Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Another week, another dose of #Finpop by big names Lauri Tähkä and Erin, bubbling under Sara and newcomer Kakku. Enjpy! Kakku - Movetron Lauri Tähkä - Elämänlangat Sara Siipola - Paha kiertämään Erin - Miljoona vastausta

  Survived Sanremo and will check on all other Eurovision related events in coming days. Here's for a change some #Finpop for this week, too. Emjoy! Jannika B - Mania Mira Luoti / Aki Tykki - Täydellinen puolikas Lauri Tähkä - Nukkuvat aamut Evelina - Kyynelii

  Another dose of recent releases, including Eurovision veteran Hanna Pakarinen's comeback! Benjamin Enroth - Lupaan olla sinun Happoradio - Maalissa Hanna Pakarinen - Sun aika tulee vielä Lauri Tähkä - Keskiyön cowboy

New music from Finland twice a week in this new series from the charts, radio play or just new names trying to make it. Enjoy! Lauri Tähkä - Aavikko Ellinoora - Dinosauruksii Cledos x BEHM - Life (Sun luo) Teemu Roivainen - Uusi alku

The tenth season of Vain elämää has come to an end what comes to the artist days, a few more episodes will air again with re-runs of the songs only and also a two episode Christmas specials. Maija Vilkkumaa had the honor to end the days, and as I am a fan of Maija these songs were mostly wellknown to me beforehand. Antti honored the Finnish national instrument kantele in his version.  Studio Maija Vilkkumaa's original Studio Maija Vilkkumaa's original Studio Maija Vilkkumaa's original Studio Maija Vilkkumaa's original

Sunrise Avenue's Samu Haber's day gave us some rather interesting covers and the demand of him doing a solo album in Finnish is getting louder and louder.... It was a bit hard to choose the four and also Vesala , Elastinen and Lauri Tähkä all did a great job in a way or another.  Studio Sunrise Avenue's original Studio Sunrise Avenue's original Studio Sunrise Avenue's original Studio Sunrise Avenue's original

Elastinen is the artist I know less about these ones taking part in this Vain elämää 10 camp, and therefor it's harder to get excited about the covers, especially as I have never even heard the originals.... I admit. But here are the more fortunate ones.... Studio Elastinen's original Studio Elastinen's original Studio Elastinen's original Studio Elastinen's original

A bit late but here comes the Erin's Day round up, that sadly I found a bit disappointing and it was a bit hard to choose the favoriters. Or rather the songs I may have liked the most as Erin's (or Nylon Beat's) favorites didn't quite work in new versions by JVG and Maija Vilkkumaa or Elastinen . Which is rather interesting: Erin makes fantastic covers but the others don't quite manage to cover her songs... Hmmm. Erin's original Studio Erin's original Studio Nylon Beat's original Studio Erin's original

Lauri Tähkä is no doubt one of the most popular male singers in the 2010's and he has a string of hits like no other, including Palavaa vettä that has become the song that has stayed the most week's at radio play #1 and strangely no one wanted to cover that.... Instead we had older and also less known songs and even one of his latest hits Mä en pelkää , totally reworked and almost unrecognisable by VilleGalle who barely missed out my top-4 that include two teary ballads, one clever remake by Vesala bringing his music back to the folk ethno roots and then Maija's version she totally made her own. Enjoy! Studio Lauri's original Studio Lauri's original Studio Lauri's original Studio Lauri's original

Day 2 of season 10 was dedicated to Paula Vesala and her solo songs and the songs of her ex-band PMMP.  Being a female writer with some very rough, meaningful and strong lyrics the male artists took the best out of them this time, even if Maija Vilkkumaa and Erin did a good h´job. My favorites were however again Lauri Tähkä and Samu Haber, with Antti Tuisku making his debut, a very strong one and Elastinen did a good job after last week's flop. Check out the episode one, Antti Tuisku's Day here Studio Paula's original Studio PMMP's original Studio Paula's original Studio Paula's original

Vain elämää series, where top artists gather together in a villa for a week to perform each other's songs and talk over everything over lunch and dinner has reached its 10th season already and it's a All Stars one featuring JVG's VilleGalle, Elastinen, Lauri Tähkä, Paula Vesala, Maija Vilkkumaa, Erin, Antti Tuisku and Sunrise Avenue's Samu Haber . The series kicked off with Antti Tuisku's Day and below are my favorites out of the performances (and Antti's originals) that all outdid the original for a reason or another.... Lauri and Erin turned the songs something else and were for me the outstanding ones by far.  Antti Tuisku Antti Tuisku Antti Tuisku Antti Tuisku

Biggest radio hit in 2019 so far.... and ever! Topping the chart for 14 weeks he replaced Jenni Vartiainen's Missä muruseni on (#1 for 13 weeks in 2010) as the song with most weeks at #1.  Benjamin's video was filmed in one shot and released late last year, but it's playing on radio only now.....

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? Lauri Tähkä is one of the biggest names in the Finnish music industry. He's got his own national romantic style mixing folk with pop and rock ever since he started with his group Elonkerjuu. Elonkerjuu won the Emma award as the Group of the year five years in a row when he was in it before going solo (2006-2010). Since then he has been picking up Male artist of the year in various galas. Three solo studio albums so far (#1 and two #2s, all platinum or multiplatinum sales) and a string of radio hits he would be an excellent choice. Like Pauhaava sydän  would have been fabulous back in 2007 for Eurovision.... Mä en pelkää is brand new with a lot more modern sound...

Antti Tuisku is really living the highlight of his career as we know it. His latest single Hanuri went straight to #1 in the official singles chart last week upon its release and yesterday he was the last act on Helsinki Day's open air free concert to celebrate Helsinki's 467th birthday in a strng of names like Chisu, The Rasmus, Kaija KooMikael Gabriel and Lauri Tähkä - all Finnish pop's royalty. Hanuri flirts with the Balcan sound and features to Kosovan brothers (aka Boyat) while the lyrics are tongue in cheek between dirty and hilarious filled with double meanings and read between the lines in true Kikka style! And if Kikka was the female Slavko os the late 80's-earöy 90's Antti is becoming the Finnish Slavko with his over the top performing..... If only in UMK.....

Emma Gaala's Male artist of the Year nominees include some names from various reality music tv programmes, rappers and a surprise. I would give this one out to Mikael Gabriel as icing on the cake for his fabulous year and marvelous metamorposis. Lauri Tähkä started his succesful year with a Elastinen duet (read more below)  Lempo , Then he released an album that went straight to #1, scored a hit with  Morsian  (radioplay #1), followed it with hits from the Vain elämää reality tv-series, including Kipua (#2), a Mikael Gabriel cover, Minun Suomeni , Lauri, Elastinen, Mikael - all are here nominated. Mikael Gabriel really broke through this year. He's been around but as "just another rapper" but his latest album did well featuring #2 single Helium . Then he became the nation's sweetheart against all odds in Vain elämää . His personality made us all fall in love with him a little, and adopt him as nation's own son. He scored the most hits from the...

Emma Gaala will take place on February 4, 2017 in Metro Arena (Espoo). The songs nominated for the Song of the Year are below. Who's your favorite? Alma - Karma (Alma/Vaughan/Meinke/Kalisch/Chacon/Vlasenko) This song made it to #1 in download charts, #5 in official singles' charts,  #9 in streaming charts and #13 in radioplay charts Ellinoora - Leijonakuningas (Lion king ) (Ellinoora/Sirviö) This was #3 in radioplay charts, #6 in download charts, #20 in official singles charts and #26 in streaming charts. JVG - Hehkuu ( Glow) (Brunila/Riihimäki/Brand/VilleGalle) This was #1 in download charts, #1 in radioplay for 9 weeks, #1 in singles charts for 6 weeks and #1 in streaming for 6 weeks. Lauri Tähkä - Morsian ( Bride ) (Tähkä/MikkolaRannila/Viljamaa/Törmä) This was #1 in radioplay for 3 weeks, #2 in download, and #22 in streaming charts Sanni - Että mitähän vittua ( What the fuck ) (Sanni/Hank Solo) This was #4 in radioplay charts Vesala - ...

The Emma Gaala (aka Finnish Grammys) nominations are out. The People's choice and the best video are voted by the people, the other awards handed out by a jury. The gala will take place February 4, 2017 in Metro Arena in Espoo, the week after UMK2017... same stage.  This year's nomination queen is Vesala or Paula Vesala, ex-PMMP. She scored seven nominations: album, song, female artist, pop artist, producer, people's choice and video. Lauri Tähkä is the king with five: album, song, schlager album, male artist and people's choice. Below are the ones with the most nominations: Alma (song, pop artist, newcomer, people's choice, video), Sanni (album, song, female artist, pop artist, video)  and Evelina (pop artist, newcomer, people's choice) Nikke Ankara (hip hop, male artist, people's choice, video), JVG (song, hip hop, group, people's choice) and   Mikael Gabriel (hip hop, male artist, people's choice) Ellinoora (song, pop ar...

Finally! Chisu joins the cast for the fifth season of Vain elämää and at this point it seems it's going to be a Chisu show, but then you never know. The other names are Hector, rapper Mikael Gabriel, Suvi Teräsniska, Lauri Tähkä, Anna Puu and Mikko Kuustonen. This is the first season we don't have any Eurovision or national selection veterans taking part but the names are big and current with those two older gentlemen with decades of career behind them. The most critizised name is Mikael Gabriel that most seem to be going with "Who?!" - just like Sanni last year and look what happened...... If you forgot how the show works here's a short sum up: The artists get together in a villa for a week. Each day is dedicated to one of them and the other artists cover his/her songs in their own way. In the end there's a final episode with duets. After the show the compilation albums will be released and they will sell multiple platinum and the show will take over iT...

Follow up to this post . One can dream right? Here are the artists for the second semifinal, hand picked by yours truly.