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poptimists2008-03-11 08:23 pm
credoimprobus) wrote in poptimists2008-03-11 08:23 pm
Entry tags:
Hitz from Finland vol. 4
(I was planning not to post this until later in the week, but hell, I wrote it up, why bother to sit on it, eh?)
This will be a long one! Might want to stock up on snacks and beverages before diving in.
Paula Vesala and Mira Luoti met through our first edition of Popstars in 2002, and hit it off so well they afterwards started a band together. They made quite an explosive entrance onto the Finnish music scene with their raucous debut single Rusketusraidat ("Tan Lines" -- as in UR TAN LINES, SHOW ME THEM), which became 2003's indisputable summer jam and the entire year's bestselling single.
This, obv, was only the beginning.
They won their first Emma (Finland's premiere music award) with their debut album, walking away with newcomer of the year. Their second full single Joutsenet (The Swans) was the obligatory Showing Their Range single, a winter-themed, melancholy affair that widened their appeal and further increased their popularity:
(Or the full but non-embedding version here.)
The real breakthrough came with their second album Kovemmat kädet in 2005, though. They didn't just get more wins in the Emma awards with it: they COMPLETELY SWEPT THE FLOORS, with wins in almost all the five categories they were nominated in. Furthermore, the album sold gold and stayed in the official Finnish album chart for over a year (!). This all left them not only the most popular, but the most critically acclaimed artists to come out of the Idols/Popstars formats in this country (which is saying something, considering the massive popularity of many of our Idols alumni, particularly first-seasoners Antti Tuisku and Hanna Pakarinen).
The lead single Päiväkoti (Kindergarten) was another slow and melancholy number, and a real sleeper hit -- from what comments I picked up at the time, I was far from the only one who was (OH SO FOOLISHLY) unimpressed with it at first. It's a requiem for a relationship, and the chorus centers on the image of the kindergarten children laughing and playing in the yard, as watched by the narrator -- "the weather's lovelier than it's been for ages/why should I cry?" Oh, trust me, dear: even if you don't, everyone who's listening to you will do it for you.
Their biggest hit to date was, ironically, not even a properly released single, but promo-only -- long-distance relationship lament Oo siellä jossain mun (abt -- Be Mine Over There Somewhere). However, the lack of an official video gives me an opening to bring up the OCCASIONALLY BIZARRE FASHION CHOICES -- really, they perform in some unfortunate outfits sometimes. The most memorable ones were at the 2005 Emma gala -- yes, the five noms one -- so we got to see those crazy costumes (and hairstyles!) a fair few times that evening!
On the heels of all this, when they dropped their third album in 2006, it sold platinum on the day of release.
The second full single off it saw them embracing their social conscience -- the song, Joku raja (Some Limit) is about domestic abuse ("if you hit me one more time, I'll KILL YOU", goes the chorus), and part of the proceeds from single sales went to charity. The video is quite ingenious, and slightly disturbing:
And a random promo-only single from the same album just because it's lovely, and also the video is adorable -- Tässä elämä on (abt This Is Life):
In their latest exploits, they released a children's album last year!
You can't claim these girls don't have range.
Further viewing:
Niina (live), promo single, first album
Matkalaulu, promo single, 2nd album
Pikkuveli, promo single from gold edition of 2nd album, cover of classic Finnish rock song
Henkilökohtaisesti, lead single for 3rd album
Kesäkaverit (live), promo single from 3rd album
And last but not least: various live performances for those occasional fashion gems (and also loads of awesome)
This will be a long one! Might want to stock up on snacks and beverages before diving in.
Paula Vesala and Mira Luoti met through our first edition of Popstars in 2002, and hit it off so well they afterwards started a band together. They made quite an explosive entrance onto the Finnish music scene with their raucous debut single Rusketusraidat ("Tan Lines" -- as in UR TAN LINES, SHOW ME THEM), which became 2003's indisputable summer jam and the entire year's bestselling single.
This, obv, was only the beginning.
They won their first Emma (Finland's premiere music award) with their debut album, walking away with newcomer of the year. Their second full single Joutsenet (The Swans) was the obligatory Showing Their Range single, a winter-themed, melancholy affair that widened their appeal and further increased their popularity:
(Or the full but non-embedding version here.)
The real breakthrough came with their second album Kovemmat kädet in 2005, though. They didn't just get more wins in the Emma awards with it: they COMPLETELY SWEPT THE FLOORS, with wins in almost all the five categories they were nominated in. Furthermore, the album sold gold and stayed in the official Finnish album chart for over a year (!). This all left them not only the most popular, but the most critically acclaimed artists to come out of the Idols/Popstars formats in this country (which is saying something, considering the massive popularity of many of our Idols alumni, particularly first-seasoners Antti Tuisku and Hanna Pakarinen).
The lead single Päiväkoti (Kindergarten) was another slow and melancholy number, and a real sleeper hit -- from what comments I picked up at the time, I was far from the only one who was (OH SO FOOLISHLY) unimpressed with it at first. It's a requiem for a relationship, and the chorus centers on the image of the kindergarten children laughing and playing in the yard, as watched by the narrator -- "the weather's lovelier than it's been for ages/why should I cry?" Oh, trust me, dear: even if you don't, everyone who's listening to you will do it for you.
Their biggest hit to date was, ironically, not even a properly released single, but promo-only -- long-distance relationship lament Oo siellä jossain mun (abt -- Be Mine Over There Somewhere). However, the lack of an official video gives me an opening to bring up the OCCASIONALLY BIZARRE FASHION CHOICES -- really, they perform in some unfortunate outfits sometimes. The most memorable ones were at the 2005 Emma gala -- yes, the five noms one -- so we got to see those crazy costumes (and hairstyles!) a fair few times that evening!
On the heels of all this, when they dropped their third album in 2006, it sold platinum on the day of release.
The second full single off it saw them embracing their social conscience -- the song, Joku raja (Some Limit) is about domestic abuse ("if you hit me one more time, I'll KILL YOU", goes the chorus), and part of the proceeds from single sales went to charity. The video is quite ingenious, and slightly disturbing:
And a random promo-only single from the same album just because it's lovely, and also the video is adorable -- Tässä elämä on (abt This Is Life):
In their latest exploits, they released a children's album last year!
You can't claim these girls don't have range.
Further viewing:
Niina (live), promo single, first album
Matkalaulu, promo single, 2nd album
Pikkuveli, promo single from gold edition of 2nd album, cover of classic Finnish rock song
Henkilökohtaisesti, lead single for 3rd album
Kesäkaverit (live), promo single from 3rd album
And last but not least: various live performances for those occasional fashion gems (and also loads of awesome)
no subject
no subject
After some youtube comment diving, I can affirm that the Joku raja video is indeed a, as it were, mockumentary. (I could pretty much be certain of that when the actor who played the groom popped up, heh.)
Live links!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1dIPbaVtX0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQaVMjYhFy0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odNeXSlR_fo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do94BoqMNvA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ef-Oc01Cb0
Re: Live links!
Re: Live links!
no subject
no subject
If there is any making fun of, it's of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland (of which I'm incidentally a part) rather than proper swedes -- but my guess is that it's rather being used as a shorthand for "this event is Proper and Boring and needs some stirring up via Paula and Mira in its life!", by way of the old stereotype abt the swedish-speaking minority tending towards the posh and sophisticated. That could just be me being optimistic, though!