Lea Laven

Who is Lea Laven?

Lea Laven is a Finnish pop singer.

Laven grew up in meager circumstances in the small town of Haukipudas: she began singing in shows while in school and as a teenager began participating in talent competitions. After completing her schooling she lived for a time in Sweden where she worked as a domestic in hotels and nursing homes. In 1966 while back in Finland for an intended visit Laven attended a dance where Pentti Oskari Kangas was playing: Laven asked to sing with his band and the reaction resulted in her being recruited as a vocalist. When not performing with the band Laven worked at a textile mill in the town of Rauma which was Kangas' home base.

In 1969 Laven began recording for EMI Columbia - later known as CBS Records - with a debut album Se Jokin issued in 1970: during this time Laven also had a "day job" as a secretary at the label's Helsinki office. For several years Laven typically recorded Finnish language cover versions of contemporary international hits with the 1974 double A-side single "Niin"/ "Tumma Nainen" - comprising Finnish renderings of "Sì" and "Dark Lady" originally by respectively Gigliola Cinquetti and Cher - affording Laven her career record with a #5 peak on the Finnish national charts: "Niin"/ "Tumma Nainen" debuted in the Top 30 in August 1974 and was still ranked in the Top 30 in August 1975.