is really Aleksi Kaunisvesi (20) and the first Finnish solo artist and DJ to be signed to Grammy winning Ultra Music. Besides his solo releases he has prodiuced songs to names like Isac Elliot , Reino Nordin , Mikael Gabriel. UFO feat Solamay and Forget you entered the international playlists and his latest Good kids is following them... Runaway Zoo is a band from Porvoo. The five little town boys have known each other all their live...

Laura Voutilainen releases her new album Miks ei , her first in four years but already her 13th following her biggest hits Miks ei (#10) and Mä en kestä since forever. Mä en kestä (#6) has been cerfified platinum and one of last summer's biggest radio hits Miks ei gold. She's propably more popular than ever and totally deserves it! She's also been part of hugely popular Vain elämää series this spring and belted out covers of other artists songs: Särkynyt enkeli (Olli Lindholm/Yö), Tänä yönä taivaaseen (Petra), Milloin nään sut uudestaan (Robin), Koko kuva (Irina), Ettei nyt vaan sattuis mitään (Nikke Ankara), fantastic  Forever yours (Samu Haber/Sunrise Avenue) and her own Päiväkirja with Nikke Ankara and Yö's Särkyvää with Olli Lindholm.  Nikke Ankara in turn covered her Miks ei , ( live ) but no one did her Eurovision entries :-(

A curious details was revealed by Sunrise Avenue's Samu Haber in the popular Vain elämää show, where artists spend a week together and every night cover each others songs between stories of their career and life. On Samu's night Laura Voutilainen had picked Forever yours to cover and Samu told: "After Lordi won Eurovision in 2006, we were writing a song to Hanna Pakarinen for Eurovision and the demo sounded pretty much like Forever yours. When I played it to the record company people telling this would be on our second album's first single they insisted we record it and it was added to the debut album's special Gold version instead." So, if the record label didn't like the song so much it could have been one of the two Hanna Pakarinen songs in Euroviisut 2007 and propably Finland's entry as well at home in Helsinki 2007. Hanna never recorded it, of course, but Laura Voutilainen gave an outstanding performance of it in the show first solo,...

Expectations were high in 2002 when Laura walked to the stage in Eurovision song contest, but Finns were to disappoint once again. It didn't stop Laura becoming one of the most succesful, versatile artists in Finland who keeps delivering albums, hit singles, being awarded and starring in various tv shows. Today 42 years young. Congratulations!

Laura Voutilainen has been in the business and one of the most popular and chameleon Finnish female singers since early 1990's. She's always been big in radio sporting over a dozen radio play top-10 hits over the years, but now she's scoring her second official single's chart top-10 with Mä en kestä at #6 when writing this (also #6 in download and #38 on radioplay going up) following the success of Miks ei last year (#4 in download, #10 in singles, #9 radios).  Of course this is also to do with the new way of making the charts but its refreshing to see some oldtimers making it among all the teenage idols and rappers. :-) Well done Laura!

Now here's a lot of Eurovision and Uuden musiikin kilpailu's royalty in one musical happening in Espoo City theater. A story about Finnish women; mothers and daughters, love and difficult choices. Äidinmaa (Mother's land) musical story runs in two periods of time; during the summer preceding the Winter War (1939), a young Anni falls in love with a handsome stranger. The mother, grocer Vieno has her doubts and her own ways of coping with the world. In the eighties Anni looks back at her life next to her daughter's daughter, who carries the heritage and scars of the family's women. Jennie Von Storbacka (from Euroviisut 2005 , 2006 ) is the young Anni, Pirkko Mannola (Euroviisut 1962, 1964 ) is the old Anni. Laura Voutilainen (Eurovision 2002 ) is Vieno, Anni's mother and Mikael Saari (Umk 2013 , 2016 ) is Olavi, the handsome stranger. 

Now this is surprising. One would think Sandhja's Sing it away was a kind of a flop, but here comes Radio Yle Suomi's most played songs chart of 2016 and guess what? It's number one! And even more so, Eini's entry Draamaa is n.o 3. Now that pretty much sets the tone this radio channel is; schlager and and pop schlager.  Further down the shart Kuunkuiskaajat's Unelmaa is n.o 24, Laura Voutilainen at n.o 35 with Miks ei and at n.o 49 with Olet mulle enemmän . This year's UMK entrant Zuhlke is n.o 54 with Huominen on meidän . Eurovision winner Celine Dion is there, too, N.o 68 with L'étoile . Previous Euroviisut entrant Mikael Konttinen n.o 82 with Ei koskaan and Hanna Pakarinen n.o 84 with Herrojen kanssa pellon laidassa , UMK entrants Hukka ja Mama n.o 91 Sun pitäis olla mun ... Check out the full listing here

Well, she's never been away really but she's back to the charts and even with a Top-10 hit! Miks ei (Why not) is going up on download charts, number 6 this week on its fourth week, and in Radioplay Top-100 she's at number 9 on its 8th week. We have to go back to 2007 to find her a Top-10 radio hit Rakkautta ei piiloon saa and the same year she had also Timanttinen tähti in Top-20.  But as said, she's not been away fromthe music business or the spotlight after her 2002 Eurovision adventure at all. She has released seven albums (and two compilations) since, been the Idols judge, dubbed half a dozen Disney movies, done countless stage shows and cabaret revues, musicals, music theater.... She has done a number of television reality or talent shows like Dancing with stars (finishing second behind Antti Tuisku), Sirkus (she won), Tähdet tähdet  (she was runner up behind Waltteri Torikka).... And yes, she did also try to get to Eurovision again in 2007 with Take a ch...

Krista Siegfrids is one of the chosen guest stars for the world's biggest imitation show happening at Helsinki's Hartwall Arena on November 25, 2016,  Stars Show XXL This grand finale follows a tour around Finland. The main star Jarkko Tamminen imitates over 40 celebs, there are dancers and a full scale musical show. Besides Krista making her imitator debut also Laura Voutilainen is there and I have a feeling Jarkko imitates them both, too.  "I have never done any mímitations publicly, only at home" Krista says. "I'm though confident my voice is flexible enough to make it but I'm shit scared!" Meanwhile Krista tells her Melodifestivalen participation has opened her many doors in Sweden and interesting things are cooking in Sweden as well as in Finland.....