Ari Koivunen
Encyclopedia
Ari Koivunen is a Finnish heavy metal singer who rose to fame as the winner of the Finnish singing competition Idols
Idols (Finland)
Idols is a Finnish reality-television singing competition that airs on MTV3 . It debuted in the summer of 2003, and went on to become one of the most popular shows on Finnish television...

in 2007. He has since gone on to become one of Finland's most popular and best-selling recording artists. Koivunen is a member and a vocalist of two Finnish bands: Ari Koivunen (2007-) and Amoral (2008-).

Early life

Ari Koivunen was born in Kouvola
Kouvola
Kouvola is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located northeast of the capital, Helsinki.The city has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....

, Finland on June 7, 1984, and throughout his life, he had a passion for music. He has a background of singing and playing drums in bands for several years. In 2005, he won the Finnish Karaoke Championships and was placed third in the Karaoke World Championships
Karaoke World Championships
-Participating Countries:* * Austria* Azerbaijan Republic* * China* Denmark* Estonia* Faroe Islands* Finland* France* Germany* Ghana* Greece* Hong Kong/China* Hungary* Indonesia* Ireland* Jordan* Kenya* Kuwait* Lebanon* Macao/China...

 the same year. Ari is the winner of the Finnish "Idols" – competition, which was his absolute breakthrough in 2007. Both in Finland and abroad he gained a lot of attention because he mainly chose to perform metal and rock songs in this competition. Koivunen tells of his earlier career as follows

Career

Ari Koivunen's debut album, Fuel for the Fire
Fuel for the Fire (Ari Koivunen album)
Fuel for the Fire is the first album by Ari Koivunen, the winner of the 2007 Finnish Idols competition.Among the metal artists who have contributed material to the album are Timo Tolkki , Tomi Putaansuu Fuel for the Fire is the first album by Ari Koivunen, the winner of the 2007 Finnish Idols...

, was officially released on the 30th of May 2007, although the album had already been released for download sale on the 21st of May 2007. The songs for the album were made by wellknown Finnish metal musicians and song writers such as Janne Joutsenniemi (SubUrban Tribe, Stone), Jarkko Ahola (Teräsbetoni), Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot), Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) and Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), among others. Recording musicians were Tuomas Wäinölä (Kotipelto, Nylon Beat), Mikko Kosonen (Maija Vilkkumaa), Nino Laurenne (Thunderstone), Mirka Rantanen (Thunderstone), Mikko Kaakuriniemi (Kotipelto), Pasi Heikkilä (45 Degree Woman) and Janne Wirman (Children Of Bodom).
The first single from that album, Hear My Call, was released on May 11, 2007.

During the first week of sales Fuel For The Fire jumped immediately to the top of the official album chart, and by June 7, 2007 it had already achieved platinum status with over 40,000 albums sold. Koivunen's album is one of the fastest selling records in Finnish music history, with over 10,000 copies sold in the first week of sales. Fuel For The Fire remained the number one album in Finland for twelve weeks after its release. The album reached double-platinum status (60,000 units)in October 2007. “Fuel For The Fire" was released in Japan in October 2007.

Koivunen's live band was put together in spring 2007 mainly from people Ari had known for a longer time. Their first concert together took place in May 2007. In the first year the group played over 100 gigs.
As the year 2007 came to a close, Ari Koivunen finished his first tour of Finland and joined in the "Raskasta Joulua" (Heavy Christmas) tour.

On June 11, 2008, Ari Koivunen (the band) published the second album Becoming
Becoming (Ari Koivunen album)
Becoming is the second album by Ari Koivunen, who won the 2007 Finnish Idols competition. The 12th and final track on the album is an acoustic version of "The Evil That Men Do". The song is a cover song from the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden...

. The album was once again produced by Nino Laurenne and Pasi Heikkilä. The major part of the songs were made for this album by Ari Koivunen band. Luca Gargano (guitar) and Mauro Gargano (drums) were part of the band from the beginning until 2008 and also participated the recording session of the "Becoming"-album.
"Becoming" debuted on No 1 on the Official Finnish album chart and received gold status (over 15 000 copies sold) after only one week's sales. "Becoming" was released in Japan on June 25 and in Germany on October 10, 2008.
Ari Koivunen played about 160 gigs in Finland during the years 2007-2008 and in Tokyo, Japan 2 gigs at the end of May 2008.

On November 25, 2008, technical death metal
Technical death metal
Technical death metal is a musical subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. Technical experimentation in death metal began in the late '80s and early '90s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic...

 band Amoral announced Ari as their lead vocalist. He made his vocal debut with Amoral in the studio album Show Your Colors
Show Your Colors
-Personnel:Amoral* Ari Koivunen - vocals, backing vocals* Ben Varon - guitar* Silver Ots - guitar* Juhana Karlsson - drums* Pekka Johansson - bassAdditional* Janne Saksa - recording, producing, backing vocals* Svante Forsbäck- mastering...

 May 6, 2009. The album is the fourth official release in Amoral's history but the first one with Ari Koivunen as their vocalist. "Show Your Colors" reached Finland's chart-position No 19 in the first week. The album was released in the UK May 11, in Germany May 22, in The US. and Canada June 9 and in Japan July 22, 2009. There are two singles released of the album: Year Of The Suckerpunch and Gave Up Easy.

Ari Koivunen has toured with Amoral in Finland the spring and summer 2009. Amoral supported Amorphis
Amorphis
Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band started by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other types of genres, which include heavy metal, progressive metal, and folk metal...

 in the European tour in October 2009 in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland.

Bands

Ari Koivunen (2007-)
  • Ari Koivunen – vocals
  • Erkka Korhonen – guitar, backing vocals
  • Vili Robert Ollila – keyboards
  • Erkki Silvennoinen – bass, backing vocals

The former members:
  • Luca Gargano – guitar, backing vocals (2007–2008)
  • Mauro Gargano – drums (2007–2008)


Amoral (2000-)
  • Ari Koivunen – vocals (2008-)
  • Ben Varon – guitar
  • Valtteri Hirvonen – guitar
  • Pekka Johansson – bass
  • Juhana Karlsson – drums

Discography

The following is a complete discography of every album and single released by Finnish rock and metal music artist Ari Koivunen.

Albums

Year Information Finland Sales and Certifications
2007 Ari Koivunen Fuel for the Fire
Fuel for the Fire (Ari Koivunen album)
Fuel for the Fire is the first album by Ari Koivunen, the winner of the 2007 Finnish Idols competition.Among the metal artists who have contributed material to the album are Timo Tolkki , Tomi Putaansuu Fuel for the Fire is the first album by Ari Koivunen, the winner of the 2007 Finnish Idols...

  • First studio album
  • Released: May 30, 2007
  • Label: Sony BMG
  • Format: CD
    Compact Disc
    The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

    , Download
1
Finnish sales: 69,149
IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...

: 2xPlatinum
2008 Ari Koivunen Becoming
Becoming (Ari Koivunen album)
Becoming is the second album by Ari Koivunen, who won the 2007 Finnish Idols competition. The 12th and final track on the album is an acoustic version of "The Evil That Men Do". The song is a cover song from the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden...

  • Second studio album
  • Released: June 11, 2008
  • Label: Sony BMG
  • Format: CD
    Compact Disc
    The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

    , Download
1
Finnish sales: 17,344
IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...

: Gold
2009 Amoral Show Your Colors
Show Your Colors
-Personnel:Amoral* Ari Koivunen - vocals, backing vocals* Ben Varon - guitar* Silver Ots - guitar* Juhana Karlsson - drums* Pekka Johansson - bassAdditional* Janne Saksa - recording, producing, backing vocals* Svante Forsbäck- mastering...

  • Third studio album
  • Released: May 6, 2009
  • Label: Spinefarm
  • Format: CD
    Compact Disc
    The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

    , Download
19
Finnish sales:

Singles

  • Song for the Idols winner / On The Top Of The World (April 6, 2007)
  • Fuel For The Fire / Hear My Call (May 28, 2007)
  • Fuel For The Fire / Fuel For The Fire (August 27, 2007)
  • Fuel For The Fire / Angels Are Calling (2007)
  • Becoming / Give Me A Reason (May 5, 2008)
  • Becoming / Tears Keep Falling (2008)
  • Show Your Colors / Year Of The Suckerpunch (2009)
  • Show Your Colors / Gave Up Easy (2009)

Idols 2007

In late 2006, Koivunen auditioned for the third season of the Finnish singing competition Idols
Idols (Finland)
Idols is a Finnish reality-television singing competition that airs on MTV3 . It debuted in the summer of 2003, and went on to become one of the most popular shows on Finnish television...

, which had had a prolonged break since 2005's second series. Prior to auditioning, he had been working as a bartender. His strong and very distinctive voice impressed the panel of judges (Asko Kallonen, Nina Tapio
Nina Tapio
Nina Tapio is a Finnish singer, songwriter, musical actor, and session musician. Her singing career started already at the age of five, when she sang on a children's record in 1977....

 and Jone Nikula
Jone Nikula
Antti Joonas "Jone" Nikula is Finnish television and radio personality and a jack-of-all-trades in the music industry. He became well-known as a judge in the TV show Idols. He is the only judge to appear in all the seasons of Idols...

) and he was passed through to the next round of the competition. He was then granted a place in the semi-finals, which would allow the public to decide which contestants would make it into the live final rounds. In his semi-final round, Koivunen received a massive public vote of 86%, thereby allowing him to breeze through to the live finals.

Idols Performances

  • Audition: "FullMoon" by Sonata Arctica
    Sonata Arctica
    Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....

  • Semi-Finals: "Piano Man" by Billy Joel
    Billy Joel
    William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

  • Top 7 Birth Year: "Perfect Strangers" by Deep Purple
    Deep Purple
    Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

  • Top 6 Dedications: "The Evil That Men Do" by Iron Maiden
    Iron Maiden
    Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

  • Top 5 Kings and Queens: "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
    Whitesnake
    Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

  • Top 4 My Idols: "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin
    Led Zeppelin
    Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

  • Top 4 My Idols: "Hunting High and Low" by Stratovarius
    Stratovarius
    Stratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...

  • Top 3 Finnish Hits: "You Break My Heart" by Broadcast
    Broadcast
    Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...

  • Top 3 Finnish Hits: "Sielut Iskee Tulta" by Kilpi
    Kilpi
    Kilpi is a Finnish heavy metal band, singing in Finnish.- The band :Kilpi means shield in Finnish. However, it actually is the guitarist and band creator's last name, Petteri Kilpi. The band's first album, Sähkönsinistä Sinfoniaa, was released on May 28, 2003, some months after their first single,...

  • Top 2 Grand Final: "FullMoon" by Sonata Arctica
    Sonata Arctica
    Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....

  • Top 2 Grand Final: "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden
    Soundgarden
    Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...

  • Top 2 Grand Final: "Still Loving You" by Scorpions
    Scorpions (band)
    Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...

  • Top 2 Grand Final: "On Top Of The World" by Ari Koivunen - Declared 3rd Finnish Idol


A resident of Lahti
Lahti
Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...

, Koivunen breezed into the finals after winning 86% of the public vote for his rendition of Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

's Piano Man
Piano Man (song)
"Piano Man" was Billy Joel's first major hit and his signature song. "Piano Man" was released as a single in November 1st, 1973 and has been on several albums...

. On the first of March, 2007, Koivunen reserved himself a place in the second round of competition with his version of Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

's Perfect Strangers
Perfect Strangers (Deep Purple song)
"Perfect Strangers" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It is the title track of their 1984 album Perfect Strangers.The words tell of the sorrow of remaining "perfect strangers" after the end of a relationship. It is one of the few Deep Purple songs not to feature a guitar or organ...

.

Koivunen moved into the third round of competition on March 8 with his performance of the Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

 classic The Evil That Men Do
The Evil That Men Do (song)
"The Evil That Men Do" was released in 1988 by Iron Maiden. It is the band's seventeenth single and the second from their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. The single debuted at number six in the UK charts and quickly rose to number five...

.

On the 15th of March, Koivunen made it into the fourth round of competition, singing the Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

 hit, Here I Go Again
Here I Go Again
"Here I Go Again" is a #1 hit song recorded by Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album, Saints & Sinners, the song was re-recorded for their eponymous 1987 album Whitesnake. The song was re-recorded yet another time that year in a new "radio-mix" version...

. Despite some criticism from the judges for singing only heavy metal songs in the finals, Koivunen was unperturbed. "I don't see any reason to consider what people might like, since it seems they like the same thing I do," said Koivunen. At the end of the evening, Koivunen, the six other Idols finalists, and three of the semifinalists were presented with gold records for their album Idols 2007, which sold over 15,000 copies in the two days after its release.

The fourth Idols final was held on March 22, and Koivunen chose to sing, in keeping with the week's theme, two songs by his own idols, the Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

 hit Rock and Roll
Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin song)
"Rock and Roll" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, which was first released as the second track from the band's fourth album in 1971, with a guest appearance by The Rolling Stones pianist Ian Stewart.-Overview:...

and Hunting High and Low by the Finnish metal band Stratovarius
Stratovarius
Stratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...

. The judges, however, were not pleased with Koivunen's continuance of the heavy metal line, and gave him an unprecedented four negative reviews. The voting public was of a different opinion, as Koivunen again made it into the next round without being in danger of elimination.

The fifth Idols final was held on March 29, and Koivunen won over the judges completely with his version of the Broadcast ballad You Break My Heart. For his second song, Koivunen sang the Finnish hit Sielut iskee tulta by the heavy metal band Kilpi
Kilpi
Kilpi is a Finnish heavy metal band, singing in Finnish.- The band :Kilpi means shield in Finnish. However, it actually is the guitarist and band creator's last name, Petteri Kilpi. The band's first album, Sähkönsinistä Sinfoniaa, was released on May 28, 2003, some months after their first single,...

. With these performances, Koivunen made it to the Idols final which was held on April 6, 2007 in the Helsinki Ice Hall, where he defeated his fellow competitor Anna Abreu by gaining 57% of the public vote. Koivunen sang the Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....

 song FullMoon (which he also sang in the auditions), the Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...

 hit Black Hole Sun
Black Hole Sun
"Black Hole Sun" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris finneran, "Black Hole Sun" was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album Superunknown . It is arguably the band's most recognizable and most popular song, and remains a well...

(chosen by the judges), the Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...

 ballad Still Loving You
Still Loving You
"Still Loving You" is a song of Scorpions from their 1984 album Love at First Sting. It was the second single of the album, reaching #64 on Billboard Hot 100. In France, the single sold 1.7 million copies...

and the song On the Top of the World which was composed for the Idols winner.

As his reward for winning Idols 2007, Koivunen received a recording contract with Sony BMG, and an advance payment of 30,000 Euros. His first solo single was On Top Of the World, the song composed for the Idols winner. He had already sung with the other Idols finalists on the single "Pop-musiikkia"

External links

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