Discovery of the Week: Erika Vikman
How the bold pop diva Erika Vikman overturned the Finnish pop scene
rika's life has been closely connected to music, sports, and dancing since her childhood.
This all came about thanks to her mother, who was passionate about Finnish tango and even participated in Tangomarkkinat—the oldest tango festival in the world, which is held annually in Seinäjoki.
Erika began singing as a teenager and continuously perfected her skills. In 2008, she won the youth tango competition for girls, and two years later, she took part in a ski jumping competition in Tampere.
By 2013, Erika graduated from school with honors and enrolled at the Pirkanmaa Music Institute (Pirkanmaan musiikkiopisto), where she studied pop-jazz vocals.
This all came about thanks to her mother, who was passionate about Finnish tango and even participated in Tangomarkkinat—the oldest tango festival in the world, which is held annually in Seinäjoki.
Erika began singing as a teenager and continuously perfected her skills. In 2008, she won the youth tango competition for girls, and two years later, she took part in a ski jumping competition in Tampere.
By 2013, Erika graduated from school with honors and enrolled at the Pirkanmaa Music Institute (Pirkanmaan musiikkiopisto), where she studied pop-jazz vocals.
The launch of her professional career was secured by her participation in the Finnish show Idols, in which Erika placed seventh. Being highly ambitious, after leaving Idols, she, like her mother, took part in Tangomarkkinat, where she won second place. This did not seem like enough for her, so Erika tried her luck again the following year and ultimately won the competition, becoming Finland's Tango Queen of 2016. It was right after winning this contest that Vikman signed a contract with Sony Music and released her second single, “Ettei mee elämä hukkaan,” in 2017.
In 2020, Vikman signed a contract with Warner Music Finland, and Yle confirmed her participation in UMK—the Finnish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Erika presented the song “Cicciolina,” written about the Hungarian-Italian adult film actress Ilona Staller, who performed under the stage name Cicciolina. At UMK, Erika placed second: she received the highest number of votes from the Finnish public, but the professional jury ranked her only third. Despite the fact that Erika could not win, her song became a massive hit in Finland.
Following the success of “Cicciolina,” Vikman released her next single, “Syntisten pöytä,” which became her second big hit and later topped the Finnish charts. She released her debut album, titled Erika Vikman, in August 2021, and it subsequently also made it to the top of Finnish radio station playlists. At the moment, Erika continues working on a new full-length record while actively releasing singles and collaborations with other musicians.
In 2020, Vikman signed a contract with Warner Music Finland, and Yle confirmed her participation in UMK—the Finnish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Erika presented the song “Cicciolina,” written about the Hungarian-Italian adult film actress Ilona Staller, who performed under the stage name Cicciolina. At UMK, Erika placed second: she received the highest number of votes from the Finnish public, but the professional jury ranked her only third. Despite the fact that Erika could not win, her song became a massive hit in Finland.
Following the success of “Cicciolina,” Vikman released her next single, “Syntisten pöytä,” which became her second big hit and later topped the Finnish charts. She released her debut album, titled Erika Vikman, in August 2021, and it subsequently also made it to the top of Finnish radio station playlists. At the moment, Erika continues working on a new full-length record while actively releasing singles and collaborations with other musicians.
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer