Sirkka will never forget her first Pandora gig – “One woman, her DJ and a world-class show”

Back in the ‘90s Sirkka Harvisalo was a mother of young children, and techno music was mostly familiar to her from the aerobics class.

– Of course everyone knew the name Pandora, but maybe I wasn’t her main target audience in the 90s. I do remember my younger brother mentioning Pandora to me because she was from Västerås and it is a city close to Hallstahammar where we grew up, Sirkka recalls.

Let’s fast-forward to early 2020 when the pandemic had just hit and locked people in their homes. Masked Singer had kicked off for its first season in Finland and was reaching approximately 1,5 million viewers per episode in a country of 5,5 million people. Sirkka was mesmerized by the talented Peacock.

– I was so impressed by her voice and interpretations. I didn’t recognize who she was, but my daughter had a feeling she might be Pandora.

“Her life story is very inspiring”

Sirkka’s parents moved from Finland to Sweden in 1970 where she lived until the early 80’s.

– That is why I follow a lot of TV and radio shows in Swedish. I saw Pandora on Succekväll med Janne Grönroos and heard her story on Vegas Sommarpratare in 2021. Pandora’s story and her incredibly beautiful acoustic song, Kaunista niin kaunista, touched me. I visited her webpage and started following her on social media.

Pandora’s social media gave Sirkka an impression of a down-to-earth artist with a great sense of humor.

– Her life story is very inspiring. I admire how she managed to keep her positive attitude despite the challenges she faced.

Since then, Sirkka has also become very familiar with Pandora’s discography.

– Her versatility astonishes me. There are so many good songs, but Don’t Worry has become one of my favorites because it is a very uplifting song. This may be embarrassing to admit, but I have always liked The Sands of Time, but I never really knew whose song it was, I just heard it on the radio often.

“I danced, sang and felt alive”

Sirkka attended to her first Pandora show at Tapiola Festivaali in August 2022.

– I danced, sang and felt alive. The atmosphere at the Metro Areena was amazing. It was nice seeing so many different people of different ages united by it. The almost euphoric feeling after the show made me want for more.

Sirkka was particularly amazed by the energetic show.

– I have been to many concerts in my life, but this one was something special: one woman, her DJ and a world-class show. I also enjoyed how genuinely she spoke between her songs – nothing felt scripted to me. I will never forget that night.

After the show, Sirkka participated in Pandora Lovers Facebook group’s Meet & Greet.

– It was unbelievable how easily approachable a star like her was. We had such a lovely chat and I also felt warmly welcomed into her fan group. I have never really considered myself as a fan in my life, but now I am, and I will enjoy it and make the most of it, Sirkka smiles.

After her first Pandora show, Sirkka has been impatiently waiting for a new gig close to her.

– I am going to see Elton John in Stockholm with my husband in July, and I have been thinking about attending to Vi Som Älskar 90-talet tour in Stockholm too. I am also dreaming of seeing one of the acoustic Anne Li gigs. Just her and the guitar would be a dream come true for me.

Sirkka will never forget her first Pandora show at Tapiola Festivaali in Espoo.

Sirkka participated in Pandora Lover’s Facebook Group’s Meet & Greet event.