Ari Koivunen: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Kotiteollisuus
• Teräsbetoni
• Kilpi

• Whitesnake
• Led Zeppelin
• Iron Maiden
• Deep Purple

Born:

Jun 7, 1984 in Kouvola, Finland

Genres:

Rock Music, Metal Rock Music

Decades Active:

2000's

Finnish Metal singer Ari Koivunen was born June 7th, 1984 in Kouvola. Ari grew up influenced by the sounds of groups like Deep Purple, Led Zepplin and Iron Maiden, playing drums and singing even as a school boy. Though he was made famous by the Finnish singing competition TV show �Idols,' Koivunen was no stranger to the stage when he entered in March of '07. Ari took first place in the Finnish Karaoke Championships in 2005, and went on to place third in the Karaorke World Championships shortly thereafter. Koivunen became a crowd favorite on the �Idols' program early on, choosing repertoire from artists such as Whitesnake, Iron Maiden and Billy Joel. Koivunen was heavily criticized by judges for consistently choosing to sing only Heavy Metal, but he refused to budge. His stubbornness served him well, making Ari �Idols' winner for 2007. He got his first taste of industry success when he was awarded a gold record for his participation in Idols 2007, which sold 15,000 copies after only two days on the market. That trend would continue with his debut single as an artist on the Sony BMG record label. "Hear My Call" dominated Finnish airwaves for weeks, followed a few weeks later by Koivunen's debut record Fuel for the Fire which went straight to the number one spot on the national album charts. Within a weeks time the album had been certified platinum, becoming the fastest selling record in the history of the Finnish recording industry.

- Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide