A photo of the 90's Finnish band sensation Ultra Bra comeback concert to support Pekka Haavisto's presidential run. In Helsinki, Finland (vanha jäähalli) 2012.
In 1994, Olli Virtaperko heard about a political song contest held by the Finnish Democratic Youth League (predecessor of the Left Youth, the Left Alliance's youth organisation) and decided to enter it with his friend Kerkko Koskinen. Koskinen composed several songs based on lyrics from his friends. A group of singers and musicians was assembled and the new band won the contest with their song "Ampukaa komissaarit, nuo hullut koirat" (Shoot the commissioners, those mad dogs).
In the summer of 1995, they released their first EP, "Houkutusten kiihottava maku". Over the course of the recording sessions, they also came up with a name for the band: Ultra Bra (which means "Very Good" in Swedish). During 1995, many new people joined the band, while others left. However, the lineup started to become fixed towards the end of the year. By the end of the year Anni Sinnemäki, Koskinen's wife who was to become the most celebrated of all UB's lyricists, began writing lyrics, starting with "Sankaritar" and "Ken Saro-Wiwa on kuollut". (The latter song refers to Nigerian environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the circumstances surrounding his execution. The statement he made before his execution is specifically referenced.)
Their first full-length album, Vapaaherran elämää, came out in the autumn of 1996. All the while, they had been doing a lot of touring and their live reputation had become substantial. In 1997, the second album Kroketti came out. With the release of this album Ultra Bra really started to gain fame. Kroketti sold very well, remains their best selling album and contains some of their biggest hits, namely "Sinä lähdit pois" ("You Went Away") and "Minä suojelen sinua kaikelta" ("I Shall Protect You From Everything").
In 1998, they participated in the contest for a song to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ultra Bra did not win, but their entry, "Tyttöjen välisestä ystävyydestä" ("About Friendship Between Girls"), became a hit song. The third album, Kalifornia, was released in the spring of 1999. In early 2000, Ultra Bra again participated in the Finnish Eurovision song selection process, with "Kaikki on hetken tässä" ("In This Moment, Everything's here") without reaching the final round. In the spring, they also released several new singles. The song "Heikko valo" ("The Weak Light") also featured in the Finnish movie Levottomat (The Restless).
Their fourth album, Vesireittejä, came out on 13 October 2000. The week before it was released, numerous magazines and newspapers wrote articles about them, and they appeared on TV and on the radio. Vesireittejä went number one – and gold – on its first week in the Finnish charts.[1]
The end of Ultra Bra
In the summer before the release of Vesireittejä, Ultra Bra decided they would continue for only about a year and then quit and start doing something else. In October 2001, they released a compilation album, Sinä päivänä kun synnyin, that contained a few new songs and many rarities, along with a music video tape and music book. After this they did a small tour of seven gigs, quitting on 20 October 2001, with maximum media coverage, surrounded by thousands of fans.
Comeback
Ultra Bra performed a comeback on 30 January 2012.[2] It took place at Kokoaan suurempi Suomi 2012, a fundraiser concert for Pekka Haavisto's presidential campaign. Tickets to the concert sold out in two hours on 25 January and the rush crashed the online ticket service Tiketti.[3] According to singer Vuokko Hovatta, the fundraiser was a one-off event and there are no plans for further Ultra Bra gigs.[4]
However, Ultra Bra did a small comeback tour in Finland in the summer of 2017.
The band also performed for three ultimate concerts in Helsinki (Hartwall Arena) from 15 to 17 December 2017. The 2017 comeback also included a new compilation album, Sinä päivänä kun synnyimme,[5] and limited-edition releases of their studio albums on coloured vinyl.[6]
Band members
Kerkko Koskinen – piano, main composer and quasi-leader
In many orchestral pieces Ultra Bra also had an additional string section and a chorus.
Current projects
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2017)
Kerkko Koskinen is a solo artist. He composes and sings his own songs and has his own band. Anni Sinnemäki, Erpo Pakkala and Juhana Rossi have written lyrics for him. Kerkko released an album on 5 April. 2002, called Rakkaus viiltää. He has also written music for Finnish movies. His second album Lolita was released in August 2005. In 2012 Koskinen founded the supergroup Kerkko Koskinen Kollektiivi with three female vocalists from other bands, including Vuokko Hovatta.[7]
Terhi, Joel, Tommi and Antti have joined together to form a new band called Scandinavian Music Group. Terhi writes the lyrics and Joel makes the music for their songs. Tommi quit the band in 2003 to concentrate on family life and a career as a lawyer. The band has released six albums, Onnelliset kohtaa (2002), Nimikirjaimet (2004), Hölmö rakkaus, ylpeä sydän (2006), Missä olet Laila? (2007), Palatkaa Pariisiin (2009) and Manner (2011). Joel has also played in an Iron Maiden tribute band called Mauron Maiden
Vuokko Hovatta has a new band, called Tekniikan ihmelapset. Vuokko is also an actress and continues to play many roles in Finnish theaters. She does many other things as well, such as Finnish movie dubbing and TV roles.
Antti Lehtinen became the new drummer of Don Huonot, a popular Finnish band, until the band broke up in 2003. He plays percussion in Kerkko's band and has been involved in producing Kerkko's album. Antti also participates in numerous other music projects.
Jan Pethman continues to play in the band of Maija Vilkkumaa, a Finnish singer-songwriter.
Olli Virtaperko continues to make music with his band Ensemble Ambrosius.
Ilmari Pohjola is a member of the bands Gourmet and Silvio. He also plays for the experimental jazz group Oddarang.
^"Suomen virallinen lista – 42/00 – The Official Finnish Chart". YLE. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
^"Ultra Bra palaa lavalle Haaviston tukikonsertissa" [Ultra Bra returns to the stage in Haavisto fundraiser]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 24 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
^"Yritätkö Ultra Bran keikalle? Tiketti.fi meni nurin" [Trying to get to Ultra Bra's gig? Tiketti.fi crashed] (in Finnish). Uusi Suomi. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
^"Vuokko Hovatta Ultra Bran paluusta: Sovimme asiasta vasta eilen!" [Vuokko Hovatta on Ultra Bra's comeback: We arranged this yesterday!] (in Finnish). Metro Live. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
^"Ultra Bra – Sinä Päivänä Kun Synnyimme (2017, Vinyl) - Discogs". Discogs.
^"Kerkko Koskinen Kollektiivi". Nordic Music Prize. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
^"Anni Sinnemäki / Green Parliamentary Group". Parliament of Finland.
External links
(in Finnish)
"A Single is Born" — a Helsingin Sanomat web reportage about the birth of the song "Villiviini"
February 02, 2023
ultra, this, article, relies, excessively, references, primary, sources, please, improve, this, article, adding, secondary, tertiary, sources, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, 2010, learn, when, remove, this, template, message. This article relies excessively on references to primary sources Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources Find sources Ultra Bra news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ultra Bra was a Finnish band formed in 1994 by Olli Virtaperko and Kerkko Koskinen and disbanded in 2001 Ultra BraA photo of the 90 s Finnish band sensation Ultra Bra comeback concert to support Pekka Haavisto s presidential run In Helsinki Finland vanha jaahalli 2012 Background informationOriginHelsinki FinlandGenresPop rockYears active1994 2001 comeback in 2017LabelsJohannaPast membersKerkko KoskinenVuokko HovattaTerhi KokkonenArto TalmeOlli VirtaperkoAntti LehtinenJoel MelasniemiMarko PortinTommi SaarikiviJan PethmanKari PelttariIlmari PohjolaAnna TulustoWebsitewww musicfinland com ultrabra Contents 1 Band history 2 The end of Ultra Bra 3 Comeback 4 Band members 4 1 Current projects 5 Discography 5 1 Albums 5 2 Singles 5 3 Other releases 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksBand history EditIn 1994 Olli Virtaperko heard about a political song contest held by the Finnish Democratic Youth League predecessor of the Left Youth the Left Alliance s youth organisation and decided to enter it with his friend Kerkko Koskinen Koskinen composed several songs based on lyrics from his friends A group of singers and musicians was assembled and the new band won the contest with their song Ampukaa komissaarit nuo hullut koirat Shoot the commissioners those mad dogs In the summer of 1995 they released their first EP Houkutusten kiihottava maku Over the course of the recording sessions they also came up with a name for the band Ultra Bra which means Very Good in Swedish During 1995 many new people joined the band while others left However the lineup started to become fixed towards the end of the year By the end of the year Anni Sinnemaki Koskinen s wife who was to become the most celebrated of all UB s lyricists began writing lyrics starting with Sankaritar and Ken Saro Wiwa on kuollut The latter song refers to Nigerian environmental activist Ken Saro Wiwa and the circumstances surrounding his execution The statement he made before his execution is specifically referenced Their first full length album Vapaaherran elamaa came out in the autumn of 1996 All the while they had been doing a lot of touring and their live reputation had become substantial In 1997 the second album Kroketti came out With the release of this album Ultra Bra really started to gain fame Kroketti sold very well remains their best selling album and contains some of their biggest hits namely Sina lahdit pois You Went Away and Mina suojelen sinua kaikelta I Shall Protect You From Everything In 1998 they participated in the contest for a song to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest Ultra Bra did not win but their entry Tyttojen valisesta ystavyydesta About Friendship Between Girls became a hit song The third album Kalifornia was released in the spring of 1999 In early 2000 Ultra Bra again participated in the Finnish Eurovision song selection process with Kaikki on hetken tassa In This Moment Everything s here without reaching the final round In the spring they also released several new singles The song Heikko valo The Weak Light also featured in the Finnish movie Levottomat The Restless Their fourth album Vesireitteja came out on 13 October 2000 The week before it was released numerous magazines and newspapers wrote articles about them and they appeared on TV and on the radio Vesireitteja went number one and gold on its first week in the Finnish charts 1 The end of Ultra Bra EditIn the summer before the release of Vesireitteja Ultra Bra decided they would continue for only about a year and then quit and start doing something else In October 2001 they released a compilation album Sina paivana kun synnyin that contained a few new songs and many rarities along with a music video tape and music book After this they did a small tour of seven gigs quitting on 20 October 2001 with maximum media coverage surrounded by thousands of fans Comeback EditUltra Bra performed a comeback on 30 January 2012 2 It took place at Kokoaan suurempi Suomi 2012 a fundraiser concert for Pekka Haavisto s presidential campaign Tickets to the concert sold out in two hours on 25 January and the rush crashed the online ticket service Tiketti 3 According to singer Vuokko Hovatta the fundraiser was a one off event and there are no plans for further Ultra Bra gigs 4 However Ultra Bra did a small comeback tour in Finland in the summer of 2017 The band also performed for three ultimate concerts in Helsinki Hartwall Arena from 15 to 17 December 2017 The 2017 comeback also included a new compilation album Sina paivana kun synnyimme 5 and limited edition releases of their studio albums on coloured vinyl 6 Band members EditKerkko Koskinen piano main composer and quasi leader Vuokko Hovatta vocals Terhi Kokkonen vocals Arto Talme vocals Olli Virtaperko vocals Antti Lehtinen drums Joel Melasniemi guitar Marko Portin saxophone Tommi Saarikivi bass Jan Pethman percussion Kari Pelttari trumpet Ilmari Pohjola trombone Anna Tulusto vocals until summer 1998 In many orchestral pieces Ultra Bra also had an additional string section and a chorus Current projects Edit This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information June 2017 Kerkko Koskinen is a solo artist He composes and sings his own songs and has his own band Anni Sinnemaki Erpo Pakkala and Juhana Rossi have written lyrics for him Kerkko released an album on 5 April 2002 called Rakkaus viiltaa He has also written music for Finnish movies His second album Lolita was released in August 2005 In 2012 Koskinen founded the supergroup Kerkko Koskinen Kollektiivi with three female vocalists from other bands including Vuokko Hovatta 7 Terhi Joel Tommi and Antti have joined together to form a new band called Scandinavian Music Group Terhi writes the lyrics and Joel makes the music for their songs Tommi quit the band in 2003 to concentrate on family life and a career as a lawyer The band has released six albums Onnelliset kohtaa 2002 Nimikirjaimet 2004 Holmo rakkaus ylpea sydan 2006 Missa olet Laila 2007 Palatkaa Pariisiin 2009 and Manner 2011 Joel has also played in an Iron Maiden tribute band called Mauron Maiden Vuokko Hovatta has a new band called Tekniikan ihmelapset Vuokko is also an actress and continues to play many roles in Finnish theaters She does many other things as well such as Finnish movie dubbing and TV roles Antti Lehtinen became the new drummer of Don Huonot a popular Finnish band until the band broke up in 2003 He plays percussion in Kerkko s band and has been involved in producing Kerkko s album Antti also participates in numerous other music projects Jan Pethman continues to play in the band of Maija Vilkkumaa a Finnish singer songwriter Olli Virtaperko continues to make music with his band Ensemble Ambrosius Ilmari Pohjola is a member of the bands Gourmet and Silvio He also plays for the experimental jazz group Oddarang Anni Sinnemaki has been a member of the Finnish parliament from 1999 to 2015 8 and was the Minister for Labour and the chairwoman of Green League 2009 2011 Discography EditAlbums Edit Houkutusten kiihottava maku 1995 The Exciting Taste of Temptations EP Vapaaherran elamaa 1996 Life of a baron Kroketti 1997 Croquet Kalifornia 1999 California Vesireitteja 2000 Waterways Sina paivana kun synnyin 2001 On the day I was born Compilation Sina paivana kun synnyimme 2017 On the day we were born Compilation Singles Edit Ken Saro Wiwa on kuollut Sankaritar Moskova 1996 Ken Saro Wiwa Is Dead Heroine Moscow Kahdeksanvuotiaana remix 1997 At The Age of Eight Sina lahdit pois Lahetystyo Haikara 1997 You Went Away Mission Trip Stork Tyttojen valisesta ystavyydesta a few other songs 1998 About Friendship Between Girls Hei kuule Suomi Helsinki Vantaa 1999 Hey Hear Us Finland Helsinki Vantaa Ilmioita Eniten 1999 Phenomena Most of all Heikko Valo 2000 Weak Light Villiviini Itket ja kuuntelet 2000 Boston ivy You Cry and You Listen Rubikin kuutio Lapsuus loppui 2000 Rubik s Cube Childhood Ended Other releases Edit Kaikki laulut sheet music book 2001 Ultra Bra Videot 1996 2001 music video tape 2001 Sokeana hetkena biography book 2018 See also EditList of best selling music artists in FinlandReferences Edit Suomen virallinen lista 42 00 The Official Finnish Chart YLE Retrieved 27 June 2011 Ultra Bra palaa lavalle Haaviston tukikonsertissa Ultra Bra returns to the stage in Haavisto fundraiser Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish 24 January 2012 Retrieved 27 January 2012 Yritatko Ultra Bran keikalle Tiketti fi meni nurin Trying to get to Ultra Bra s gig Tiketti fi crashed in Finnish Uusi Suomi Retrieved 25 January 2012 Vuokko Hovatta Ultra Bran paluusta Sovimme asiasta vasta eilen Vuokko Hovatta on Ultra Bra s comeback We arranged this yesterday in Finnish Metro Live 24 January 2012 Retrieved 27 January 2012 Ultra Bra Sina Paivana Kun Synnyimme 2017 Vinyl Discogs Discogs Ultra Bra Kerkko Koskinen Kollektiivi Nordic Music Prize Retrieved 4 April 2013 Anni Sinnemaki Green Parliamentary Group Parliament of Finland External links EditOfficial site in Finnish A Single is Born a Helsingin Sanomat web reportage about the birth of the song Villiviini Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ultra Bra amp oldid 1071189013, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
