Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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 domination continues still. The compilation album sits firmly as #1 in the albums and Cheek takes the lead in the singles with his collaboration with Jonne Aaron, his Vain elämää fellow, with Anna mä meen. Cheek is also #2 with Puhelinlangat laulaa (Katri Helena), #4 with Tinakenkätyttö (Kaija Koo),  #13 Rakastuin mä luuseriin (Erin/Nylon Beat) and #14 Kaduilla tuulee (Jari Sillanpää). Erin takes Cheek cover Mitä tänne jää to #5, she's also at #10 with Vapaa (Kaija Koo), while Jonne Aaron is at #15 with Kylmä ilman sua (Kaija Koo) and Jari Sillanpää has another Cheek cover at #17, Liekeissä . And at #18 we still have one, Erin again with Vasten auringon siltaa (Katri Helena). That's 10/20 for Vain elämää songs/singers this week. 

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...

Costello Hautamäki is best knows as the guitarist of Popeda , one of the most popular Finnish rock bands but he has also played in Hanoi Rocks and Sleepy Sleepers among other bands. His solo career includes so far two English language albums ( A little bit crazy 1988 and 13 reasons to rock 2003) and he's also active s a writer, producer and writes music also for Tv-series. Recently he has had a minor radio hit with Aurinko nousee and now he makes himself better known as a Finnish singing rock singer with this Matkalla tuntemattomaan , written by Jonne Aaron of Negative! the song is a melodic pop rock, and surely will find fans among those who like Popeda......

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 ...

Katri Helena has been singing since 1963 and Provinssirock has been an annual event since 1975. But only know these two institutions united and it was a hit. Katri Helena is living a new youth when her audience is not only filled by her generations but also their children and grandchildren! Schlager is in and what's better than the queen of schlager and her hits from the past five decades? And to be up with the times she also performed a rock classic Hetken tie on kevyt (by Tehosekoittaja) together with Negative 's lead singer Jonne Aaron. Her set finished with Katson sineen taivaan , a song that has been widely rediscovered the past few years and has a cult status by now. She is also recording a new album to be released later this year with new and young writers and producers. After Katri Helena the stage was taken over by System of a down .

Katri Helena has been the most beloved Finnish female singer for decades, the voice of "blue and white". Polished image, ladylike manner, mother and sweet, the opposite of Paula Koivuniemi , dark lady with husky voice, sexy look and adventurous lovelife. But now something's changed: in 2010 she changed her record label for the first time since 1960's joining Hype Records , a label full of young rock artists run by Tommi Liimatainen, big brother of Negative 's lead singer Jonne. By the end of the year the rumours started they're having an affair, he's 32 years her junior!  Now this week she gave out a press release Liimatainen is also her new manager, a fact she apparently forgot to tell Lilja Kainulainen, her manager and friend for over 20 years.Scandal! A few facts about Katri Helena: She has been singing for 48 years professionally, sold over 1,5 million albums in Finland; awarded 14 gold discs, 3 platinum and one multiplatinum. In 2007 she was granted P...

Katri Helena, often named the most positive person in Finland gets Negative. The band that is. Glam rockers have joined forces with her last night in concert in Tampere. " This is my first time on stage in a rock concert" she commented. Their duet, a Tehosekoitin cover Hetken tie on kevyt. In reality it's all about promo campaign for Aino and Reino shoes. Here is the video from the press meeting of Reinos/Ainos . It might be Katri's first time but another grand old lady Paula Koivuniemi is already a regular on rock concerts and has even recorded recently an album of Finnish rock classics. Will Katri follow her footsteps...?

Monday is another act in tomorrow's second Finnish semifinal. The band is still rather unknown despite the fact they have been playing together already five years and they released their debut album last year. "We play melancholy poprock so we are rather Finnish. I compose the songs and write the lyrics with our singer Salla Lehtinen" tells Tuomas "Gary" Keskinen, who has been playing also in Technicolor and Negative. "We use a lot of screens on stage and therefor have a different stage act from regular rockbands. It is also very difficult to get a recording deal these days so I started my own company, and that also opened the doors to Eurovision. Just be sure I had songs ready for the open call, too, but luckily YLE picked us up !" he continues." Our song Play is not very Eurovisionary, even if I was listening to the previous winners when I wrote it. It sounds very much like Monday. Eurovision is very interesting format, especially after Lordi...

And here comes this year's rock band: Monday. Founded by Tuomas "Gary" Keskinen, ex- Technicolor and Negative with Salla Lehtinen (vocals), Henkka Mannio (drums), Jussi Savola (bass) and Pete Eskola (keyboards, backing vocals). They have released their debut album earlier this year that rock critics liked in Finland and abraod and they have been all the way to Japan to promote it. The first single Monday was a hit in Sisuradio in Sweden.