Idols winner Koop Arponen gigs in pubs, and it suits him well

In the morning scaffolding installation for a roofing company, negotiation of partnerships for customers in the afternoons and gigs on the weekends. Vocalist Buy Arposen the working weeks are varied, and he spends his free time closely with his family.

The year 2008 Idols-the winner of the competition nowadays mainly performs as a duo or trio in pubs and private events. In them, he feels that he gets a genuine contact with the audience.

“Compared to a big show, there is less pressure and stress, but the end result is just as fun, if not more fun. It also reminds me of the moments I enjoyed when I was younger, when there was live music in every other pub in England,” says Arponen.

Finnish the son of a Dutch father and mother spent his youth in Britain. Even then, he was mainly interested in music performed acoustically with a small ensemble.

The greatest impression was made by a British street performer, whom he bumped into by chance in Sweden at the age of 17.

“I had just received my driver’s license and my friend and I bought a half-used Volkswagen Kleinbus, which we used to travel around Europe. We went by ship from England to Sweden and drove 45 minutes when the car broke down. We got food and a couple of snacks from the store, and there was a street musician outside the store who drank beers with us and invited us to eat,” Arponen recalls.

“That night we sang, drank some beer and he played the guitar. I thought, wow, it would be wonderful to play guitar like that. The next day he helped fix the car.”

Army on weekend breaks in Finland, Arpose had time to learn the basics of playing the guitar. After that, he returned to Britain to study, participated in a karaoke contest and won a thousand pounds. Inspired by the competition, he started performing with his friend in pubs and on the street.

After returning to his father’s homeland, Arponen worked at the State Railways in Seinäjoki. It was shown on TV during the night shift Idols– competition advertisement, and the supervisor encouraged me to apply.

“I thought it would be a nice experience. There would be nothing to lose and it would make a great story to tell my friends in the pub in England. My knowledge of the Finnish language did worry me, because I didn’t feel that it was strong enough to sing Finnish songs.”

Arponen advanced to the finals of the competition and eventually won it. More than a million TV viewers followed the final competition held in the Helsinki Ice Hall. Arponen was rewarded with a five-year recording contract, but he canceled it after two years and two albums.

“My records had an absolutely top producer Leri Leskinen and top musicians, but they just lacked something, and I think it was me. I idolized at the time I still didn’t know what kind of music I wanted to make. When I wanted to do more of my own stuff, the record company stated that there probably isn’t a market for it in Finland.”

However, Arponen continued gigging until he moved to London and started a family. Three years ago, the road brought me back to Finland and Seinäjoki.

“For the first time in my life, I don’t want to go anywhere else. We wanted the children to have nature and space, and those were hard to find in London. There are good, honest people here.”

To Ostrobothnia after settling down, Arponen started negotiating brand partnerships for companies and artists. The first customer was Idols-time competitor Pete Parkkonen.

Arponen was also in the process of acquiring financing Lapua 1976 – for the film, which gathered good viewership numbers last year.

“Me and the director of the film In Toni Kurkimäki have children of the same age, and we were in Hoplop for coffee. He knew I did this kind of work and asked if there was any way I could help them out to get them going when they couldn’t get any money for the film. I bet the end result would have been just as great if I hadn’t been involved, but I was in the early stages and we got the money together.”

Arponen’s customers are also record companies and sports players. Sponsorship money has been tighter since the start of the war in Ukraine, but the work is meaningful.

Life however, the most important goals are related to the well-being of one’s own family. You have to take care of your wife and children. In his music career, Arponen still dreams of making an album that he could be completely satisfied with.

He has written about one song a year and hopes to get them recorded properly so that they can be preserved for the children. The songs have stories and great emotions.

“It’s been wonderful to be able to make music in my own style. It’s not very commercial, but I’d rather do something I’m passionate about, even if it makes a little less money.”

He has also been offered to make a Finnish-language album, but it hasn’t been time yet. First, she wants to wait for her children to grow up.