Lenna Kuurmaa
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{short description|Estonian singer and actress}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Lenna Kuurmaa
| image = Kuurmaa, Lenna 2012.IMG 8702.JPG
| caption = Kuurmaa in 2012
| image_size =
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name =
| alias = Lenna
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|09|26|df=yes}}
| birth_place =Tallinn, Estonia
| death_date =
| origin =
| instrument = Vocals, guitar
| occupation = Singing-songwriting, acting
| years_active =
| label = Mortimer Snerd & Frontiers Records
| associated_acts = Vanilla Ninja
| website =
}}
Lenna Kuurmaa (born 26 September 1985){{cite news|url=http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/476136|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130213033550/http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/476136|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 February 2013|title=Lenna Kuurmaa: tuleb endale võimalus anda|last=Niineste|first=Mart|date=22 August 2009|work=Eesti Päevaleht|language=Estonian|accessdate=17 April 2010}} is an Estonian singer-songwriter and actress.[http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/vanilla-ninja/love-is-war.htm Vanilla Ninja – Love Is War – Review – Stylus Magazine] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20090204161843/http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/vanilla-ninja/love-is-war.htm archive])[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1863944/ Lenna Kuurma] iMDb She is a member of the girl group Vanilla Ninja, but after the band's hiatus since 2009, continued to work as a solo-artist. She also formed a band with the name "Lenna" who released the debut album Lenna in June 2010.{{cite news|last=Nestor|first=Siim|title=Nädala album: Õhuküllane ja värvirikas suvekuulutaja|url=http://www.ekspress.ee/news/areen/uudised/nadala-album-ohukullane-ja-varvirikas-suvekuulutaja.d?id=31490261|accessdate=6 June 2010|newspaper=Eesti Ekspress|date=5 June 2010|language=Estonian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610035451/http://www.ekspress.ee/news/areen/uudised/nadala-album-ohukullane-ja-varvirikas-suvekuulutaja.d?id=31490261|archive-date=10 June 2010|url-status=dead}}
Musical career
From 1990 to 2002, Lenna Kuurmaa was a member of the ETV Lasteekraani Muusikastuudio and performed together with the choir in many festivals internationally (in Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Israel, the United Kingdom, Spain, USA and Russia). She studied violin in Tallinn Music School from 2000 to 2006 under teacher Urvo Uibokand. She received vocal training from Ester Lepa and Ludmilla Issakova 1997–2002. In 2002 she took part of televised singing contest Fizz Superstar, where she made it to the quarter-finals. In the same year Kuurmaa, together with 3 other girls, formed the rock band Vanilla Ninja. After Vanilla Ninja's hiatus in 2009, Lenna Kuurmaa started working as a solo-musician with the artist-name Lenna. In June 2010, she released her debut album Lenna under Mortimer Snerd. All of the songs were written together with and produced by Vaiko Eplik, who is also the owner of the record label.{{cite news|last=Tooming|first=Rando|title=Lenna: mõni lugu sai linti köögis|url=http://www.ohtuleht.ee/index.aspx?id=381687|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906065436/http://www.ohtuleht.ee/index.aspx?id=381687|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 September 2012|accessdate=7 June 2010|newspaper=Õhtuleht|date=5 June 2010|language=Estonian}} Her band also performed at the 2010 Shanghai EXPO.
=Eurovision Song Contest=
Lenna Kuurmaa has taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest and its national preselection contests with varying success.
- In 2003, with Vanilla Ninja, the song "Club Kung-Fu" was placed at the last position by an international jury at the national preselection contest Eurolaul, even while having a strong popular support.{{cite news|last=Nestor|first=Siim|title=Ninjade suur saladus|url=http://paber.ekspress.ee/viewdoc/28AE86683EEC6061C2256F6A00615C78|accessdate=7 June 2010|newspaper=Eesti Ekspress|date=15 December 2004|language=Estonian}}
- Again together with Vanilla Ninja, she represented Switzerland with the song "Cool Vibes" in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kyiv, where they finished 8th.
- In 2007, Vanilla Ninja participated in Eurolaul 2007 with the song "Birds of Peace", and placed fourth.
- In 2010, Lenna Kuurmaa participated as a solo artist at the national contest Eesti Laul 2010 with the song "Rapunzel", which was co-arranged by Vaiko Eplik. The song finished second.
- In 2012, Lenna participated again in the national contest Eesti Laul 2012 with the song "Mina jään", which finished second.
- In 2014, Lenna participated again in Eesti Laul with the song "Supernoova". She finished fourth.
- In 2017, Lenna participated again in Eesti Laul, this time with the song "Slingshot", finishing eighth.
Acting
Kuurmaa played the second lead role of Maya in the year 2007 Estonian film Kuhu põgenevad hinged (Where Souls Go) and Angela in the Estonian soap opera Kodu keset linna, also in 2007.[http://www.kalev.ee/est/?news=905156 JUST: Kuhu põgenevad hinged? Lenna Kuurmaa veenev muutumine satanistiks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102094230/http://www.kalev.ee/est/?news=905156 |date=2 November 2007 }} Kalev.ee {{in lang|et}}[https://archive.today/20120905221401/http://www.ohtuleht.ee/index.aspx?id=254180 Lenna Kuurmaa pääseb Angelana homsele õhtusöögile – Õhtuleht]{{in lang|et}} Since 2008, Kuurmaa has taken part in Theatre NO99's play Pericles as a guest-actress.{{cite web|url=http://www.no99.ee/lavastused.php?nid=34|title=Perikles|publisher=NO99|language=Estonian|accessdate=17 April 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720125559/http://www.no99.ee/lavastused.php?nid=34|archivedate=20 July 2011}} In 2010, she was given a role of an Estonian Security Police investigator in the crime-drama series Kelgukoerad. She has stated that she has no interest in pursuing professional acting education.
She has a role in the 2012 Finnish movie Vuosaari, named after a particular district in Helsinki and the same year appeared as Pille in the Peeter Simm-directed drama Üksik saar. From 2012 until 2014, she appeared as Anne in the Kanal 2 comedy series Tupiktänava mehed. In 2017, Kuurmaa began appearing in the role of Ramilda Martin on the Estonian TV3 crime-comedy series Kättemaksukontor.
Other activities
Image:Lenna Kuurmaa @ Raadio 2 Hit Of The Year.jpg
Kuurmaa has also worked in television, for example being the host for the song contest Laulukarussell in 2006. She has also hosted programs in the Sky Plus radio since 2007. Kuurmaa is a member of Estonian Performers' Association (EEL) and Estonian Authors' Society (EAÜ). She has been involved in the musical theatre projects Kuningas ja mina (The King and I) and Helisev muusika (The Sound of Music). In 2007, Lenna Kuurmaa was chosen by the audience of Raadio 2 to be a singer in the Unistuste Bänd (Dream Band), a supergroup composed of popular Estonian musicians for a one-time performance at Raadio 2 Hit of the Year award gala.{{cite news|last=Eger|first=Ninn|title=Unistuste Bändi esimesed pillimehed on selgunud|url=https://www.elu24.ee/?id=6627|accessdate=6 June 2010|newspaper=Elu24.ee|date=28 November 2007|language=Estonian}}
In 2010, she participated in the TV3 series "Laulud tähtedega" with Artur Talvik.{{cite news|url=http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/494558|title=Artur Talvik: ronib mäkke budistlikult|access-date=9 March 2018|date=4 March 2010|publisher=Eesti Päevaleht|last=Šein|first=Liivi|language=Estonian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407181429/http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/494558|archive-date=7 April 2010|url-status=dead}} In 2015, she took part of the Estonian version of the TV show Stars in Their Eyes
Discography
= Albums =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col"| Title
! scope="col"| Details |
|---|
| scope="row"| Lenna
|
|
| scope="row"| Teine
|
|
| scope="row"| Moonland (with Moonland) |
|
| scope="row"| 3X
|
|
= Singles =
== As lead artist ==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| EST |
| scope="row"| "Rapunzel"
| rowspan="4"| 2010 | 1 | rowspan="6"| Lenna |
| scope="row"| "Musta pori näkku" (with Mihkel Raud) | — |
| scope="row"| "Kogu tõde jüriööst"
| — |
| scope="row"| "Mida sa teed"
| — |
| scope="row"| "Maailm ei keerle"
| rowspan="2"| 2011 | — |
| scope="row"| "Hüvasti, Maa"
| — |
| scope="row"| "Mina jään"
| 2012 | 1 | Teine |
| scope="row"| "Sinule"
| rowspan="3"| 2013 | — | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "Seal, kus jäljed kaovad maast"
| 14 | rowspan="2"| Teine |
| scope="row"| "Supernoova"
| 10 |
| scope="row"| "Heaven Is To Be Close to You" (with Moonland) | rowspan="3"| 2014 | — | rowspan="3"| Moonland |
| scope="row"| "Open Your Heart" (with Moonland) | — |
| scope="row"| "Live and let go" (with Moonland) | — |
| scope="row"| "Veel ei tea"
| rowspan="2"| 2015 | — | rowspan="3" {{n/a|Non-album singles}} |
| scope="row"| "Suvehommik Setumaal"
| — |
| scope="row"| "Õnnega koos"
| 2016 | — |
| scope="row"| "Slingshot"
| 2017 | — | {{TBA}} |
| colspan="10" style="font-size:85%"| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
== As featured artist ==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| EST |
| scope="row"| "Sellel ööl" (Violina featuring Lenna Kuurmaa) | 2010 | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
| colspan="10" style="font-size:85%"| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
== Other songs ==
- "Saatus naerdes homse toob/Think idly"
- "Loomeinimesed"
- "Like a kid"
- "Mine tee tööd"
- "Vara" (with Slide-Fifty)
- "Rada" (with Mikk Saar)
- "Sinuni" (with Ott Lepland)
- "Kallim kullast (with Koit Toome)
- "Eesti, Eesti, Eesti"
- "Falling Star"
- Taevatähtedest Tee (with Ivo Linna and Supernova)
References
External links
{{Commons category|Lenna Kuurmaa}}
- {{facebook|Lenna-307667476199}}
- {{MusicBrainz artist|id=0d988a9f-5615-4644-84ca-296fc05c3979|name=Lenna Kuurmaa}}
- {{MusicBrainz artist|id=b3e5b5a8-31c3-4609-bda6-1910a8ad6ea3|name=Lenna}}
- {{IMDb name|1863944|Lenna Kuurmaa}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuurmaa, Lenna}}
Category:Estonian women pop singers
Category:21st-century Estonian women singers
Category:Estonian film actresses
Category:Estonian television actresses
Category:Estonian women guitarists
Category:Vanilla Ninja members