Katri Helena (née Koistinen, 17 August 1945, Tohmajärvi) is a Finnish singer who has been performing since the 1960s. She has been married three times (Turunen, Kalaoja, Rajala) and is now living as a single mother. As an artist and a Finnish speaker, she is one of the most popular singers in Finland in terms of sales. She was the first singer in Finland to sell more than one million albums. Her most popular album, entitled Anna Mulle Tähtitaivas (Give Me The Starry Sky), has sold more than 100,000 copies. In a country with only five million inhabitants, this is a considerable accomplishment.
Katri Helena has had various hits, including "Puhelinlangat laulaa", "Katson sineen taivaan" and "Syysunelma". She has twice represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest: in 1979 with her song "Katson sineen taivaan" ("I'm Looking at the Blue Sky") and 1993 with her song "Tule luo" ("Come to me"). She also took part in the International Sopot Festival in 1969, singing "Valssi" during the Polish day.
In the search for the 100 Greatest Finns of all time, voted in the summer of 2004, Katri Helena placed 43rd.
Katri Helena has 3 children, 2 girls and a boy, with her husband Timo Kalaoja who died of a heart attack in 1988. His death affected her so much that she withdrew from public view and stopped performing and recording albums for four years. Her only son, Juha Kalaoja, also died of a heart attack at the age of 33, on April 29, 2009
