Biography
Monica is a Finnish singer-songwrtier, and the sister of Ami Aspelund, who represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983. Aspelund danced and sang in talent shows from an early age, making her recording debut at age fourteen with “Katso, kenguru loikkaa” a children’s song recorded in the autumn of 1960. Aspelund had been collaborating with Aarno Raninen from 1970 and in 1975 Aspelund had her first mainstream album release with Monica & Aaron Raninen Orkesteri which included “Fasten Seatbelts”, Aspelund’s first entrant in the Finnish national preliminary of the Eurovision Song Contest. After again competing in the Finnish national preliminary for Eurovision in 1976 with Joiku, Aspelund won the Finnish national preliminary for Eurovision in 1977.
On 30 September 1978, Aspelund was a passenger aboard Finnair Flight 405, which was hijacked by a lone gunman. Aspelund and the rest of the passengers and crew were freed when the hijacker departed from the plane.
