Terttu Anneli Orvokki Saaristo (born 15 February 1949) is a Finnish singer and actress, best known internationally for her participation in the 1989
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
.
Early career
Saaristo was born in
Jokioinen
Jokioinen ( sv, Jockis) is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland.
It is located in the Tavastia Proper regions of Finland, region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population de ...
. She spent the 1970s performing in singing competitions and worked as a dance orchestra singer. Her first album was released in 1980.
Eurovision Song Contest
Saaristo first entered the Finnish Eurovision selection in 1978 with the song "Sinun kanssasi, sinua ilman", which finished fourth. A second attempt in 1984 with "Sä liian paljon vaadit" ended in third place. Saaristo finally got her chance in 1989, when "
La dolce vita
''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life"Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed and co-written (with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi) by Federico Fellini. The film stars Marcell ...
" was chosen as the Finnish entry for the
34th Eurovision Song Contest, held in
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
on 6 May. A song with a distinctly Mediterranean sound and arrangement, "La dolce vita" finished in seventh place of 22 entries, representing Finland's best Eurovision placing for 14 years and making it at the time the country's joint second-highest placement. There was some degree of wry amusement in Finland that this had been achieved with such an un-Finnish sounding song.
Later career
Saaristo maintained her popularity in Finland and since 1980 has released 18 albums, most recently ''Uskalla Rakastaa'' in 2009. In 2005, she appeared in the historical film ''
Shadow of the Eagle'' with
Mikko Leppilampi
Mikko Johannes Leppilampi (born 22 September 1978 in Pälkäne, Finland) is a Finnish actor, musician, and TV host. He is the son of Jukka Leppilampi (born 1954), a Finnish gospel musician. Leppilampi is considered to be one of the most promisin ...
,
Helena Vierikko and fellow Eurovision veteran
Vesa-Matti Loiri
Vesa-Matti "Vesku" Loiri (4 January 1945 – 10 August 2022) was a Finnish actor, musician and comedian, best known for his role as Uuno Turhapuro, whom he portrayed in a total of 20 movies between the years 1973 and 2004.
According to Yle Ne ...
.
Anneli Saaristo at IMDB
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Albums
* Aina aika rakkauden (1980)
* Elän hetkessä (1984)
* Näin jäätiin henkiin (1985)
* Tuuli, laivat ja laulu (1987)
* La dolce vita (1989)
* Appelsiinipuita aavikkoon (1992)
* Kypsän naisen blues (1995)
* Helminauha (1999)
* Kaksi sielua (2004)
* Uskalla rakastaa (2009)
* Kissan mieli (2012)
References
External links
* (Finnish – includes albums discography at page 'Levytykset')
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saaristo, Anneli
1949 births
Living people
People from Jokioinen
20th-century Finnish women singers
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Finland
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1989
21st-century Finnish women singers