Sunrise Avenue

Last updated

Sunrise Avenue
Sunrise Avenue - 2019180223956 2019-06-29 Stadtfest Ludwigshafen - 1244 - AK8I5938.jpg
Sunrise Avenue in Ludwigshafen, Germany, in 2019
Background information
Also known asSunrise (2002–2003)
Origin Helsinki, Finland
Genres
Years active2002–2022
Labels
Members
  • Samu Haber
  • Raul Ruutu
  • Sami Osala
  • Riku Rajamaa
  • Osmo Ikonen (touring member since 2009)
Past members
Website SunriseAve.com

Sunrise Avenue was a Finnish rock band originally formed in 2002 in Helsinki, Finland. In the early days, the band was called Sunrise and the name was changed to Sunrise Avenue in 2003. Their style varies from rock and pop-rock to rock ballads. Sunrise Avenue's best known songs are "Hollywood Hills" (2011), "Fairytale Gone Bad" (2006), "Forever Yours" (2007), " The Whole Story " [ fi ] (2009), "Heal Me" (2007), "Welcome to My Life" (2009), and "Heartbreak Century" (2017). The band has released five studio albums, two live albums, three live DVDs, a best-of album and 21 singles. They are successful and known across continental Europe, especially their home country and Germany as well as some Eastern European countries.

Contents

Career

Founding and early years (1992 – 2005)

Samu Haber established Sunrise together with Finnish singer-songwriter Jan Hohenthal in April 1992 in Espoo, Finland. They performed at a variety of pubs, small festivals and private parties until 1998, when Haber moved to Spain. The other band members at that time were Sami Heinänen (bass) and Antti Tuomela (drums).

After four years in Spain and only a handful of performances at private Spanish events, Haber moved back to Finland. The band changed the name to Sunrise Avenue in October 2001 in restaurant Memphis in Helsinki at the "Sunrise world domination plan meeting." By that time Tuomela had left the band and the band had no drummer. Heinänen designed the American Street sign logo for the band after the meeting.

Hohenthal left the band in 2002 as he wanted to focus on his own career. These days Hohenthal plays with his Finnish folk band Metrofolk. Heinänen introduced a new guitarist, his high school friend Janne Kärkkäinen to the band in 2002.

With a new drummer, Juho Sandman, the band performed in many student events, small festivals and in small clubs mostly in the Greater Helsinki area. They worked with two Finnish producers, Jone Ullakko and Jani Saastamoinen, before finding their future in-house producer Jukka Backlund. Haber still says Backlund is the "All time musical mentor and teacher for himself and for the band."[ citation needed ]

Between 2002 and 2005, Haber visited record companies and agencies 102 times in Finland and Sweden before they were finally signed to small Scandinavian label Bonnier Amigo Music. The answer was always the same: "Without black clothes and make-up, rock music can't succeed."[ citation needed ]

Debut and second albums (2006 – 2010)

To finance the debut album On the Way to Wonderland , Haber introduced the "Sunrise Avenue Business Plan" to his friend, a copy machine sales man Mikko Virtala. Virtala financed most of the album's recordings and a trip to Midem Music Expo in Cannes, France, to meet the European managers and labels. In Cannes, Haber met the band's future manager Bob Cunningham from the UK. On the Way to Wonderland was released in 2006 in most of Europe. Their biggest hit "Fairytale Gone Bad" reached several top positions in radio and single charts in many European countries, and the band performed three sold-out European tours and the biggest European festivals, such as the main stage of Rock am Ring in 2007.

In 2007, the band decided to fire Kärkkäinen after a long difficult era. Kärkkäinen filed a lawsuit against the band claiming they had no right to perform as Sunrise Avenue without him. The band won the court case on the first level court in Finland and after three years of legal fight, both parties made a classified financial agreement for the future and all cases were dropped. The band name and the trademark is owned now by the only remaining original band member Samu Haber.

In 2008, Haber and Backlund bought the Sonic Kitchen Recording Studio in Helsinki together with a Finnish producer Aku Sinivalo. Sunrise Avenue recorded the second studio album Popgasm at Sonic Kitchen Studios. Haber and Backlund sold their share of the studio in 2010.

Acoustic Tour Live 2010 and later albums (2010–2020)

In 2010, Sunrise Avenue recorded the acoustic shows on their tour in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and released the best moments on their Acoustic Tour Live 2010 album in most of Europe.

In 2010, Sunrise Avenue started working with their third studio album together with Backlund and a new producer Jukka Immonen. The songs were written in Helsinki, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Stockholm, Greece and Germany. With two producers in the team, Haber became the band's executive producer. In the summer of 2010 after negotiating with many Scandinavian major record companies, Sunrise Avenue signed a worldwide deal with Universal Music (excluding Germany, Switzerland and Austria). Out of Style was released in 70 countries and the first single "Hollywood Hills" was a major radio and sales hit in many European countries.

Samu Haber in 2019 Sunrise Avenue - 2019180224736 2019-06-29 Stadtfest Ludwigshafen - 1037 - B70I4961.jpg
Samu Haber in 2019

In 2013, Sunrise Avenue released their fourth studio album, Unholy Ground , which was a huge success in Germany, Austria and in Switzerland. So far the album has sold platinum in Germany and in Switzerland, in Austria it has reached the gold limit. "Lifesaver" was the first single and it was a huge radio hit. Unholy Ground was a groundbreaking album and the tour after the release was sold out in several countries with venues up to 12,000 capacities.[ citation needed ]

In 2014, Sunrise Avenue released their very first best-of album, Fairytales. The album went straight to #1 in the German and Swiss album charts and went platinum in Germany and gold in Switzerland.

In 2016, the band released one single, "Prisoner in Paradise". A new album followed in 2017 titled Heartbreak Century which entered the German album charts at #1 position. The new album spawned two singles namely "I Help You Hate Me" and the title track. The new album was also accompanied by a European Tour in late 2017 through mid 2018. In 2018, a further single titled "Dreamer" was released.

Final years (2020 – 2022)

After a quiet 2019, at a press conference in Helsinki, the band announced on 2 December 2019 that they would not continue past 2020. They announced one final single titled "Thank You for Everything" and a small final tour in 2020 with a total of seven locations plus one festival, after which the band will no be longer active. [1] However, on 1 March 2021, they seemingly reunited, announcing new website and new album, alongside new band merch.

After long waiting, Sunrise Avenue started their Farewell Live Concert tour in 2022. Their farewell concert tour started in Finland (Seinäjoki and Helsinki). [2] They also released a documentary called This Is the End of the concert held in Helsinki. [3]

Sunrise Avenue's farewell concert tour continued to Germany in autumn 2022 (Hannover, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf). [4] The group played their final show in Düsseldorf on 18 September 2022.

Starting from 2020, Sunrise Avenue's head singer and songwriter Samu Haber is continuing his career as a solo artist and mainly singing in Finnish language. [5]

Band members

Timeline

Sunrise Avenue

Discography

Albums

Awards

YearAward
2007
  • NRJ Music Awards : Best Nordic Band, Best Newcomer Band, Best Nordic Album (On the Way to Wonderland)
  • Emma [Finland]: Best Newcomer Finland [6]
2008
  • Emma (Finnish Grammy): Biggest Export [7]
  • European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) presented by the EU in Cannes, France [8]
  • Eska Radio Award [Poland]
  • Radio Regenbogen Listener's Award [Germany]
2011
  • Sold-Out-Award (Out-of-Style Tour)
  • Emma (Finnish Grammy): Biggest Export
2013
  • Emma (Finnish Grammy): Biggest Export

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finntroll</span> Finnish black metal band

Finntroll is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki that combines elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on Visor om slutet. Finntroll's original singer, Katla, decided to use Swedish over Finnish since he was part of a Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and the sound of the language seemed to better suit the band's "trollish" outfit. Despite several vocalist changes, this tradition has continued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rasmus</span> Finnish rock band

The Rasmus is a Finnish rock band that formed in 1994 in Helsinki while the band members were in upper comprehensive school. The original band members were Lauri Ylönen, Eero Heinonen (bass), Pauli Rantasalmi (guitar) and Jarno Lahti (drums). Jarno Lahti left the year after and was replaced by Janne Heiskanen in 1995. Heiskanen quit the band in 1999 and was soon replaced by Aki Hakala. Pauli Rantasalmi left the band and was replaced by guitarist Emilia "Emppu" Suhonen in 2022. Best known for their 2003 hit single "In the Shadows", the band has sold over 5 million albums worldwide and 350,000 albums in Finland alone, and has won numerous awards, both domestic and international. The band represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song "Jezebel".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ensiferum</span> Finnish folk metal band

Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lordi</span> Finnish rock band

Lordi is a Finnish hard rock and heavy metal band. Formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker Mr Lordi, Lordi are known for wearing monster masks and using horror elements with pyrotechnics during concerts and music videos. The band rose to fame in 2002 with their hit single "Would You Love a Monsterman?", and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with their song "Hard Rock Hallelujah".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The 69 Eyes</span> Finnish rock band

The 69 Eyes is a Finnish rock band. It was founded in 1989 in Helsinki by vocalist Jyrki 69, guitarists Bazie, Timo-Timo and bassist Archzie, joined in 1992 by drummer Jussi 69; the lineup never changed since then. The 69 Eyes music blends gothic rock with glam metal and rock 'n roll in a style that was dubbed "goth 'n roll".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killer Aspect</span> Finnish rock band

Killer Aspect is a Finnish rock band from Helsinki. Its members are Max Paananen (vocals), Jaakko Teittinen (guitar), Jukka Savela (guitar), Jarkko Toivanen (bass), and Teijo Jämsä (drums). Their first single, "TV", made it to number one in the YleX radio charts.

Slipping Stitches was a hard rock/pop rock band from Helsinki, Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jukka Backlund</span> Finnish musician and producer (born 1982)

Jukka Henri Kristian Backlund is a Finnish music producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously a member of the Finnish rock band Sunrise Avenue, where he played keyboards. He is best known for producing their first album, On the Way to Wonderland, which is the best-selling international debut from Finland. Many of the songs on the album were co-written by Backlund and the lead singer Samu Haber, including the singles "Fairytale Gone Bad" and "Forever Yours".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Insight</span> Finnish rock band

Deep Insight is a rock band from Helsinki, Finland. The band was formed in early 2002 by childhood friends Jukka (vocals) and Johannes (guitar). They were later joined by Miska (bass) and Ville (drums). Their music is a mixture of American and emo rock, with Scandinavian influences. As of 2008 they had played more than 400 shows in 20 countries. The single Hurricane Season reached number one on the Finnish Singles Chart in 2005, retaining its position for six weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apocalyptica</span> Finnish symphonic metal band

Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is currently composed of three classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso. Originally a classical-style Metallica tribute band, the band eventually adopted a neoclassical metal style without the use of conventional guitars and bass. They have sold over four million albums to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iconcrash</span> Finnish rock band

Iconcrash is a Finnish Electronic rock/darkwave band from Helsinki, formed by vocalist/composer Jaani Peuhu. Now the band members include Arttu Juntunen, keyboard and backing vocals, Riku-Niilo Mattila bass, Matti Toivonen, guitar and Oskari Vilmunen, drums. The English-Finnish record company Parole Records published their debut album Nude in spring 2005, after which the live band was assembled.

<i>On the Way to Wonderland</i> 2006 studio album by Sunrise Avenue

On the Way to Wonderland is the debut album by the Finnish rock band Sunrise Avenue.

"Fairytale Gone Bad" is a song by rock band Sunrise Avenue. It charted successfully in many European countries, especially their native Finland as well as Germany, Greece and a number of other Northern and Eastern European countries.

The following is the discography of Sunrise Avenue, a Finnish rock band originally formed in 1992 as "Sunrise". The band changed its name to "Sunrise Avenue" in 2001.

Phoenix Effect is an alternative rock/post-grunge band from Espoo, Finland. Formed in 2008 by guitarist and vocalist Janne Kärkkäinen, the band has released two studio albums. Their first album, Cyanide Skies, was released on 18 February 2009 in Finland and entered the Finnish album charts at No. 22. Phoenix Effect have been known to collaborate with leading Finnish alternative rock band Poets of the Fall. Marko Saaresto and Olli Tukiainen from Poets of the Fall have performed additional vocals/guitars for the album. They have also made a cameo appearance in Phoenix Effect's music video 'King See No Evil'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle Beast (band)</span> Finnish metal band

Battle Beast is a Finnish heavy/power metal band established in Helsinki in 2008 by Anton Kabanen, Juuso Soinio and Pyry Vikki. The initial line-up consisted of guitarists Soinio and Kabanen, and drummer Vikki, who were high school friends. The rest of the original lineup, bassist Eero Sipilä, keyboardist Janne Björkroth and lead singer Nitte Valo, joined the band after auditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samu Haber</span> Finnish singer, guitarist and songwriter (born 1976)

Samu Aleksi Haber is a Finnish singer, songwriter, television music competition judge and entrepreneur. He was the lead vocalist and frontman of pop-rock band Sunrise Avenue, but later began his solo career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Hills (song)</span> 2011 single by Sunrise Avenue

"Hollywood Hills" is a song recorded by Finnish rock band Sunrise Avenue for their third studio album, Out of Style (2011).

<i>Unholy Ground</i> 2013 studio album by Sunrise Avenue

Unholy Ground is the fourth studio album by Finnish rock band Sunrise Avenue. It was released on 18 October 2013 by Universal Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamrad</span> German singer

Tim Kamrad, known professionally as Kamrad, is a German singer-songwriter. He rose to recognition following his debut single "Changes" in 2017.

References

  1. ↑ Germany, Abendzeitung (2 December 2019). "Abschiedstournee 2020: Sunrise Avenue lösen sich auf – Abendzeitung München". www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de (in German). Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "Sunrise Avenuen jäähyväiskiertue toteutuu kahden vuoden odottamisen jälkeen". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 8 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Sunrise Avenue | Official Website". Sunrise Avenue | Official Website. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Sunrise Avenue – Tour ab April 2022". www.regioactive.de (in German). Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "SAMU HABER SOOLOURALLE – ENSIMMÄINEN KAPPALE JULKAISTAAN HUOMENNA". Universal Music Finland. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "Sunrise Avenue Profile". Kultfabrik. (in German)
  7. ↑ "SA-Platininfo. SUNRISE AVENUE ERHALTEN PLATIN FÜR IHR ERSTES ALBUM". EMI Switzerland. 30 June 2008. (in German)
  8. ↑ "Sunrise Avenue: Konzerttickets gewinnen!" Archived 2012-10-29 at the Wayback Machine . Wiener. 14 April 2011. (in German)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.