Karaoke Year in Review 2021 - What were the Finnish favorites?

Despite the exceptional year, karaoke managed to entertain, bring laughter, and touch the hearts of Finns last year as well. In celebration of that, we delved into our statistics and created a year in review of what was sung in karaoke in 2021. Once again, the most popular songs of the year highlighted the productions of domestic artists and timeless classics.

TOP-lists of 2021

Despite the exceptional opening hours of restaurants, karaoke was sung as much as possible last year, and it is evident in our statistics as well. Some of the songs and artists that made it to the lists are clearly perennial favorites in karaoke, but the various phenomena of the past year have also had a significant impact. The TV series "Vain elämää" reminded people of Tuure Kilpeläinen and Kaihon Karavaani's 2016 release "Autiosaari," which has made its way to the list of most-sung songs. However, this time karaoke enthusiasts have been inspired to sing the original version instead of Jukka Poika's version heard on TV last year. The list of most-sung artists is dominated by Finnish classic creators also because their production offers more choices than newer artists.

The most sung songs of the entire year

The popularity of Finnish songs in 2021 continued even stronger than before, as there was no room for foreign productions on the top 10 list. Therefore, the most sung songs of the entire year are also the most sung Finnish songs. From international production, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's duet hit "Shallow" (A Star is Born) only ranked 15th in the list of most sung songs. In total, four songs have managed to maintain their positions in the top 10 most sung songs for two consecutive years!  These songs are "Lapin Kesä," "Paratiisi," "Kotiviini," and "Andre."

1. Lapin Kesä – Vesa-Matti Loiri
2. Paratiisi – Rauli Badding Somerjoki
3. Kotiviini – Anna Hanski
4. Mökkitie – Arttu Wiskari
5. Ukkometso – Popeda
6. Levoton Tuhkimo – Dingo
7. Andre – Marita Taavitsainen
8. Syntisten Pöytä – Erika Vikman
9. Matkustaja – Egotrippi
10. Autiosaari – Tuure Kilpeläinen ja Kaihon Karavaani

The most sung foreign songs.

The most popular foreign songs in karaoke in 2021 were all in English. Favorites from 2020, such as Rammstein and Amy Winehouse, had to step aside as classics like Frank Sinatra's beautiful "My Way" and ABBA's "Dancing Queen" returned to the list after a brief hiatus.

1. Shallow (A Star is Born) – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
2. My Way – Frank Sinatra
3. I Will Stay – Hurriganes
4. Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
5. My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
6. Dancing Queen – ABBA
7. Hurt – Johnny Cash
8. Always Remember Us This Way – Lady Gaga
9. Zombie – The Cranberries
10. Piano Man – Billy Joel

The most sung artists

We also set out to find out which artists Finns sang the most last year. The list takes into account the total number of times all songs by the artists were sung, and year after year, the legendary Kari Tapio continues to dominate the first place.

1. Kari Tapio
2. Paula Koivuniemi
3. Olavi Virta
4. Juice Leskinen
5. Yölintu
6. Eppu Normaali
7. Katri Helena
8. Souvarit
9. Kirka
10. Popeda

The most sung songs during mid-summer

The Midsummer cabin atmosphere and summer vibes were reflected in karaoke melodies last year, with songs like Arttu Wiskari's "Mökkitie," Lauri Tähkä's "Polte," and Rauli Badding Somerjoki's "Paratiisi" making it to the list. What better way to celebrate the midsummer festival than listening to "Paratiisi":

”Kun mä sinut kohtasin / oli ilta ihanin / linnut lauloi ja kimmelsi taivaan kuu.” (Paratiisi, Rauli Badding Somerjoki 1973)

1. Paratiisi – Rauli Badding Somerjoki  
2. Lapin Kesä – Vesa-Matti Loiri
3. Kotiviini - Anna Hanski 
4. Andre – Marita Taavitsainen
5. Mökkitie – Arttu Wiskari
6. Sininen Huivi – Souvarit
7. Pariiseja – Souvarit
8. Valkoinen Ruusu – Saija Tuupanen
9. Suloinen Myrkynkeittäjä – Mariska  & Pahat Sudet
10. Polte – Lauri Tähkä

The most sung songs on Independence Day

Independence Day karaoke was filled with wonderful songs celebrating Finnishness and independence. To our delight, the national anthem, "Maamme-laulu," made it to the top 10, as it was absent from the Independence Day list in 2020.

1. Olen Suomalainen – Kari Tapio
2. Finlandia-Hymni – Trad.
3. Mökkitie – Arttu Wiskari
4. Matkustaja – Egotrippi
5. 1972 – Anssi Kela
6. Maamme-Laulu – Trad.
7. Syntisten Pöytä – Erika Vikman
8. Ukkometso – Popeda
9. Tinakenkätyttö – Kaija Koo
10. Aikuinen Nainen – Paula Koivuniemi

The most sung new song of 2021

The stunning revamped version of Matin ja Tepon's hit "Vauhti Kiihtyy" garnered the most singing sessions from the new productions.

Vauhti Kiihtyy – Portion Boys feat. Matti ja Teppo

The impact of the coronavirus on karaoke

The challenges brought about by the coronavirus, such as restrictions on opening hours and singing bans, have inevitably affected the world of karaoke. Nevertheless, karaoke enthusiasts have not given up on singing. Restaurants have resiliently developed brilliant ways to enable singing in a safe environment. Despite the pandemic, the genre of sung songs has remained the same— Finnish songs continue to be a favorite for singing in any situation!

We previously wrote in our blog about the safety of karaoke during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more on the topic by clicking here.