Katri Helena

Who is Katri Helena?

Katri Helena Kalaoja is a Finnish singer who has been performing since the 1960s. She has been married three times and is now living as a single mother.

In terms of commercial success, Katri Helena is one of the most popular singers in Finland. During her career, she has sold a total of over 630,000 certified records, which makes her the second-best-selling female soloist in Finland behind Madonna and places her also among the top 20 best-selling music artists in the Finnish market.

Katri Helena has had various hits, including "Puhelinlangat laulaa", "Katson sineen taivaan" and "Syysunelma". She has twice represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest: in 1979 with her song "Katson sineen taivaan" and 1993 with her song "Tule luo". She also took part in the International Sopot Festival in 1969, singing "Valssi" during the Polish day.

In the search for the 100 Greatest Finns of all time, voted in the summer of 2004, Katri Helena placed 43rd.

Katri Helena has 3 children, 2 girls and a boy, with her husband Timo Kalaoja who died of a heart attack in 1988. His death affected her so much that she withdrew from public view and stopped performing and recording albums for four years. Her only son, Juha Kalaoja, also died of a heart attack at the age of 33, on 29 April 2009.