Saara Aalto facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saara Aalto
Aalto at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
Background information
Birth name	Saara Sofia Aalto
Born	(1987-05-02) 2 May 1987 (age 38) Oulunsalo, Finland
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter voice actress
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Sony No Fear Music

Saara Sofia Aalto (born on May 2, 1987) is a talented singer, songwriter, and voice actress from Finland. She became well-known after appearing on popular TV shows.

In 2012, Saara was the runner-up in the first season of The Voice of Finland. Later, in 2016, she gained international fame by finishing second in The X Factor UK.

Saara represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. She made it to the grand final, finishing in 25th place. That same year, she became a judge on X Factor Suomi, the Finnish version of the show. In 2019, Saara also competed on Dancing on Ice, where she finished in third place.

Saara Aalto's Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Saara Aalto was born in Oulunsalo, Finland. She grew up in a family that loved music. Saara started taking piano lessons from a young age. She wrote her very first song when she was just five years old.

Her grandfather, Eeli Aalto, was a painter and documentary director. Her uncle, Simo Aalto, is a magician. When Saara was 11, in 1998, she won a children's song contest at the Kotka Maritime Festival with one of her own songs. She also won an international singing competition in the US in 2003. Saara represented Finland in the Golden Stag Festival in Romania in 2004.

She attended the Madetoja secondary school for music and graduated in 2005. After school, she moved to Helsinki to study music at the Sibelius Academy. At the same time, she also studied singing at the Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory.

Saara Aalto's Career Journey

Early Career and Stage Roles (2007–2011)

In 2007, Saara participated in Talent Suomi (which means "Talent Finland"). She finished among the top three contestants.

Besides singing, Saara is also an actress. She played Dorothy in the Finnish production of the musical Wicked. She also played Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar. From 2008 to 2011, she performed in musicals at the Helsinki City Theatre. These included High School Musical on Stage! and its sequel, and then Wicked.

Eurovision Song Contest Attempts (2011, 2016)

Saara tried twice to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2011, she competed in the Finnish selection rounds. She came in second place to Paradise Oskar, who went on to represent Finland. Saara received 40.7% of the public votes. She released her song as a single through Yume Records, her own record label.

Her second attempt was for Eurovision Song Contest 2016 through the competition Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu. Again, she placed second. Even though she won the public vote, the judging panel chose Sandhja to represent Finland.

Success in China (2010–2013)

After her 2011 Eurovision song, Saara sang a Chinese version of it called "Ai De Zhu Fu." In November 2012, she was a guest singer in Robert Wells's show Rhapsody in Rock in Shanghai.

In May 2013, she opened for Spanish tenor José Carreras in Shanghai, singing several songs in Chinese. Saara returned to Shanghai in June 2013 to sing with tenor Han Peng. This performance was at the Closing Ceremony of the Shanghai International Film Festival. It was broadcast to over 800 million viewers in 10 countries.

Chinese audiences really liked Saara's music. In July 2013, she released an album for Mainland China called Ai De Zhu Fu. On this album, she sang nine of the 13 songs in Mandarin language.

The Voice of Finland Journey (2012)

Saara Aalto competed in the first season of The Voice of Finland in 2012. During the blind auditions, she sang "Taking Chances" by Celine Dion. All four coaches turned their chairs for her. She chose to join Team Monroe.

In the Battle Round, she sang "True Colors" and moved on. In the live shows, she sang songs like "Barracuda" and "Je suis malade." She made it to the finals, where she sang "I'm Gonna Be Strong" and her own song, "My Love." Saara finished as the runner-up, with Mikko Sipola winning the season.

The X Factor UK and Beyond (2016–Present)

Saara auditioned for the thirteenth series of The X Factor UK in 2016. She sang Sia's "Chandelier" and impressed the judges. She made it through to the live shows, mentored by Sharon Osbourne.

During the live shows, Saara often found herself in the bottom two or three. However, she always managed to be saved by the judges or the public vote. She performed many different songs, including "Let It Go" and "My Heart Will Go On". In the quarter-final, she topped the public vote for the first time.

Saara reached the final of The X Factor UK. She performed "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and a duet of "Bohemian Rhapsody" with Adam Lambert. She finished as the runner-up to Matt Terry, receiving 40.4% of the votes.

After The X Factor, Saara signed a five-album deal with Sony Music UK and Sony Music Finland. In October 2017, she moved to Warner Music Group. She explained that Warner Music was very excited about her unique style.

On November 7, 2017, it was announced that Saara would represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. She released three songs for the competition. Saara also became a judge on the Finnish X Factor, mentoring the girls' category. Her contestant, Tika Liljegren, won the season, making Saara the winning mentor.

In March 2018, Saara announced her first album with Warner Music Group, called Wild Wild Wonderland. It was released on April 27, 2018.

In 2019, Saara participated in the eleventh series of Dancing on Ice. She was partnered with Hamish Gaman and they finished in third place. Saara's song Dance Like Nobody's Watching became the official song for Pride in London 2019. That same year, she started her own record label, No Fear Music. She released her Fairytale – International EP under this label.

In September 2020, Saara released a new single, "When the Sun Goes Down," with British drag queen Baga Chipz. She also shared that she had left Warner Music earlier that year. In the fall of 2021, Saara played the main role in the musical We Will Rock You in Helsinki, Finland.

Saara Aalto's Personal Life

Saara Aalto was in a nine-year relationship with singer Teemu Roivainen [fi]. They continued to work together on music after their relationship ended in 2013.

Later, Saara started a relationship with Meri Sopanen, who was a personal trainer. Saara and Meri got engaged in August 2016. They moved to London in January 2017. The couple got married in April 2020. Meri Sopanen took Saara's last name. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they couldn't have a big wedding ceremony at that time. They moved back to Finland in the spring of 2020. In the fall of 2021, they lived temporarily in Spain before returning to Finland in November. They celebrated their wedding in Italy in June 2023.

Saara Aalto's Music Releases

Albums

Extended Plays (EPs)

Singles

As the Main Artist

As a Featured Artist

Promotional Singles

Other Song Appearances

Saara Aalto's Voice Acting Roles

Film Dubbing

Television Dubbing

Awards and Achievements

See also

In Spanish: Saara Aalto para niños