Arja Saijonmaa
Arja Enni Helena Saijonmaa (born December 1, 1944 in Mikkeli , Finland ) is a Finnish singer .
Life
Arja Saijonmaa is the daughter of a dentist and a pianist. After graduating from school in 1964, she studied at Stephens College in Columbia , Missouri, thanks to a Fulbright scholarship . She earned an Associate in Arts and returned to Finland, where she attended the University of Helsinki a master acquired in theater, literature and musicology. She studied piano at the Sibelius Academy . She studied film at Konsthögskolan in Helsinki and took part in student theater from 1966, starring in small roles in Finnish films such as The Bride of Lapua and The Time of the Roses .
From 1970 she became friends with the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis , whose songs she interpreted. At the funeral of the murdered Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in March 1986 she performed the Theodorakis song O Kaimos at the request of Lisbet Beck-Friis, Palme's widow .
Saijonmaa tried several times to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest . With her song Talvilintu she tried in 1971 to take part in the Finnish Melodifestivalen de, preliminary decision for the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 . She made a second attempt in 1987 with the song Högt över havet , written and composed by Lasse Holm , this time at the Swedish Melodifestivalen . With only one point difference, she finally lost to Lotta Engberg and her song Fyra Bugg & en Coca Cola in second place , which in turn came twelfth in the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest in Brussels . When she took part in the Melodifestivalen in 2005, she took the last place in her semi-finals with her song Vad du än trodde så trodde du fel . At the Melodifestivalen 2019 , too, with her contribution Mina fyra årstider " (German: My four seasons ), she did not manage to qualify for another round of the competition as the last place.
Politically, Saijonmaa worked for the moderately liberal Finnish Swedish People's Party . She was appointed ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees . A position that Richard Burton , Sophia Loren and Udo Jürgens previously held.
Saijonmaa lives in Paris and Stockholm .
Discography (selection)
Albums (Finnish)
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
|||
2000 | Sydänten silta |
FI35 (1 week) FI |
More albums
- Laula Kanssani toveri (1972)
- Arja Saijonmaa & Mikis Theodorakis (1972)
- Koko yön minun poikani valvoi (1973)
- Huomenta sydämeni (1975)
- Jokainen arkiaamu (1979)
- Miten voin kyllin kiittää (1979)
-
Ruotsiin ja takaisin (1981, FI:
gold)
- Ystävän laulu (1983)
-
Valitut laulut (1986, FI:
gold)
- Arja Saijonmaa & George de Godzinsky Finlandia-talossa (1986)
- Yhteinen Taivas Ja Maa (1989)
- Paijaa mua (1993)
- La Cumparsita (1994)
- Rakkaus on rohkeutta (2006)
Albums (Swedish)
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
|||
1977 | Det är tid att sjunga singers |
SE11 (19 weeks) SE |
|
1978 | I Stockholms Konserthus 9.1.1978 |
SE14 (4 weeks) SE |
|
1979 | Jag vill tacka livet |
SE3 (8 weeks) SE |
|
1981 | Sånger från asfalt och ängar |
SE27 (3 weeks) SE |
|
1987 | Högt över havet |
SE13 (6 weeks) SE |
|
2002 | 100% Arja Saijonmaa |
SE39 (2 weeks) SE |
More albums
- Leksaker and Parfym (1982)
- Arja sjunger Zarah (1988)
- Samma Heaven, Samma Sol (1989)
- La Cumparsita (1994)
- En bro av gemenskap (1999)
- Dig har jag kär ... (2014)
Singles (Swedish)
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
|||
1987 | Högt över havet Högt över havet |
SE14 (2 weeks) SE |
|
2005 | Vad du än trodde så trodde du fel |
SE53 (1 week) SE |
Filmography (selection)
- 1967: The bride of Lapua (Lapualaismorsian)
- 1969: The time of the roses (Ruusujen aika)
- 1985: Under the Northern Lights (Havlandet)
Web links
- Arja Saijonmaa at Discogs (English)
- Arja Saijonmaa in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official website (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Favoriteerna vidare till finalen i Melodifestivalen - publiken jublade. Retrieved February 4, 2019 (Swedish).
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: FI SE
- ↑ Music Sales Awards: FI
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Saijonmaa, Arja |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Saijonmaa, Arja Enni Helena (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finnish singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 1, 1944 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Mikkeli , Finland |