Kirka

This article explains the musician; for the city in Turkey see Kırka .

Kirka last performed on January 19, 2007 at the Ravintola Foxia in Oulu

Kirka (born September 22, 1950 in Helsinki , † January 31, 2007 there , real name Kirill Babitzin ) was a Finnish musician.

During his career he has released 78 singles and nearly 60 albums. His album Surun pyyhit silmistäni from 1988 was the best-selling album in Finnish music history at the time and is still number three on this list with over 200,000 units sold and a double platinum award.

Career

Kirill Babitzin came to music at the age of five when his grandmother gave him an accordion . The first smaller appearances soon followed, e.g. B. in the old people's home in Porvoo . In 1957 he started school and attended a Russian school in Eira . Two years later he was also enrolled in the Lasse Pihlajamaa Accordion School . In 1960, ten year old Kirill took part in his first accordion competition and came in second.

Soon he discovered his love for rock 'n' roll . In 1962 Kirill Babitzin became the singer of the rock band The Creatures , for which he took the stage name Kirka . The first concert followed on October 1 of the same year at a technical school for girls. In 1964 the band had an appearance on television and took part in the 1966 film Käpy selän alla , in which they presented the song Where Can She Be .

In 1967 Kirka released his first solo single Anna Suukko Vain / Silloin Ihminen Kaunein On on Love Records . Shortly thereafter, The Creatures disbanded . Kirka first joined the Mosaic Band , whose members also split up, and then the pop band The Islanders .

The song Hetki lyö was released on October 18, 1967 - Kirka's breakthrough. The hit single earned him his first tour of several weeks through northern Finland. Hetki lyö reached number 3 in the Finnish charts in January 1968, followed in August by the single Leijat at number 6 and in November Ehkä suukon antaa saan at number 5. Kirka released his first album Kirka keikalla on the Scandia label in February 1969 , the it was also the first live LP released in Finland. The album rose to number 1 in the charts. In the same year he submitted his second album to Kirka , further albums followed.

His siblings had also chosen musical careers, which resulted in some collaborations. In 1979 Kirka released an entire album with his sister Anna, and one with Muska and Anna the following year. Joint tours were also organized. But sometimes their paths also crossed. Kirka has been participating in the Finnish qualifications for the Eurovision Song Contest since 1972 . In 1974 Muska and Ykä also contributed. In 1979, Kirka tried the qualification together with Anna and Muska.

Only in the eighth attempt was Kirka finally able to win a Finnish qualification. He represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 in Luxembourg with the song Hengaillaan and reached 9th place out of 19 participants. In the same year he received his first gold record for an album of the same title and was awarded the Emma , the most important Finnish music prize, for his achievements as a solo artist. In 1991 he received an honorary Emma as well as another Emma for best Finnish individual artist.

1985 wasn't such a good year for Kirka. The tax office demanded the payment of outstanding taxes in the amount of 1.5 million Finnmark . Despite the release of more successful albums, the musician found it difficult to settle his debts, he only paid the last installment in 1993; In 1988 he even had to apply for social assistance because of this. This was also the year in which the album Surun pyyhit silmistäni was released, which is still one of the most successful albums in Finland with over 200,000 units sold. Kirka continued to take part in the Finnish qualifications for the Eurovision Song Contest, but could never win them again.

In the fall of 1997, Kirka organized a major tour for its 30th anniversary. The originally planned 18 concerts became 56, all but one of which were sold out. His events in the next few years were also well attended, even though he performed around 200 times a year. Together with three other Finnish musicians -  Pepe Willberg , Pave Maijanen and Hector  - he also founded the Mestarit quartet . The double CD Mestarit Areenalla , recorded at a performance at Hartwall Areena in 1998 , was awarded the Emma as best album of 1999. On August 5, 1999, the group played in front of 35,000 people at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium .

Kirka died unexpectedly at 1:30 am on January 31, 2007 at the age of 56 at his home in Kruununhaka . The cause was not disclosed. He was buried on February 2, 2007 in the Helsinki Orthodox Cemetery, where the graves of his brother Sammy and his father are already located.

family

Kirill Babitzin was born on the morning of September 22, 1950 as the son of the Russian emigrants Leo and Elisabeth Babitzin. He had a total of five siblings: two older brothers Leo (* 1946, † 1948) and Alexandr "Sammy" Babitzin (* 1948) - who died in 1973 as a result of a car accident - a younger brother Georgij "Ykä" Babitzin (* 1955) and two younger sisters Marija "Muska" Babitzin (* 1952) and Anna Babitzin (* 1960).

In 1976 he married Kirsti Mikkola, with whom he had four children - Katarine (* 1976), Boris (* 1978), Alexandra (* 1981) and Nikolai (* 1986). Another daughter from an affair was born in late 1982. The marriage was divorced in March 1992, on November 7th of the same year he married Paula Nummela, with whom he had lived in a neighboring house since 1991.

Trivia

• On November 8, 2006, the Finnish Post announced the printing of four special stamps on the occasion of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 . One of these stamps, released on May 9, 2007, shows some previous Finnish Eurovision participants. In addition to Kirka, these are Laila Kinnunen (1961), Marion Rung (1962, 1973) and Katri Helena (1979, 1993).
• Kirka was supposed to be part of the second season of Tanssii Täthtien Kanssa , the Finnish version of Strictly Come Dancing , which took place from February 25 to April 22, 2007. After his death, he was replaced by the German TV presenter and writer Roman Schatz , who was eliminated in the second round.

Discography (selection)

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Tie huomi lakes   FI 5 42/1996 (12 weeks) Hetki lyö - Kirkan hitit   FI 8th 44/1997 (14 weeks) Hetki lyö - Kirka 1967-1997   FI 11 44/1997 (2 weeks) Mestarit Areenalla   FI 1 5/1999 (41 weeks) Hetki lyö   FI 22nd 38/2000 (2 weeks) Suuri hetki   FI 10 39/2000 (7 weeks) Sinut siinä Nään   FI 13 39/2002 (5 weeks) Elämään eksynyt   FI 26th 43/2005 (2 weeks) 40 unohtumatonta laulua   FI 2  gold 10/2006 (15 weeks) 30 suosikkia   FI 15th 07/2007 (4 weeks) Kaikki parhaat 1967-2007   FI 2  gold 13/2007 (17 weeks)

Singles

Liian monta   FI 10 24/1999 (2 weeks)

• 1969: Kirka keikalla (Scandia, 1st live LP by a Finnish musician)
• 1969: Kirka (Scandia)
• 1971: Saat kaiken (Scandia)
• 1972: Nykyaikaa (Scandia)
• 1973: Rautaa ja kettinkiä (Scandia)
• 1974: Kirkan parhaita (Scandia)
• 1975: Tiukka linja (EMI)
• 1975: Babitzinit konsertissa (EMI, live album)
• 1976: Lauantaiyö (EMI)
• 1977: Kaksi puolta (Finndisc)
• 1978: Anna & Kirka (Finndisc)
• 1979: Kirkan parhaat (Finndisc)
• 1981: Kirka (CBS)
• 1983: Täytyy uskaltaa (CBS)
• 1984: Hengaillaan (CBS, FI:gold)
• 1985: Älä sano ei (CBS)
• 1985: Isot hitit (Finnlevy)
• 1986: ROCK (Flamingo, FI:gold)
• 1987: The Spell (Flamingo)
• 1988: Surun pyyhit silmistäni (Flamingo, FI:× 2Double platinum )
• 1989: Anna käsi (Flamingo, FI:× 2Double platinum )
• 1989: Iskelmäkansio (Castle, 2 LP)
• 1990: Parhaat, uudet versiot (Flamingo)
• 1990: Ota lähellesi (Flamingo, FI:platinum)
• 1991: Kasvot peilissä (Flamingo, FI:gold)
• 1991: Babitzin (Finnlevy, 2 LP)
• 1992: Pyydä vain (Flamingo, FI:gold)
• 1994: Kirka (Flamingo, FI:gold)
• 1996: Tie Huomiseen (BMG, FI:platinum)
• 1997: Hetki lyö: 1967-1997 (BMG, 2 CD / 4 CD, FI:platinum)
• 1999: Mestarit Areenalla (BMG / EMI, 2 CD, live)
• 2000: Suuri hetki (BMG)
• 2002: Sinut siinä Nään (BMG)
• 2005: Elämääni eksynyt (SONY BMG)

Awards

• 1984: Emma as best male individual artist
• 1991: Honorary Emma
• 1999: Emma for the best album Mestarit Areenalla
• 2000: Emma as best male solo artist

Works

• Kirill Babitzin, Raila Kinnunen: Enimmäkseen Kirkasta . WSOY, 1999, ISBN 951-0-23644-6 (biography).

literature

• Tony Latva, Petri Tuunainen: Iskelmän Täthtitaivas - 500 suomalaista viihdetaiteilijaa . WSOY, Jyväskylä 2004.
• Urpo Haapanen: Suomalaisten äänilevyjen taiteilijahakemisto . Suomen äänitearkisto, Helsinki 1990.
• Peter von Bagh , Ilpo Hakasalo: Iskelmän kultainen kirja . Otava, Helsinki 1986.

Web links

• Official website (Finnish, English)
• Profile in popular music in museo (Finnish)
• Obituary in the Helsingin Sanomat
• Obituary at YLE
• Kirka in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The most successful albums IFPI
2. ↑ IFPI: Golden Record for Hengaillaan , 1984, 28750 units sold
3. ↑ Kirka's biography on his official website ( memento of the original from August 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Finnish) 
4. ↑ ^{a b} Emma-gaala 1999 ( Memento of the original from March 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Chart sources: FI finnishcharts.com
6. ↑ ifpi.fi: Gold and platinum awards from Kirka
7. ↑ Chart following Liian monta finnishcharts.com
8. ↑ Emma-gaala 1984 ( Memento of the original from July 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
9. ↑ Emma-gaala 1991 ( Memento of the original of July 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ↑ Emma-gaala 2000 ( Memento of the original from July 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.