Kirka
Kirka ( born September 22, 1950 in Helsinki, † January 31, 2007 ibid, civil Kirill Babitzin ) was a Finnish musician.
Throughout his career, he has released 78 singles and nearly 60 albums. His album Surun pyyhit silmistäni 1988 was at that time the biggest selling album of Finnish music history and has sold over 200,000 units and 4x platinum award still in third place on this list.
Career
Kirill Babitzin came at the age of five years to the music, as his grandmother gave him an accordion. Soon came the first minor roles, such as the retirement home of Porvoo. In 1957 he was enrolled and attended a Russian school in Eira. Two years later, he was also logged in the accordion school of Lasse Pihlajamaa. 1960 took the ten year old Kirill in his first accordion competition and finished second.
Soon he discovered his love for rock ' n ' roll. In 1962, Kirill Babitzin singer of the rock band The Creatures, for which he artist name Kirka grew up. The first concert was followed on 1 October of the same year at a technology school for girls. In 1964 the band made an appearance on television in 1966 and worked in the film Käpy selän alla with where they presented the song Where Can She Be.
1967 published Kirka in Love Records his first solo single Anna Suukko Vain / Silloin ihminen Kaunein On. Shortly thereafter, The Creatures dissolved. Kirka occurred only in the Mosaic band whose members, however, also separated, and then the pop band The Islanders.
On October 18, 1967, the song was released hetki lyö - Kirkas breakthrough. The smash single earned him a first multi-week tour of northern Finland. Hetki lyö reached in January 1968 # 3 in the Finnish charts, followed in August, the single Leijat on 6th and 5th place in November Ehkä suukon antaa saan Kirka published in February 1969, his first album with the label Kirka keikalla Scandia, the at the same time was also the first live album, released in Finland. The album peaked at # 1 on the charts. In the same year he reached his second album Kirka, more albums followed.
His siblings had chosen musical careers, causing some collaborations emerged. Published in 1979 Kirka a whole album with his sister Anna, the year after that one with Muska and Anna. Also common tours were organized. Sometimes, however, their paths crossed too. Kirka took since 1972 repeatedly participated in the Finnish preliminaries for the Euro Vision Song Contest. 1974 also provided Muska and Ykä a contribution. 1979 again tried Kirka qualification together with Anna and Muska.
It was only in the eighth start Kirka finally won a Finnish Trials for themselves. He represented Finland in the Euro Vision Song Contest 1984 in Luxembourg by song Hengaillaan and reached this place 9 in 19 participants. In the same year he received his first gold record for an album with the same title and was awarded the Emma, the most important Finnish music award, for his achievements as an individual artist. In 1991 he received an honorary Emma yet another Emma as the best Finnish individual artists.
1985 was not such a good year for Kirka. The tax office demanded the repayment of outstanding taxes in the amount of 1.5 million Finnmark. Despite the release of other successful albums paying its debts made the musician difficult to create, the last rate he paid in 1993; In 1988, he had to apply for welfare so even. This was also the year in which the album was released Surun pyyhit silmistäni that is with over 200,000 units sold is still one of the most successful album in Finland. Kirka took also continued to participate in the Finnish preliminaries for the Euro Vision Song Contest, but could never decide for them.
In the fall of 1997, organized Kirka to its 30-year anniversary of a great tour. From the originally planned 18 concerts, 56 of which were all but one sold. His events in the next few years were well attended, even though he appeared around 200 times a year. Together with three other Finnish musicians - Pepe Willenberg, Pave Maijanen and Hector - he also founded the quartet Mestarit. The recorded during a performance at the Hartwall Areena in 1998 double CD Mestarit Areenalla been awarded 3 times platinum and Emma as the best album of the year 1999. On 5 August 1999, the group played in front of 35,000 people at the Olympic Stadium Helsinki.
Kirka died on 31 January 2007 at 1:30 clock at night unexpectedly at the age of 56 years at his home in Kruununhaka. The cause was not disclosed. He was buried on 2 February 2007 at the Orthodox cemetery in Helsinki, where even the graves of his brother Sammy and his father are.
Family
Kirill Babitzin came on the morning of 22 September 1950 as the son of Russian emigrants Leo and Elizabeth Babitzin to the world. He had five siblings: two older brothers Leo ( * 1946, † 1948) and Alexandr " Sammy" Babitzin ( b. 1948 ) - who died in 1973 following a car accident - a younger brother George " Ykä " Babitzin (* 1955) and two younger sisters Marija " Muska " Babitzin ( b. 1952 ) and Anna Babitzin (* 1960).
In 1976 he married Kirsti Mikkola, with whom he had four children - Katarina (born 1976 ), Boris ( b. 1978 ), Alexandra ( born 1981 ) and Nicholas (* 1986). Another daughter from an affair came the end of 1982 to the world. They were divorced in March 1992, on 7 November of the same year he married Paula Nummela, with whom he had already lived in an adjacent house since 1991.
Trivia
- On 8 November 2006 the Finnish Post announced the printing of four special stamps on the occasion of the Euro Vision Song Contest 2007. One of these, published on 9 May 2007 marks showing some former Finnish euro vision participants. Besides Kirka these are Laila Kinnunen (1961 ), Marion Rung (1962, 1973) and Katri Helena (1979, 1993).
- Kirka should actually take part in the second season of Tanssii tähtien kanssa, the Finnish version of Strictly Come Dancing, which took place from 25 February to 22 April 2007. After his death, he was replaced by a native of Germany TV presenter and writer Roman treasure, who retired in the 2nd round.
Discography (selection)
Awards
Works
- Kirill Babitzin, Raila Kinnunen: Enimmäkseen Kirkasta. WSOY, 1999, ISBN 951-0-23644-6 ( Biography )