Arja Saijonmaa

Arja Saijonmaa (born December 1, 1944) is a Finnish singer, political activist and occasional actress. She made her breakthrough as a singer in Sweden. She has made albums with Swedish translations of songs by Mikis Theodorakis, as well as covers of Zarah Leander songs. As a politician, she has been a member of the Swedish People's Party in Finland and in 1987 she was appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. When Prime minister Olof Palme was buried in 1986, she sung "Jag vill tacka livet". Her last album Nära was recorded in Assisi, Italy in 2003.