Should one have wanted, it would have been possible to waltz along to Anna Puu - provided the YleX-tent had had any room. In the hot and moist tent the audience cheered for Anna, to which the flower dress wearing star replied with a charming smile. It was rather hard to make sense of his conversations with the audience, as her voice was quiet and appearance rather shy, even though she has been through the harsh critique of Idols judges. (”American Idol” was broadcasted as “Idols” in Finland.)

Having heard only her hit song “C’est la vie”, the other songs sound more serene. The slower songs are easy to forget, but the faster songs, combined with the stage presence of Anna bring summer nights to mind. The music is tender, good-spirited and light, devoid of all the melancholy common in Finnish music, and I would have loved to see her on a sunny outdoor stage.

During some songs, Anna played acoustic guitar, which was something I didn’t expect form an Idols star. Anna Puu is on her way to prove my assumptions about the lack of musical qualities of Idols stars as misjudged.

Text: Annika Kettunen
Translation: Juha Ekholm