Life/ career

Born into a family of Swedish speaking Finlanders

Sweden Finns

Sweden Finns are a Finnish speaking minority in Sweden. The Finnish-speaking Swedes are not to be confused with the Swedish speaking Finland-Swedes in Finland . In 2008 there were over 675 000 people in Sweden who were either born in Finland or have at least one parent or grandparent who was born...

, Aspelund danced and sang in talent shows from an early age making her recording debut at age fourteen with "Katso, kenguru loikkaa" a children's song recorded in the autumn of 1960. Aspelund's subsequent singles included Finnish language cover

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

s of international hits such as "Tahdon kaikki kirjeet takaisin" ("I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door

I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door

"I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door", written by Aaron Schroeder and Sid Wayne, is a song that was an originally released by The Isley Brothers in 1959 and became hit for teenage actor Eddie Hodges in 1961...

" - Eddie Hodges

Eddie Hodges

Eddie Hodges is a United States former child actor and recording artist who left show business as an adult.-Early life and career:Hodges was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. Hodges traveled to New York City with his family in 1952...

/ 1961), Lady Sunshine ja Mister Moon" ("Lady Sunshine und Mister Moon" - Conny Froboess/ 1962) and "En Ilman Häntä Olla" ("I Couldn't Live Without Your Love

I Couldn't Live Without Your Love

"I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" is a 1966 single written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent and recorded by Petula Clark. It was inspired by the affair the songwriters were having at the time....

" - Petula Clark

Petula Clark

Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...

/ 1966). As a young woman Aspelund worked as a commercial artist not embarking on a fulltime singing career until 1973 when her recordings included a Finnish cover of the Ireen Sheer

Ireen Sheer

Ireen Sheer is a German-British pop singer, who has competed in several Eurovision Song Contests over the past four decades...

 hit "Goodbye Mama". Also in 1973 Asplelund spent time in Sweden as a member of the group Family Four. In 1974 Aspelund had her first album release: Valkoiset laivat – Sininen meri a specialty recording commissioned by the Silja Line

Silja Line

Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...

 comprising performances of nautical themed songs by Aspelund and Kai Lind.

Aspelund had been collaborating with Aarno Raninen from 1970 and in 1975 Aspelund had her first mainstream album release with Monica & Aaron Raninen Orkesteri which included "Fasten Seatbelts", Aspelund's first entrant in the Finnish national preliminary of the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...

. After again competing in the Finnish national preliminary for Eurovision in 1976 with "Joiku", Aspelund won the Finnish national preliminary for Eurovision in 1977 with "Lapponia

Lapponia (song)

"Lapponia" was the Finnish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in Finnish by Monica Aspelund.The song was performed sixteenth on the night, following Italy's Mia Martini with "Libera" and preceding Belgium's Dream Express with "A Million in One, Two, Three"...

" which at the Eurovision 1977

Eurovision Song Contest 1977

The Eurovision Song Contest 1977 was the 22nd edition series, and was held on 7 May 1977 in London. With Angela Rippon as the presenter, the contest was won by Marie Myriam who represented France, with her song "L'oiseau et l'enfant" . This was France's fifth victory, a record, which was equalled...

 final held May 7 1977 placed tenth in a field of eighteen. The song's moderate Eurovision placing did not preclude its release in twenty European countries and also in Australia, Brazil, Israel and Turkey via the recordings Aspelund made of "Lapponia" in Dutch, English, French, German and Swedish as well as Finnish. "Lapponia" afforded Aspelund a #5 hit in Finland and also reached #20 in Sweden. Aspelund again competed in the Finnish national preliminary for Eurovision in 1978 with "Kultaa hopeaa" also competing with the same number in the Intervision Song Contest

Intervision Song Contest

The Intervision Song Contest was the Eastern Bloc equivalent to the Eurovision Song Contest. Its organiser was the Intervision, the network of Eastern Europe television stations. It took place in the Forest Opera in Sopot, Poland....

 and also the Menschen Und Meer Song Festival taking first place in the last-named.

Circa 1980 Aspelund, who had just been divorced, relocated with her two year old son to Lake Worth, Florida

Lake Worth, Florida

Lake Worth is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, which takes its name from the body of water along its eastern border, originally called "Lake Worth", and now generally known as the Lake Worth Lagoon. The lake itself was named for General William J. Worth, who led U.S. forces during the last...

: she performed locally and on Caribbean cruise ships making periodic visits to Finland and Sweden notably in 1986 when she headlined in the stage musical Cats

Cats (musical)

Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...

in Helsenki. It was reported in 2010 that Aspelund had recently returned to Finland on a permanent basis.

Albums

• Valkoiset laivat – Sininen meri (Silja Line 1974, Kai Lind
• Monica ja Aarno Ranisen orkesteri (RCA, 1975)
• Credo – minä uskon (RCA 1975, Ami Aspelund
  Ami Aspelund
  Ami Aspelund is a Finnish singer. She is the younger sister of singer Monica Aspelund.-Career:Ami Aspelund released her first single in 1973 called Apinamies....
  
  
• Lapponia (RCA, 1977)
• En karneval (RCA, 1978)
• Laulut ne elämää on (RCA, 1979)
• Valentino's Day (Swe Disc, 1979)

Singles

• Katso kenguru loikkaa / Kaupungilla juorutaan (1960)
• En tiedä / Nostakaa ankkurit (1960)
• Se on hän / Jodel boogie (1961)
• Tahdon kaikki kirjeet takaisin / Kanssas onneen taas mä astelen (1961)
• Hallo hallo hallo / Tina ja Marina (1962)
• Lady sunshine and mr. moon / Tyttö ja raudikko (1962)
• Rinnakkain / Lauantaina kalastamaan (1963)
• Aaveet suolla / En pikkusisko olekaan (1963)
• Esko kaapissa / Kolmas pyörä (1964)
• Sua ilman ei lauluni soi / Porojen jenkka (1964)
• En enää usko rakkauteen / Taikakeinu (1965)
• En ilman häntä olla voi / Espanjalainen kirppu (1966)
• Kortin saat sä jostakin / Vain rakkaus sen aikaan saa (1973)
• Hasta manana / Honey honey (1974)
• Joiku / Maailmantäysi aikaa (1976)
• Lapponia / La la laula laulu (1977)
• Lapponia / La la sjung en sång (1977)
• Lapponia / La la sing a song (1977)
• Laponie / Chante avec moi (1977)
• Lapponia / So bist du (1977)
• That is the name of the game / Valentino's day (1978)
• Beating booming / Valentino's day (1978)
• Golden Christmas / Tule joulu kultainen (1979)
• Par avion / Sulan syliisi (1980)