Mainstream success for a female artist in Finland has already for years been a peculiar twosome. There are Jonna Tervomaa and Maija Vilkkumaa, but no one else has come even close in record sales, popularity or the number of gigs. This situation can be seen in most festivals' line-up as well. A ticket holder may feel frustrated: why does it always have to be either Jonna or Maija? The reason is: as for female artists who can move a large audience, these two are in a class of their own. And note that now we are not necessarily talking about female artists only.
Jonna Tervomaa's career has never been dependent solely on her gender. More important is her skill to make fine pop songs. And the voice, the most important tool for a vocalist, has from the very beginning been one of Tervomaa's strong sides. Its lucidity combined with strong expressive quality brings the singer very close to her audience. Long legatos pose no problem, which creates serenity and warmth in a song even when the lyrics carry rather a heavy message.
Tervomaa has led her career with independence and insight. Co-operation with carefully selected professionals has resulted in a sequence of albums which not only show constant development and quiet pursuit for something new, but have also sold very well.
Back