Jenni Vartiainen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenni Vartiainen
Jenni Vartiainen in 2014.
Background information
Birth name	Jenni Mari Vartiainen
Born	(1983-03-20) 20 March 1983 (age 42) Kuopio, Finland
Genres	Pop, synthpop, dance-pop, folk
Occupation(s)	singer
Instruments	Vocals, piano, Western concert flute, kantele, organ
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Warner Music Finland
Associated acts	Gimmel

Jenni Mari Vartiainen (born March 20, 1983) is a Finnish pop singer. Before becoming a professional musician, she was a figure skater as a teenager. She also studied music and dance at the Kuopio Senior High of Music and Dance.

Jenni became famous after winning the Finnish talent show Popstars in October 2002. She won with Susanna Korvala, Ushma Karnani (now Olava), and Jonna Pirinen. The four of them formed a band called Gimmel. Gimmel released three albums, sold over 160,000 records, and won three Emma Awards. These awards celebrate great achievements in Finnish music. The band broke up in October 2004.

After Gimmel, Jenni Vartiainen started her solo career. Her first single, "Tunnoton", came out in April 2007. In September of that year, her first album, Ihmisten edessä, was released. It reached number six on the Finnish Albums Chart. The album and its second single, "Ihmisten edessä", both sold enough copies to be certified gold in Finland.

In March 2010, Jenni released her second album, Seili. Its first single, "En haluu kuolla tänä yönä", also sold gold. Seili became number one on the Albums Chart and stayed on the charts for over a year. It sold more than 150,000 copies, making it the best-selling album in Finland in 2010. It is also one of the best-selling albums of all time in Finland. Seili mixes pop songs with emotional ballads. Another popular song from the album was "Missä muruseni on", which sold gold and was a top song in Finland until early 2011. The song "Duran Duran" was also a gold-selling promotional single.

Jenni Vartiainen's third album, Terra, came out in October 2013. It also debuted at number one and sold over 62,000 copies. Jenni Vartiainen has sold over 330,000 certified records in Finland during her solo career. This makes her one of the top 50 best-selling music artists in the country. She has also won nine Emma Awards.

Early Life and Beginnings

Jenni Mari Vartiainen was born in Kuopio on March 20, 1983. She started playing classical piano when she was six years old and continued until she was 16. She improved her musical skills at the Kuopio Senior High of Music and Dance.

As a teenager, Jenni was also a figure skater. She competed at Finland's highest level, alongside other top Finnish skaters like Susanna Pöykiö. In the summer of 1999, when she was 16, she got an injury during a skating lesson. This injury meant she had to stop skating.

In the spring of 2002, Jenni finished high school and moved to Helsinki. She had planned to travel abroad, but her plans changed when she saw an advertisement for Popstars. This was the first Finnish version of the TV show where people compete to form a music group.

Music Career Highlights

2002–2004: Gimmel Band Years

In the autumn of 2002, Jenni Vartiainen joined Popstars. She later said that she didn't take the competition too seriously at first. But it ended up helping her find her path. She won the contest in October with Ushma Karnani (now Olava), Susanna Korvala, and Jonna Pirinen. The four formed the band Gimmel. However, Jonna Pirinen left the band after only two weeks.

Gimmel's first single, "Etsit muijaa seuraavaa", sold gold in 2002. It sold over 17,000 copies and is one of Finland's best-selling singles ever. The band's first album, Lentoon (2002), reached number one on the Albums Chart. It sold over 98,000 copies and was the best-selling album in Finland in 2002. With Lentoon, Gimmel won three Emma Awards in 2003. They won for New Pop/Rock Artist of the Year, Debut Album of the Year, and Best-Selling Album of the Year.

Their second album, Kaksi kertaa enemmän (2003), reached number two on the Albums Chart. It sold over 50,000 copies. However, their third album, Pisaroita ja kyyneleitä (2004), only charted for six weeks and did not sell as well. During her time in Gimmel, Jenni also studied psychology. She mentioned that the band's songwriter, Risto Asikainen, did not let them into the studio. This was so they wouldn't argue, as they were new to the music world.

2005–2008: Ihmisten edessä Album Success

Jenni Vartiainen in 2008.

In 2005, Jenni Vartiainen signed a record deal with Warner Music Finland. Making her first solo album with producer Jukka Immonen took a long time. Jenni even had to work other jobs to earn money.

Her first solo single, "Tunnoton", was released in April 2007. Her debut album, Ihmisten edessä, came out in September 2007. The album had two more singles: "Ihmisten edessä" and "Mustaa kahvia". "Ihmisten edessä" was the biggest hit. It reached number two on the Singles Chart and sold gold. This song talked about challenges faced by LGBT people. Jenni received an award from Seta (a Finnish LGBT rights organization) for the song in 2008.

Her debut album sold over 61,000 copies and reached number six on the Albums Chart. It earned a double-platinum certification in Finland. Jenni Vartiainen was featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in Finland and Mexico. At the 2008 Emma Awards, Jenni won awards for Debut Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "Ihmisten edessä". The album was also nominated for Pop Album of the Year.

2010–2012: Seili Album Dominance

Jenni Vartiainen's second album, Seili, was released in March 2010. It stayed on the Albums Chart for 62 weeks, with 15 weeks at number one. It sold over 150,000 copies, making it the best-selling album of 2010 in Finland. It is also the 14th best-selling album of all time in the country.

Three singles were released from Seili: "En haluu kuolla tänä yönä", "Nettiin", and "Missä muruseni on". Two promotional singles, "Duran Duran" and "Eikö kukaan voi meitä pelastaa?", also came out. "En haluu kuolla tänä yönä" and "Missä muruseni on" both sold platinum. "Duran Duran" sold gold. "Missä muruseni on" was a huge hit, topping the Singles Chart for 11 weeks in 2010 and 2011.

The album Seili received positive reviews for Jenni's vocals and its mix of pop and piano ballads. In February 2011, Jenni won a record-breaking seven Emma Awards for Seili and its songs. She won Female Soloist of the Year, Live Performer of the Year, Album of the Year, Pop/Rock Album of the Year, Best-Selling Album of the Year, Song of the Year ("En haluu kuolla tänä yönä"), and Music Video of the Year ("Missä muruseni on"). Her producer, Jukka Immonen, also won Producer of the Year. Jenni was also nominated for Best Finnish Act at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards.

After a busy concert tour in 2011, Jenni announced she would take a long break to relax and prepare for a new album. Her last concert before the break was on August 28 at the Finnish National Theatre in Helsinki. This concert was special because it was broadcast live in movie theaters across Finland for the first time. The tickets sold out in just a few hours. During her break, Jenni planned to become a singing teacher, which she did in May 2013.

2013–Present: Terra and Beyond

After a two-year break, Warner Music Finland announced in August 2013 that Jenni Vartiainen would release her third album, Terra, on October 4, 2013. The first single from the album, "Junat ja naiset", was released on August 16. "Junat ja naiset" reached number 15 on the Finnish Charts, and Terra debuted at number one. Jenni started a new concert tour to promote the album on November 1.

In 2018, she released her album Monologi. Her album Origo is expected to be released in 2025.

Personal Life

Jenni Vartiainen is known for keeping her private life very quiet. She was reported to have started living with her producer Jukka Immonen in March 2009. She has a Pumi dog named Urho Kepponen, whom she got in May 2008. In August 2008, Jenni bought an apartment in Helsinki. In September 2014, news came out that Jenni and Jukka Immonen had separated. In 2019, Jenni Vartiainen moved to New York City.

Discography

• Ihmisten edessä (2007)
• Seili (2010)
• Terra (2013)
• Monologi (2018)
• Origo (2025)

Awards and Nominations

Emma Awards

MTV Europe Music Awards

See also

In Spanish: Jenni Vartiainen para niños

• List of best-selling music artists in Finland