ARI KOIVUNEN Begins Recording Sophomore Album

The winner of the Finnish national TV talent competition "Idols", 23-year-old heavy metal singer Ari Koivunen, has commenced work on his sophomore solo album with producer Nino Laurenne of THUNDERSTONE. According to Nino, "So far we have recorded drums for five songs so there's still a long road to go. Like before, we will produce the album with my good friend Pasi Heikkilä and mixing duties will be handled by Jesse Vainio. And, of course, the whole album will be recorded and mixed at Sonic Pump Studios. Since Ari's first album has sold around 75,000 copies [in Finland], it would be stupid to change the winning team (60,000 is double platinum in Finland)."

As previously reported, Koivunen has been nominated in the following categories at the Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammy equivalent):

* Best Male Vocalist
* Debut Album of the Year
* Audience's Choice - Best Finnish Artist

Emma Gaala will be held on Saturday March 8 at Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki. Koivunen is scheduled to perform at the event, which is sold out but will be broadcast on the Finnish channel YLE TV2.

A special edition of Ari Koivunen's debut solo album, "Fuel for the Fire", was issued in Finland on November 21, featuring a live DVD and acoustic versions of two album songs ("Hear My Call" and "Angels Are Calling") as a bonus. The live DVD contains material from Ari's concerts in Helsinki last summer and as well as interview footage.

"Angels Are Calling" acoustic version: