Jonna Christensen
Jonna Pirinen Christensen, known as "Jonna," is a Finnish singer and songwriter.
Jonna won the equivalent of American Idol (Finnish Popstars) in Finland and then released three very successful albums in her native country under the Sony label. Jonna made two major decisions that led to leaving Sony and changing her image: she joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and decided to record songs in English. Her record label saw no reason for her to expand beyond her successful Finnish market and ended her contract. She moved to Los Angeles, where she stayed for eighteen months.
Her first English single, "Puppets" is about modesty. Jonna was a typical pop star as far as modesty was concerned, but discovered that being admired for sensuality doesn't bring happiness. This song is about breaking free of the sexy image and covering up.
Back in Finland, she independently released a couple of singles and studied Pop and Jazz vocal performance in Helsinki and Stockholm and perfected her vision and artistry. She also worked on her fourth album, Sound Mind, which she released in August 2015.
Besides singing and songwriting, Jonna hosted a Finnish TV show called “Voice Out!”, performed in three musicals (“Hair, 2003, “Grease” 2002–2003, and “Hello Dolly!” 2000), and was a backup dancer for K-System and shows "Step up" (2001–2002) and "Cat people" (1996–2001). She won three Finnish championships with show dance and hip-hop group formations and was the best female solo dancer in the Disco and show dance competition in 2002. She also choreographed some of her music videos and was a dance instructor for a time.
Jonna joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 2003 in Finland. She had been studying social services, focusing on an English kindergarten that happened to be across the street from an Latter-day Saint chapel. Full-time missionaries volunteered at the school each Friday. She was curious about them and asked questions, and was taught for about a year before she was baptized.
- "I know that everything happens for a reason," Jonna said. "I have never regretted joining the church even though my popularity did take a hit as I had feared. My choice was the unpopular one in Finland at that time. But I always knew that my Heavenly Father had a plan for me. As I made the covenant with him, I promised to take (Christ’s) name upon myself and to do everything, even my career, within the boundaries that he has set. I knew that I would be happier that way. And I am.” [1]
