Arja Saijonmaa impresses
- Text: Alexander Olin
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
The icon Arja Saijonmaa became an iconic artist in Melodifestivalen history after her performance of "Högt över havet" (in English: "High above the sea") in the Melody Festival. She also performed the entry as an interlude in the 2022 semi-final, on the occasion of her induction into the Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame, and yesterday she took us by storm again in a fantastic number in Allsång at Skansen.
Few Swedish artists have such a star status as Arja, and yesterday she proved it again live on stage at Skansen.
– She was amazing when she came on stage – her outfit, charisma, and voice, said Madeleine Lehman, who was sitting far up in the audience.
Arja also made an acclaimed appearance in the 2022 Melodifestivalen final, where she announced KAJ's entry "Bara Bada Bastu" alongside presenters Edvin Törnblom and Keyyo, who were dressed in sauna towels while Arja instructed them on how to take a sauna bath. Arja is also mentioned in the lyrics to "Bara bada bastu". She has also competed in Melodifestivalen with two more entries and also competed in the Finnish Melodifestivalen.
Awarded royal medal
In 2025, Arja Saijonmaa was awarded the Royal Medal of Litteris et Artibus "for outstanding artistic contributions in Swedish and international music life". In 1975, Arja Saijonmaa was one of the artists who participated in the Alternative Festival, which was organized in protest against the commercialization of the Swedish Melody Festival and the Eurovision Song Contest.
Political freedom fighter
Arja was drawn to the political movement and met the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis in 1970, and she had her international breakthrough as a vocal soloist in his ensemble during an extensive world tour from 1970 to 1972. The success with Theodorakis continued in 1977, when she recorded Greek songs in Swedish; a Finnish-language collection followed two years later. In 1975, she participated in the Alternative Festival in Stockholm. In 1979, she recorded songs by the Chilean singer Violeta Parra in both Swedish and Finnish. In Sweden, "Jag vill tacka livet" in particular was a great success.
Wide range
Arja Saijonmaa has a wide musical range, including interpretations of Zarah Leander and classical music. In total, she has recorded 35 albums. She has recorded songs in many different languages, including Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Greek, German, French, and English. She has also had film roles, for example, in Charlotte Löwensköld and Herr Puntila and his Servant Matti from 1979. During the period when dictatorship prevailed in Greece, she was deeply involved in the country's cause, as she describes in her book A Young Naked Woman.
She wrote her first song lyrics, "Min ensamhet" (in English: "My Loneliness"), which was released as a single in 2014 and was also included in the album "Dig har jag kär… min svenska sångbok 2014".
As an artist, you must have toured many countries. Do you know how many countries you have toured in?
– I have probably visited every country there is to visit.
What is your favorite country?
– I am generally very European and love all European countries from north to south, and the Mediterranean countries are close to my heart, as are the Nordic countries.
If you are in Finland, what is your favorite place there?
– The pure nature, the clear water of the lakes of Eastern Finland, and the forest at my country place in Finland.
You were the first pioneer to write about saunas in the 90s.
– I wrote the book about saunas as a lifestyle in Swedish for Norway. I became a sauna ambassador for the Nordic countries and gave hundreds of concerts in saunas, telling stories about the mythology and the origins of the sauna. My book, Sauna – My Path to Beauty and Inner Peace, was published in a new edition in Swedish this spring.
When you want to relax, what do you do?
– You guessed it – sauna and being in nature! And I also read a lot of books. I also have a secret beach in Greece, in the Aegean Sea, with its clear water, where ancient vases can still be found at the bottom. I can see the old vases. I swim a lot, mostly in Greece. That’s where I wrote my book about Mikis.
What is your life motto?
– Follow your heart! The inspiring word of my life is “freedom”, both political and inner and outer balance. Freedom plays a very big role in a person’s physical and mental health. I have also noticed that, when you travel, you see yourself and your culture from a distance. When I traveled with Mikis, I discovered many values in Nordic culture, and vice versa. As an artist, music is very important to me. I have fought with music. Singing is a strong weapon for freedom!
