#kikka!

[neeleys]

Kirsi Hannele Sirén (née Viilonen; 26 October 1964 – 3 December 2005), better known by her stage name Kikka, was a Finnish pop/schlager singer. She was known for her sexpot image and suggestive, equivocal songs. Kikka's best-known songs were "Mä haluun viihdyttää" ("I Want to Entertain"), "Sukkula Venukseen" ("A Shuttle to Venus"), "Tartu tiukasti hanuriin" ("Grab the Accordion Firmly" in slang the word hanuri often refers to buttocks) and cover of Ami Aspelund's Apinamies ("Apeman").

Sirén was born in Tampere. Her career was launched in the late 1980s, inspired by the success of international stars as Samantha Fox and Italy's Sabrina Salerno. During her career, the media and many influential organisations even tried to market her as "Samantha Fox of Finland", albeit against the singer's will. The peak of Kikka's popularity was in the late 1980s and early 1990s when she earned three platinum records and two gold records. In the 21st century, health problems and alcoholism interfered with the artist's career. According to the Finnish Iltalehti, the cause of her death in Nokia on 3 December 2005, at the age of 41, was a heart attack.

Kikka was a gay icon and performed at gay clubs already in the early 1990s, being the first Finnish popular female artist to do that.

A film about Kikka Sirén called Kikka! has been made in 2022, directed by Jussi-awarded actress Anna Paavilainen and written by Maarit Nissilä.

Source: Wikipedia Iltalehti