Simo Silmu

Simo Silmu, a Finnish schlager vocalist, first gained widespread recognition in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the hugely popular band Yölintu before launching his own successful solo recording path in the middle of the following decade. He entered the world on August 31, 1977, in Yölintu, Finland, and helped establish the group in 1992. The band issued its initial album, Yölintu Laskeutuu, the next year. Mainstream breakthrough arrived in 1998 via the fourth release, Tositarkoituksella, which reached the Top Five on the Finnish albums chart. Later efforts proved even stronger commercially, with Pienen Pojan Haaveet landing at number three in 2000, Sitä Saa Mitä Tilaa climbing to number two in 2001, and Tää On Rankkaa hitting number one in 2002. Building on that peak achievement with Yölintu, Silmu stepped out on his own with the self-titled Simo Silmu in 2004, another Top Five success. His next two solo projects, Sydänsärkyä from 2006 and Punaisessa Talossa from 2008, likewise entered the Top Five; the first of these yielded the singles “Sydänsärkyä,” “Katariina,” and “Ihme Kerrallaan,” while the second produced “Elä Vielä,” “Punaisessa Talossa,” and “Taivaan Tuhat Kynttilää.” Throughout this period he continued fronting Yölintu, which periodically dropped new albums including the Top Five entries Mennyttä Miestä in 2005, Haavoittumaton in 2007, and Nyt ja Aina in 2009.