Aira Annikki Tähti, born December 5, 1929 in Helsinki, Finland, was a Finnish schlager singer and actress. Known as Annikki Tähti-Tiensuu between 1959 and 1978, her career began after an audition arranged by a colleague with conductor George de Godzinsky in 1950. She signed with the Scandia record label, debuting with the single “Onnen sävel” (1953), which she also performed in her debut film appearance in Kaksi hauskaa vekkulia (1953). Her commercial breakthrough came with the waltz “Muistatko Monrepos'n” (1955), which became the first gold record in Finland and the country's fourth-best-selling single of all time. She followed this with the gold-certified singles “Balladi Olavinlinnasta” (1956) and “Kuningaskobra” (1956). She also released several compilation albums, including 20 suosikkia – Muistatko Monrepos'n (1997) and Musiikin mestareita – Kaikki ikivihreät (2003). In 2002, she reached a new audience by performing “Muistatko Monrepos'n” in Aki Kaurismäki's film The Man Without a Past (2002). Her honors include an honorary knighthood in the Order of the Lion of Finland, the City of Vantaa Cultural Award (1992), and a Special Emma award (1998). In 2004, she was ranked number 89 on Yle's Suuret suomalaiset list of great Finns. She died on June 19, 2017 in Vantaa, Finland.
