Maija Johanna Vilkkumaa (born 9 November 1973) is a Finnish pop rock singer-songwriter. Beginning her musical hobbies playing piano at an age before school, Vilkkumaa studied in high school where she and her friends set up the band Tarharyhmä in 1990, which broke up in 1995. While studying Finnish language at the University of Helsinki, she started to take singing lessons and went on to start her solo career in 1999. During her solo career from 1999 to 2011, Vilkkumaa has released eight full-length solo albums and sold over 300,000 certified records, becoming the tenth-best-selling female soloist in Finland. Along with meeting commercial success, the singer—who writes and composes the songs by herself—has also been credited for her songwriting skills by receiving the Juha Vainio Award. She has also received five Emma Awards, accolades for outstanding achievements in music, awarded by the Finnish music industry federation, Musiikkituottajat, and five Emma nominations. Life and career 1973–1993: Early life and education Maija Vilkkumaa was born in Helsinki on 9 November 1973. She has two little sisters and she lived her childhood in the neighborhood of Töölö. She played piano beginning younger than at the age of seven and finishing when she was 16. In 1992, Vilkkumaa completed her matriculation examination at Kallio High School in Helsinki and studied Finnish language at the University of Helsinki since 1993. 1990s: Tarharyhmä, solo career beginnings and Pitkä ihana leikki In 1990, Maija Vilkkumaa set up the band Tarharyhmä with her friends, gaining national radio play with its songs. Vilkkumaa wrote and composed and most of the songs. With Tarharyhmä breaking up in 1995, Vilkkumaa started to attend singing lessons. She has also played keyboard in the band Hunajamelonit (Honey Melons). In 1999, Vilkkumaa started a solo career setting up a band around her. The band consisted of keyboard player Tero Pennanen, bassist Niko Kokko and guitarist Mikko Kosonen. In August of the same year, Vilkkumaa released her debut album Pitkä ihana leikki (Long Sweet Game), after the arrival of its debut single "Satumaa-tango". With the debut album peaking at number three on the Finnish Albums Chart and selling gold with over 38,000 copies, critics welcomed Vilkkumaa as an inventive new artist in the then-sparse scene of Finnish female pop rockers and she received the 2000 Emma Award for New Female Soloist of the Year. At the same event, Pitkä ihana leikki was nominated for Debut