Finnish Henna only stays in five-star hotels on business trips: “We traveled in a police convoy”

The work takes Henna Peltos to different parts of the world together with the Swedish star Dr. Alban. PASI LIESIMAA / AOP

Dancer Henna Peltonen41, has been gigging as a ysäri star for ten years Dr. Alban’s with around the world. Her work as a backing singer for a Swedish star has taken her to the most extraordinary places and brought with her surprising experiences.

– Alban usually doesn’t warn in advance what kind of gigs are coming up. Recently, we appeared completely unexpectedly on the live broadcast of Norway’s biggest TV channel. He is used to throwing himself in this job, he laughs.

– We usually always stay in five-star hotels, so it’s often sad when our visits are so short. Many people think that foreign gigs involve touring cities and lounging in swimming pools. In reality, the schedules are really tight, and due to minute schedules, we usually only see the scenery from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the venue.

Dr Alban, a Nigerian-born former dentist, has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. The Eurodance star is known for his hits It’s My Life and Sing Hallelujah.

Dinner with the President

Peltonen now tells Iltalehti the most memorable situations from around the world.

– The most memorable concert venue has been Uzbekistan, where we performed this summer. We also met the country’s president there and got an invitation to the local White House, where we visited and had dinner together Hands up – known for the hit of Ottawa with, he surprises.

– Also in Moldova, the president was watching our gig and came to meet us before the gig. We flew there with only a day’s notice. Many were worried when we flew so close to Ukraine, but I didn’t feel that there was any need to be afraid there.

The cultural differences in the countries were clearly visible to Finns. In Uzbekistan, cows and goats roamed the streets freely. Henna Peltonen performed in a Muslim country in front of thousands of people on stage – and the party people were very happy.

– We went everywhere in a police convoy, and at the airport the airport officials came to ask for pictures together and carry our bags, Peltonen praises.

The concert venues have sometimes been breathtakingly beautiful.

– Once in Cyprus, we performed at a private party in a huge historical castle, where armed men dressed in dark suits and black sunglasses stood guard. There was a ban on filming at the party and the scenes were like straight out of a James Bond movie.

Neo-Nazi riot

The biggest shock came in 2018 in Stockholm, where Henna Peltonen and Dr Alban got into the middle of a riot on a shopping trip.

Supporters of the Nordic resistance movement NMR, which consists of neo-Nazis, violently clashed with left-wing factions opposing them in the center.

– I went shopping with my colleague when we got into the middle of a riot. When we stepped out of a clothing store in Stockholm, there was a full riot going on in the street in front of us. People screamed and attacked each other, and at the same time police rushed to the scene and ran with batons to hit people to the ground, he recalls.

SVT reported at that time that the police had arrested nine people, two of whom were arrested.

– For a moment it felt like watching an action movie. Fortunately, we survived with a scare!

Busy summer

The past concert summer has been busy abroad. This summer, Peltonen performed only once in Finland with Dr. Alban at the Radio Nova festival.

– We’ve been traveling all summer from one country to another so that when I wake up in the morning I don’t even remember which country I’m in, he says with amusement.

In the future, he would also like to work independently in Finland at various events.

– There are also new winds blowing on the work front and we will launch something new soon, which we will talk about in the fall.