Katri Helena, whose real name is Katri Helena Kalaoja, is a Finnish singer born in the town of Tohmajärvi in the eastern region of Karelia in 1945. She has represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest twice: In 1979 with 'Katson Sineen Taivaan', then in 1993 with 'Tule Luo'.
Despite not being very successful in either attempt, it certainly did not discourage her from performing, nor did it hinder her career at all. To date, she has released a total of around 500 songs and more than 50 albums and collections. She also holds the title of being the number 1 selling Finnish female artist of all time. In fact, 'Katson Sineen Taivaan' is frequently heard at Finnish karaoke bars to this day:)
Since both of her Eurovision performances, she has been very active, with both new music and many live concerts. One of which, was the Muistathan Gaala held in Tampere in the Spring of 2006. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform there. At that concert, many previous Finnish Eurovision acts of the past performed their songs, as well as the current representative at the time - Lordi. The public voted on their favourite to win the favourite Finnish act of all time.
She has been married three times, all three of her children with the second husband. Tragically, her son died of a sudden illness in 2009. She seems not to have been very active the last few years, however, since she took a break in the Summer of 2018 due to a thyroid deficiency.
Nowadays she lives in Askola, near the capital Helsinki. She is currently in a relationship with her manager, Tommi Liimatainen. There had been rumours that the two were dating for years, until 2013 when Liimatainen confirmed it in an interview for the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti.
I hope to hear more from her in the future. She really has become a Finnish musical icon throughout the decades.