Irina

Irina Saari (née Lahtinen, born on 10 May 1975 in Kauhajoki), better known by her stage name Irina, is a Finnish singer. Her style is pop and suomirock. She currently lives in Heinola. All of the songs on Irina's debut album were written by Toni Wirtanen of Apulanta except for the cover song "Katujen kuningatar" ("Queen of the Streets"). For some of the lyrics in the songs, she is noted as a co-writer. For her second album Älä riko kaavaa (Don't Mess With the Formula), Knipi and Ville Pusa contributed to the songwriting in addition to Wirtanen. Irina wrote all of the lyrics for her third album. In 2005, Irina received Emma awards for best new pop artist of the year and debut album of the year. Irina has mentioned that her favourite artists are Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Sting, Robbie Williams, Harry Connick Jr., Egotrippi and Rangaistuspotku. During her career, Irina has sold over 150,000 certified records in Finland, which places her among the top 30 of the best-selling female soloists in Finland.