Jonna Tervomaa

Jonna Tervomaa (b. 1973) is a Finnish pop musician, radio personality, and former child star. She achieved her first platinum-selling album at age 11 after a 1983 win in a high-profile singing contest with the song "Minttu sekä Ville" (Minttu and Ville). She followed this with three additional albums and a best-of collection between 1983 and 1987. After her initial fame dissipated, she concentrated on her studies and athletic talent at playing basketball. She won the Finnish basketball championship and played on the national team for women under 22 years of age. Tervomaa went on to study literature and, during this time, started playing music again for fun. She performed at occasional small gigs with friends, acoustically covering songs by artists ranging from Sheryl Crow to the Police. One thing led to another and, eventually, a demo tape landed her a contract with Polygram.

Her 1998 eponymous first album (she doesn't consider her child stardom as the beginning of her career) was received with some reserve, but the songs were good and given enough airplay that the album remained on the charts for 11 straight weeks. Tervomaa had co-written most of the material, which boosted her credibility, and soon her days of child stardom were superseded by her adult pop/rock success. The music was compared to Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow, but given its stylistic variety, one could associate individual songs to artists ranging from Soundgarden to Steely Dan. The album received three Emma Awards -- the Finnish equivalent of Grammy Awards -- and launched her highly successful adult career.

She solidified her popularity with Neljä Seinää (Four Walls) the following year. Released in 2001, Viivalla (On the Line) was equally successful and recorded under the Universal Music Group banner. Her band has consisted of members from other popular Finnish bands, including Egotrippi, Lemonator, and Don Huonot, and she has successfully covered songs by some of the more popular indie rock and post-punk bands, such as Tuomari Nurmio and Sielun Veljet, on various tribute albums. She received her second platinum-selling album for 2004's Halo, which was followed by Parempi Loppu (A Better End) in 2007. ~ JT Lindroos, Rovi