Koop Arponen

Koop Arponen, a pop performer from Finland, first drew national attention by winning the 2008 season of Idols, the local edition of the Pop Idol franchise. That victory quickly led to a solo recording deal and a string of chart successes beginning the following year. Born on April 20, 1984, in Lappeenranta, he finished ahead of runner-up Anna Puustjärvi and third-place contestant Pete Parkkonen.

Mirroring the trajectory of Parkkonen, whose own debut The First Album reached the top of the Finnish charts in 2009, Arponen signed with Sony BMG and released his first full-length project, New Town, later that same year. The album entered the Finnish albums chart at number one and contained the hit single “Insomnia” as well as the follow-up tracks “Every Song I Hear” and “Innocent Eyes.”