Jenni Vartiainen
Encyclopedia
Jenni Mari Vartiainen is a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 singer. Before her professional musical endeavours, she was a figure skater
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

 in her teen-age years and attended the Kuopio Senior High of Music and Dance. Vartiainen rose to publicity by winning the Finnish talent show Popstars in October 2002 with Susanna Korvala, Ushma Karnani (currently Olava) and Jonna Pirinen
Jonna Pirinen
Jonna Christensen , better known by her stage name Jonna, is a pop and R&B singer/songwriter from Finland. She has released three albums, over ten singles and several music videos...

. The four formed the band Gimmel that released three studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

s, sold over 160,000 records and received three Emma Awards
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....

, accolades for outstanding achievements in music, awarded by the Finnish music industry federation, Musiikkituottajat. The band broke up in October 2004.

After Gimmel, Vartiainen started her solo career, releasing her debut single "Tunnoton
Tunnoton
"Tunnoton" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen, released as the debut single from her debut album Ihmisten edessä on April 11, 2007, by Warner Music Finland. Written by Juhani Lappalainen and composed by A. Stierncreutz, the song peaked at number 22 on the Finnish...

" in April 2007. In September of the same year, the single was followed by her debut album Ihmisten edessä
Ihmisten edessä
Ihmisten edessä is the debut studio album by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. The Finnish-language album was released digitally on September 5, 2007, with the physical release following on September 12. The album was produced by Jukka Immonen...

, which peaked at number six on the Finnish Albums Chart, and its eponymous second single
Ihmisten edessä (song)
"Ihmisten edessä" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released by Warner Music Finland on September 5, 2007, as the second single from her eponymous debut album Ihmisten edessä....

, both of which sold gold in Finland with over 61,000 and 16,000 copies, respectively. In late March 2010, Jenni Vartiainen released her second studio album Seili
Seili (album)
Seili is the second studio album by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released by Warner Music Finland digitally on March 31, 2010, with the official physical release following on April 14. From March 31 to the official physical release date, the album was sold at €19 in...

, after the arrival of its gold-selling debut single "En haluu kuolla tänä yönä
En haluu kuolla tänä yönä
"En haluu kuolla tänä yönä" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released on February 1, 2010, by Warner Music Finland as the lead single from her second studio album Seili. The lyrics are written by Finnish rapper Mariska and composed by Vartiainen and Jukka...

". The sophomore album debuted at number one on the Albums Chart, while charting non-consecutively for over a year, and went on to sell over 120,000 copies (multi-platinum), becoming the best-selling album of 2010 in Finland. A combination of pop and ballads, Seili spawned another gold-selling single in August 2010, "Missä muruseni on
Missä muruseni on
"Missä muruseni on" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released in Finland as the third single from her second studio album Seili on August 23, 2010, by Warner Music Finland.-Chart performance:...

", which dominated the top-three spots of the Finnish Singles Chart all the way to early 2011.

Jenni Vartiainen has sold over 230,000 certified records during her solo career, which places her among the 80 best-selling recording artists of all time in Finland. She has also received nine Emma Awards
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....

 and the relatively successful career has also accrued Vartiainen's wealth—she earned almost €71,000 in 2008 from record sales, €47,000 in 2009 and her company, through which she took care of her finances at the time, was reported to have made a profit of €44,500 in the fiscal year ending in October 2010.

Early life

Jenni Mari Vartiainen was born on March 20, 1983, in Kuopio
Kuopio
Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest...

. She started to play classical piano at the age of six and she played it until she was 16, building her musical skills later on by attending Kuopio Senior High of Music and Dance. In her teen-age years, Vartiainen was also a figure skater, competing ultimately at Finland's senior level alongside future top Finnish skaters such as Susanna Pöykiö
Susanna Pöykiö
Susanna Pöykiö is a Finnish figure skater. She is a two-time European medalist, having won silver in 2005 and bronze in 2009. She is a five time Finnish national champion....

. In the summer of 1999, when she was 16, she was injured during a skating lesson and she developed a spinal disc herniation
Spinal disc herniation
A spinal disc herniation , informally and misleadingly called a "slipped disc", is a medical condition affecting the spine due to trauma, lifting injuries, or idiopathic, in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc allows the soft, central portion A spinal disc herniation...

 due to which she had to quit skating. In the spring of 2002, Vartiainen completed her matriculation examination at the Senior High and moved to Helsinki. She was about to travel abroad, but her plans changed as she saw an advertisement of Popstars, the first Finnish season of the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

-based casting show format.

2002–2004: Gimmel

In the autumn of 2002, Vartiainen entered Popstars. When interviewed by the magazine City
City (magazine)
City is a Finnish free-of-charge magazine in various cities in Finland.City is aimed for the young adult population of 18-35-year-olds...

in October 2007, she said she was not very seriously participating in the contest and that it was a "half accident", which led her to "finding herself". Along with Ushma Karnani (currently Olava), Susanna Korvala and Jonna Pirinen
Jonna Pirinen
Jonna Christensen , better known by her stage name Jonna, is a pop and R&B singer/songwriter from Finland. She has released three albums, over ten singles and several music videos...

, she won the contest in October and the quartet formed the band Gimmel. However, Jonna Pirinen left the band after two weeks. Gimmel's debut single "Etsit muijaa seuraavaa" sold gold with over 17,000 copies in 2002, placing in the top 70 of the best-selling singles of all time in Finland. The band's debut album Lentoon (2002) debuted at number one on the Albums Chart, sold multi-platinum with over 98,000 copies and was the best-selling album of 2002 in Finland. With Lentoon, the band won three Emma Awards in 2003: for New Pop/Rock Artist of the Year, Debut Album of the Year and Best-Selling Album of the Year. The second album Kaksi kertaa enemmän (2003) peaked at number two on the Albums Chart and managed to sell platinum with over 50,000 copies, but the third album Pisaroita ja kyyneleitä (2004), debuting at number three on the chart, charted for only six weeks and did not exceed the gold limit. During the Gimmel era, Vartiainen studied psychology at an open university. In the 2007 interview with City, she said that Risto Asikainen, who wrote songs for the band, did not allow the trio inside the studio so that "they would not boss around". Vartiainen thought the decision was right, saying "three different girls have so different opinions" and adding that they were "newbies who knew nothing about anything". Vartiainen also considered Gimmel "a face to other people's project", saying that they could not focus on the content because they did not have time for that. In an August 2010 interview with Me Naiset, Vartiainen said that she also learned from Gimmel "how it feels like when records don't sell and there are only ten people at a gig", adding that "an artist has to develop all the time and work like a maniac".

2005–2008: Ihmisten edessä

In 2005, Vartiainen signed a record deal with Warner Music Finland
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...

. The production of her debut album together with producer Jukka Immonen took so long that Vartiainen ran out of money, which led her to ask for cleaning jobs at Warner studios and ultimately she worked at a company, processing consumer complaints. Vartiainen's first solo single "Tunnoton
Tunnoton
"Tunnoton" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen, released as the debut single from her debut album Ihmisten edessä on April 11, 2007, by Warner Music Finland. Written by Juhani Lappalainen and composed by A. Stierncreutz, the song peaked at number 22 on the Finnish...

" was released in April 2007 and the debut album Ihmisten edessä
Ihmisten edessä
Ihmisten edessä is the debut studio album by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. The Finnish-language album was released digitally on September 5, 2007, with the physical release following on September 12. The album was produced by Jukka Immonen...

in September 2007. The album spawned two later singles, "Ihmisten edessä
Ihmisten edessä (song)
"Ihmisten edessä" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released by Warner Music Finland on September 5, 2007, as the second single from her eponymous debut album Ihmisten edessä....

" and "Mustaa kahvia
Mustaa kahvia
"Mustaa kahvia" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish singer Jenni Vartiainen, released as the second promotional single from her debut album Ihmisten edessä on March 17, 2008, by Warner Music Finland. The release includes the song, written by Kyösti Salokorpi, its remix and remixes of two other...

", of which "Ihmisten edessä", dealing with difficulties faced by LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

 people, was the biggest hit, peaking at number two on the Singles Chart and selling gold with over 16,000 copies. Selling over 61,000 copies and peaking at number six on the Albums Chart, her debut album went on to reach the Finnish platinum certification. Vartiainen was on the magazine cover for the December 2007 edition of the Finnish Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...

and the March 2008 edition of the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 Cosmopolitan. With Ihmisten edessä and its title track, Vartiainen won the Award for Debut Album of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2008 Emma Awards and the album was nominated for Pop Album of the Year.

2010–present: Seili

Vartiainen's second album Seili
Seili (album)
Seili is the second studio album by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released by Warner Music Finland digitally on March 31, 2010, with the official physical release following on April 14. From March 31 to the official physical release date, the album was sold at €19 in...

was released in March 2010 and it charted for 62 non-consecutive weeks on the Albums Chart—with 15 weeks at number one—and sold over 120,000 copies (multi-platinum), becoming the best-selling album of 2010 in Finland with sales of 95,000 copies in that year. Three singles were released from Seili, "En haluu kuolla tänä yönä
En haluu kuolla tänä yönä
"En haluu kuolla tänä yönä" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released on February 1, 2010, by Warner Music Finland as the lead single from her second studio album Seili. The lyrics are written by Finnish rapper Mariska and composed by Vartiainen and Jukka...

", "Nettiin
Nettiin
"Nettiin" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish singer Jenni Vartiainen, released from her second studio album Seili by Warner Music on July 17, 2010. The song is written by Teemu Brunila...

" and "Missä muruseni on
Missä muruseni on
"Missä muruseni on" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released in Finland as the third single from her second studio album Seili on August 23, 2010, by Warner Music Finland.-Chart performance:...

" along with two promotional singles
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...

, "Duran Duran
Duran Duran (song)
"Duran Duran" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish singer Jenni Vartiainen, released as the first promotional single of her second studio album Seili on December 13, 2010, by Warner Music Finland. The song is written by Teemu Brunila. "Duran Duran" peaked at number 10 in the Finnish...

" and "Eikö kukaan voi meitä pelastaa?". "En haluu kuolla tänä yönä" sold gold with over 11,000 copies as well as "Missä muruseni on" with over 14,000 copies. "Missä muruseni on" was also the major chart hit from the album, topping the Singles Chart in its fourth week and staying atop for 11 weeks in 2010 and 2011. Met with mixed to positive critiques, on the one hand for its vocals and combination of pop and dark piano ballads, on the other hand for lack of peculiarity, the album and its singles earned Vartiainen a record-breaking seven Emma Awards in February 2011; the Awards for Female Soloist of the Year, Live Performer of the Year, Album of the Year, Pop/Rock Album of the Year, Best-Selling Album of the Year, Song of the Year ("En haluu kuolla tänä yönä") and Music Video of the Year ("Missä muruseni on"). In addition, her producer Jukka Immonen won the Award for Producer of the Year. "Dumbfounded" by her success with Seili, she said in an interview at the Emma Awards that "the way music starts to live its completely own life in the audience after being produced", makes her feel humble. Vartiainen was also nominated for Best Finnish Act
MTV Europe Music Award for Best Finnish Act
The following is a list of the MTV Europe Music Award winners and nominees for Best Finnish Act.-2000's:-2010's:- See also :* MTV Europe Music Award for Best Nordic Act...

 at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards. Amid her busy concert tour around Finland in the spring of 2011, she denied some tabloid rumors that she would have canceled interviews due to stress and exhaustion. In May 2011, she announced she would take a long break after her upcoming summer concerts, to relax and prepare for a new album. Vartiainen's last concert before the break took place on the Main Stage at the Finnish National Theatre
Finnish National Theatre
The Finnish National Theatre , founded in 1872 in the city of Pori, is located in central Helsinki on the northern side of the Helsinki Central Railway Station Square. It is the world's oldest theatre with performances in Finnish...

 in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

 on August 28, with the specialty that the concert was broadcast live at Finnkino
Finnkino
Finnkino Oy is a Finnish film distributor and the biggest movie theatre chain in Finland. It was established in 1986 as a union of 34 companies working in the film industry. In 1994 Finnkino was acquired by the Rautakirja Group, which became a division of the Sanoma Group in 1999. Finnkino operates...

 film theaters in 11 other localities around Finland, for the first time in the history of the theater. The tickets to the concert were sold out within a couple of hours. Due to technical difficulties, the concert could not be broadcast in Lahti and Kuopio. In an August 2011 interview with the radio station Iskelmä, Vartiainen said she was planning to spend her touring break by graduating as a singing teacher by August 2012.

Personal life

Jenni Vartiainen, who is known for keeping a very low profile on her private life, was reported on March 28, 2009, to have started a cohabitation
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...

 with her producer Jukka Immonen. Since May 2008, he has had a Pumi dog
Pumi (dog)
The Pumi is a medium-small terrier-type breed of sheep dog from Hungary.-History:The Pumi has been used as a "general farm dog", shepherding not only sheep but also cows and pigs, and also for catching small rodents. It originated in the 17th or 18th century, when shepherding terriers were brought...

 named Urho Kepponen. In August 2008, Vartiainen bought an apartment worth €400,000 in Laajasalo
Laajasalo
Laajasalo is a group of islands that forms a neighbourhood in southern Helsinki, the capital of Finland. As of 2005, it had a population of 16,486....

 neighborhood in Helsinki. During the summer of 2011, Vartiainen was a subject of pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...

 rumors in the media, due to her loose concert outfits, a slightly more rounded belly and the post-summer break the length of which was not specified. Vartiainen's spokesperson Carla Ahonius stated on the rumors to MTV3
MTV3
MTV3 is a Finnish commercial television station owned by Bonnier. It had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels until Finnish Broadcasting Company’s YLE1 took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV , due to the channel getting its revenue from running commercials...

 that "the record label has nothing to report on the issue" and that "[Vartiainen] will comment on the subject on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

if necessary".

Discography

  • Ihmisten edessä
    Ihmisten edessä
    Ihmisten edessä is the debut studio album by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. The Finnish-language album was released digitally on September 5, 2007, with the physical release following on September 12. The album was produced by Jukka Immonen...

    (2007)
  • Seili
    Seili (album)
    Seili is the second studio album by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released by Warner Music Finland digitally on March 31, 2010, with the official physical release following on April 14. From March 31 to the official physical release date, the album was sold at €19 in...

    (2010)

Emma Awards

|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|2008
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Ihmisten edessä
Ihmisten edessä
Ihmisten edessä is the debut studio album by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. The Finnish-language album was released digitally on September 5, 2007, with the physical release following on September 12. The album was produced by Jukka Immonen...


| Emma Award for Debut Album of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| Emma Award for Pop Album of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:left;"|"Ihmisten edessä
Ihmisten edessä (song)
"Ihmisten edessä" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released by Warner Music Finland on September 5, 2007, as the second single from her eponymous debut album Ihmisten edessä....

"
| Emma Award for Song of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;"|2011
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Jenni Vartiainen
| Emma Award for Female Soloist of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| Emma Award for Live Performer of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:left;"|Seili
Seili (album)
Seili is the second studio album by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released by Warner Music Finland digitally on March 31, 2010, with the official physical release following on April 14. From March 31 to the official physical release date, the album was sold at €19 in...


| Emma Award for Album of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| Emma Award for Pop/Rock Album of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| Emma Award for Best-Selling Album of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:left;"|"En haluu kuolla tänä yönä
En haluu kuolla tänä yönä
"En haluu kuolla tänä yönä" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released on February 1, 2010, by Warner Music Finland as the lead single from her second studio album Seili. The lyrics are written by Finnish rapper Mariska and composed by Vartiainen and Jukka...

"
| Emma Award for Song of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:left;"|"Missä muruseni on
Missä muruseni on
"Missä muruseni on" is a Finnish-language song by Finnish pop singer Jenni Vartiainen. It was released in Finland as the third single from her second studio album Seili on August 23, 2010, by Warner Music Finland.-Chart performance:...

"
| Emma Award for Music Video of the Year
Emma-gaala
The Emma-gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged since 1983, except for the years 1988–1990....


|
|-

MTV Europe Music Awards

|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"|2010
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:left;"|Jenni Vartiainen
| MTV Europe Music Award for Best Finnish Act
MTV Europe Music Award for Best Finnish Act
The following is a list of the MTV Europe Music Award winners and nominees for Best Finnish Act.-2000's:-2010's:- See also :* MTV Europe Music Award for Best Nordic Act...


|
|-

External links

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