20 years of love union! This is how Sonja Lumme, 64, and husband Arne, 54, overcame their biggest difficulty

Vocalist Sonja Lumme, 64, and her actor-singer husband Arne Nylander54, will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this summer. They have been together for 23 years. Sonja bluntly admits that a long relationship is the most important thing in her life, and her husband is her best friend.

– They say that some people understand each other just by looking at each other. We don’t even have to look, we know each other’s thoughts, Sonja Lumme laughs.

They are united by a sense of humor and a world of values. The most difficult part of the relationship was the period, which he can name with lightning speed. Then they both lost their mothers within a short time of each other, and then Sonja’s father also died.

At Easter, there can be sadness in the air, because Sonja’s mother died after Easter 2004. It inevitably comes to mind every year.

– There was a moment when it felt like there was no light anywhere. But we got through it and both supported the other. We know when to give space, and when to get close. And also how to support, he says.

Sometimes the best support for a spouse is to stay at a distance and let the other do the work. It’s not always worth demanding attention, the singer knows.

The couple spends Easter in the peace of their Helsinki home watching TV, and Sonja grabs the cats Onni and Sulo under her arm on the sofa.

The crash stopped

Sonja Lumpee and Arne Nylander have a mutual agreement that will not be violated. The work takes both of them to different parts of Finland, but the other is taken care of.

Every time Arne’s spouse gets behind the wheel of a car on a concert trip, he tells Sonja about it.

– When he’s in traffic, I’m always worried because anything could happen. It’s not that he’s a bad driver, but when you have a lot of people on the roads these days, the singer says.

He has personal experience of this.

In December 2023, the couple drove on Kehä I. The driver in front of them suddenly lost control of his car. According to Sonja, the car drove hard towards them.

– We didn’t have time to dodge him. The driver crashed into us and then ran away. He didn’t have a driver’s license, and there was more to it. Such a person should not have been driving on the road at all, says Sonja Lumme.

– It’s a wild situation when you see that now that car is coming your way, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

According to the singer, they called the police and their car was towed to the repair shop. What happened left a little fear in my thoughts. Because of this, the pair have locators on their phones to follow each other’s journeys on the winding gig roads, just in case.

For loved ones

Sonja’s childhood experience of her brother’s disappearance at the age of 16 on a cargo ship in the Baltic Sea and the ensuing uncertainty and sadness in the family left its mark on Sonja. He became not only a talented singer and survivor, but also a caregiver.

My sister Paula Wilson had a heart attack a couple of years ago and had bypass surgery. Everything didn’t go like it did in Strömsö, so Sonja took an apartment in Turku and stayed by his side.

– Yes, I have a fear of losing. I’m worried about my loved ones, she says with a warm smile.

– People are at their weakest when they’re sick, and they can’t fight for themselves then. Then people would be needed who would walk alongside them, take care of their affairs and sort them out for them.

For Sonja, taking responsibility has also seemed like the fact that, despite great sadness, she has sung at the funerals of both of her parents. Or if ex-husband Matti Auranen80, has needed a place for the night in the capital region, he has welcomed him to his home.

Togetherness with the band’s guitarist lasted from 1984 to 2002, and although the separation was not easy, since then they have remained on good terms.

– Matti is my friend and I will more or less take care of him too. Tomorrow we will go to the Turku City Theater together, where my husband is performing The Addams Family – in the musical, Sonja says in an interview.

Moments of joy

Sonja Lumme feels free on stage and enjoys those moments. The feeling was intoxicating at the New Music Competition in February, where he performed the 1985 classic for ten thousand people Long live life.

– In that performance, nothing was left to chance, but a moment before going on stage there was a fashion designer there Teemu Muurimäkiwho checked himself at the miking point that everything is in place.

During my career, the busy pace of work has shown itself as momentary exhaustion and at times insomnia. In those moments, the husband has advised Sonja to take a breather. The couple, who have been together for a long time, understand the challenges dictated by the profession, even without saying it out loud.

– If something is not done, it is difficult to give yourself peace. I have felt guilty. I can supervise and work if necessary for as long as it takes to get the job done. I have slept four hours a night. In recent years, I have realized that sleep is important, Sonja Lumme laughs.

Nowadays he sleeps No Kantola tip with a thermal blanket and on gig trips he takes a hot water bottle with him, which he slips under the blanket in the hotel.

It brings good, soft dreams.

Makeup and hair: Satu Arvo. Style: Hani Haimi. Clothing information: Light sweater, tulle skirt and golden rings, Caramba, Aleksanterinkatu. Lime green sweater, Karvinen, Pohjoisesplanadi. Pink linen pants, green blazer and orange sweater, Villa Tremondo. Sneakers, open-toed shoes and flats, Red Shoe, Fredrikinkatu.