Anna Eriksson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anna Eriksson
Background information
Birth name	Anna Sofia Eriksson
Born	(1977-04-22) 22 April 1977 (age 48) Ihode (Pyhäranta), Finland
Genres	Pop, rock, art pop, experimental, film score
Occupation(s)	Artist, filmmaker, composer, singer
Instruments	clarinet, piano
Years active	1995 – present

Anna Sofia Eriksson (born on April 22, 1977) is a talented artist from Finland. She is known as a filmmaker, composer, and singer. In September 2018, her unique film M was shown for the first time at a big film festival in Venice, Italy. Later, in 2022, her second movie, W, also premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. Anna Eriksson is one of the most successful singers in Finland's music history.

Anna Eriksson's Journey in Music and Film

Early Music Career (1995–1999)

Anna Eriksson first became known to the public in 1995. She took part in a singing competition called Kiitorata on the TV channel MTV3. Her first music album, named Anna Eriksson, came out in 1997. It was very popular, selling over 81,000 copies. This amount of sales earned it a "double platinum" award, which means it sold a huge number of copies. The album included popular songs like Juliet ja Joonatan and Kesä yhdessä. Because of her successful first album, Anna won an Emma award for Newcomer of the Year.

In 1998, Anna released a Christmas album called Anna Joulu. While it didn't appear on the main music charts, it eventually sold enough copies to be certified "gold." The next year, her third album, Odota mua, was released. This album featured another hit song, Ilta yöhön kuljettaa.

Eurovision and More Hit Albums (2000–2004)

In 2000, Anna Eriksson tried out for the Eurovision Song Contest. She sang a song called Oot voimani mun. She came in second place in the final competition. Even though she didn't win Eurovision, her song later won the OGAE Second Chance Contest. This contest picks the best songs that didn't quite make it to Eurovision.

In 2001, Anna's song Kun katsoit minuun was chosen as the best iskelmä (a type of Finnish pop music) of the year. This was decided by a public vote organized by Iskelmä Radio. After selling over 57,000 copies of the song, Anna received another Emma Award. This time, she was named Female Artist of the Year.

Her album Kaikista kasvoista was released in November 2003. It sold enough copies to be certified platinum. The main song from the album, also called Kaikista kasvoista, became one of Anna Eriksson's most famous hits.

Later Music and New Artistic Directions (2005–2009)

In the fall of 2005, Anna Eriksson went on a concert tour. This tour celebrated her ten years as an artist. She also released an album called Sinusta sinuun. This album sold more than 50,000 copies and included popular songs like Ei se mennyt niin. Anna Eriksson and Sipe Santapukki wrote most of the songs on the Sinusta sinuun album.

In the autumn of 2007, Anna released her seventh album. She named it Ihode, after the place where she lives.

Exploring New Styles and Film (2010–Present)

Eriksson presenting her film M in Prague

Anna Eriksson's eighth studio album, Garden of Love, came out on February 25, 2010. This album was her first one sung entirely in English. It was very different from her earlier pop music. This new album showed a more personal and dramatic side of her artistic expression. Anna herself composed and wrote all the songs on the Garden of Love album.

In 2012, Anna Eriksson released her most recent studio album, Mana. She composed, wrote, and produced this album herself. In 2013, Anna was given the Teosto Prize, which is a big award for artists in Nordic countries. The Mana album was seen as a "bold change" from her previous work. By 2012, Mana had sold 14,000 copies, reaching "gold" status.

She also started writing columns for the newspaper Turun Sanomat in 2012.

In September 2018, Anna Eriksson's experimental film M had its first showing. It was part of the Venice International Film Critics Week at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. This was a big deal because only one other Finnish film had been chosen for this section before. Anna not only directed and produced the film, but she also played the main role. She wrote the script, composed the music, and did the sound design and editing herself.

In 2019, the film M won two major awards at the Prague Independent Film Festival: the Grand Prix and Best Feature Film. In the same year, at the Vienna Independent Film Festival, the film won Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography. Anna Eriksson also received the Best Director Tarkovsky Award in 2019 at The Blow-up Arthouse Film Festival in Chicago.

Anna Eriksson's art exhibition, "M - The Rituals of a Lonely B...H Art Exhibition," was held in 2020 at the Rauma Art Museum. Anna has said that making films helps her understand the world better.

Anna Eriksson has mentioned that she doesn't plan to release new music soon. However, she still wants to perform as a singer. Her next plan is to film in the United States. In October 2018, she released a song called "Gaia's Child" with the band Stam1na.

In March 2021, it was confirmed that Anna Eriksson received money from the Finnish government for her new film, W. In August 2022, her political art film W premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. Anna directed and wrote this film. The film won the Best Feature Film and Best Film Score awards at the Vienna Independent Film Festival.

The film W also received awards at the 2023 Prague Independent Film Festival. These included Best Director, Best Actress (for Anna Eriksson herself), and Best Art Direction. In 2022, Anna Eriksson won the Espoo Ciné Film Award for her great work in cinema.

She also received a grant from the Kone Foundation KoneFoundation for her new film, E.

Anna Eriksson's Personal Life

When Anna Eriksson was a child, she lived in different countries. These included India, Saudi Arabia, and Tanzania. This was because her father worked there as an engineer. Anna loved to sing and perform from a young age. While living abroad, she performed at many children's parties, embassy events, churches, and school parties. She also enjoys painting.

Anna Eriksson married Matti Pyykkö, a photographer and cinematographer, on August 9, 2008. She had a son in May 2013. The family lives in Uusikaupunki, Finland.

Anna Eriksson's Music Albums

Studio Albums

Compilation Albums

Singles

Featured Songs

Anna Eriksson's Films

• M (2018)
• W (2022)

See also

• List of best-selling music artists in Finland