Laila Kinnunen

Laila Kinnunen
Laila Kinnunen in 1965.
Laila Kinnunen in 1965.
Background information
Born(1939-11-08)8 November 1939
Vantaa, Finland
Died26 October 2000(2000-10-26) (aged 60)
Heinävesi, Finland
OccupationSinger

Laura “Laila” Annikki Kinnunen (8 November 1939, in Vantaa – 26 October 2000, in Heinävesi) was a Finnish singer. She was one of the most popular Finnish singers of the 1950s and 1960s, and represented Finland at the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, the first time Finland participated in the contest.

She spent her childhood in Sweden as a refugee from the Second World War, returning to Finland at the age of ten. Her first album, released in 1957, was a success, and she continued to release music until 1980. From the 1970s she suffered from severe alcoholism.

Her daughter is Finnish singer Milana Mišić.