Kataliin Puisko

**Years active** | 1987–present

**Kataliin Puisko** (born 20 September 1970) is an Estian singer, songwriter, and businesswoman. Puisko achieved considerable success in the late-1980s and 1990s, known for her electronic pop songs and high-energy performances.

Born in Jõgeküla to an academic family, Puisko began her music career at age 16, after winning *Kes on meie järgmine täht?* in 1987. As part of her winning prize package, Puisko later released the single "Ma oskan lennata" in 1988, which went on to become a hit in Estland, catapulting Puisko into stardom. Following a string of hit singles in 1988 and 1989, Puisko released her debut studio album *Kataliin* (1989), which went on to become her first chart-topping album in Estland.

Following the success of *Kataliin*, Puisko went on to release six further successful albums: *Ära kunagi anna alla* (1992), *Ämblik naine* (1995), *Nitro* (1999), *Kuningannad* (2002), and *Mu armsad* (2014), and a number of hit singles. In 2002, Puisko won Eesto Song 2002 with the song "Kuningannad', and afterwards represented Estland in the Eureavision Song Contest 2002, ultimately placing eighth in the final. Puisko additionally featured as a judge on *Eesto tahab superstaari!* from 2005 until 2010, and served as a mentor on *Kes on meie järgmine täht?* in 1997, 2004, and 2016.

During her career, Puisko has cultivated a public image as a sex symbol, and was named one of the top five most iconic Estian sex symbols of the 1990s in 2014. In addition to her music career, Puisko is also a businesswoman who owns a clothing boutique in Otesalu.

## Early life and education

Puisko was born on 20 September 1970 in Jõgeküla to parents Anders Puisko (1932–2019) and Inger Lilk (1937–2007). Her father was an astrophysicist and professor of astrophysics at Jõgeküla University, while her mother was a political organizer and activist for the Estland National Party. Puisko was raised middle-class as the second of three children; her siblings include Samuel (born 1967) and Karoliina (born 1972).

Puisko began her education in 1976, attending a local public primary school. She has recalled failing to live up to her parents' academic expectations of her, struggling in school and later being diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, which further complicated her academic studies. She turned to music and performing when she was 11, out of frustration with being unable to perform academically at the level that was expected of her. Puisko graduated from primary school in 1986, and afterwards enrolled in a local music school where she studied vocal performance. After beginning her professional career in 1987, Puisko dropped out of upper secondary school, and did not return to complete her studies.

## Career

### 1987–1989: *Kes on meie järgmine täht?*, breakthrough, and *Kataliin*

Puisko began her career in 1987, aged 16, after auditioning for *Kes on meie järgmine täht? 1987* in Jõgeküla. She was ultimately selected as one of the competition's finalists. Two weeks before the airing of the program, she relocated to Otesalu to begin rehearsals, and later competed in the finale on 18 July 1987. Puisko was ultimately selected as the winner by the show's mentors, receiving the opportunity to record and release a single with Estian music producers as her grand prize. Following her victory, Puisko chose to drop out of school and remain in Otesalu to begin a professional music career, against the wishes of her parents; she resided in a shared apartment in Piira-Otesalu with the elder sister of one of her friends from school.

In May 1988, Puisko released the single "Ma oskan lennata." The song was heavily inspired by *musicca regiana*, a style of dance-pop music produced in Regia, which had been amassing worldwide popularity at the time. "Ma oskan lennata" went on to become a hit single in Estland, and also achieved success abroad in Ranland and Lemuria. As a result, Puisko was catapulted into stardom. She released a string of other successful electropop and dance-pop singles in 1988, before releasing her debut studio album *Kataliin* in February 1989, which became her first chart-topping album in Estland. As a result of the album's success, Puisko embarked on the Kataliin Tour, which performed shows throughout Estland from May to June 1989, and later supported Regina on her Incorronata World Tour for shows in Northern Eurea from September to December 1989.

### 1990–2001: Continued success

Following the success of *Kataliin* and the completion of her concert tours in 1989, Puisko took a brief pause from her music career, before returning to the studio in 1992. She later released the single "Ära kunagi anna alla" in June 1992, which was seen as a departure from her *musicca regiana* songs of the past, instead modernizing for a more urban dance-pop sound. Nevertheless, "Ära kunagi anna alla" was still a smash hit in Estland, and preceded the release of her second studio album of the same name in September 1992. She subsequently embarked on the Ära kunagi anna alla Tour, which performed shows in Estland, Lemuria, Ranland, and Kasha from October 1992 to February 1993. She additionally performed as a musical guest at Eesto Song 1993.

Puisko continued to be a force within the Estian music industry throughout the rest of the 1990s. She released a further eleven singles in the decade, seven of which became top ten hits in the country. Additionally, she released two other chart-topping studio albums: *Ämblik naine* in June 1995 and *Nitro* in September 1999. Puisko appeared as a mentor on *Kes on meie järgmine täht? 1997*, the ten year anniversary edition of her winning the competition in 1987. She also made her debut as a contestant in Eesto Song 1999, placing second with the song "Suvine armastus." During the latter half of the decade, Puisko began to cultivate a public image of a sex symbol, often incorporating sexualized imagery in her high-energy live performances, which generated further attention in the Estian music industry. In 1999, she was named by *Esmeralda Estland* as the sexiest woman of the year. Following her marriage in 2000, Puisko took a pause from the music industry to prioritize her family and personal life.

### 2002–2004: Eureavision and *Kuningannad*

Puisko made a surprise return to the music industry in January 2002, after being announced as a contestant in Eesto Song 2002 with the song "Kuningannad." She competed in the competition's final on 16 February 2002, where she was declared the winner. As the winner, Puisko received the right to represent Estland in the Eureavision Song Contest 2002, held in Vadhelle. She ultimately placed eight in the final.

Following Eureavision, Puisko announced that her upcoming studio album would also be called *Kuningannad*, and it was later released internationally in August 2002. To support the album, Puisko embarked on her first Eurean tour Kuningannad: The Eurean Tour, which performed shows throughout Eurea from September 2002 until March 2003. Following the completion of the tour, Puisko started in the Estian press that she would never embark on a similar tour again, as she did not enjoy being away from her son for that long; she added that she was "content" with abandoning a career in international markets. She subsequently took another break from the music industry, and was later a mentor on *Kes on meie järgmine täht? 2004*.

### 2005–present: *Eesto tahab superstaari!* and career pause

Puisko returned to the public eye in the summer of 2005, when she was announced to be joining the inaugural judging panel of the newly created music competition series *Eesto tahab superstaari!*. The series went on to become a hit in Estland, launching the careers of several successful Estian musicians, much like its sister program *Kes on meie järgmine täht?*. Puisko remained a judge on the series for six seasons, before departing ahead of its seventh season in 2011, in order to pursue other opportunities. She was replaced as a judge by Kristi Keskküla.

In 2011, Puisko was announced as a competitor in Eesto Song 2011, competing with the entry "Tiiger." Puisko competed in the final on 26 February 2011, where she ultimately placed third in the superfinal behind winner Liis Oja. Following Eesto Song 2011, Puisko began another career pause. She returned to music in 2014, with the release of her sixth studio album *Mu armsad* in October 2014. The album's stylistic sound was a grave departure from her previous releases, instead consisting primarily of covers of jazz standards. The album also featured guest vocals from her children Eliias and Sigrid. Puisko promoted the album with the Mu armstad Concert Special residency, which performed 14 shows in Otesalu from December 2014 to March 2015. In 2016, she appeared as a mentor on *Kes on meie järgmine täht? 2016*.

In 2012, Puisko opened a high-end clothing boutique in Otesalu, called Inger's Closet. The name of the boutique was chosen in honor of her mother, who, according to Puisko, had a strong interest in fashion. Since opening the boutique, Puisko has stated that her primary career has been as a businesswoman and owner of the boutique, not as a musician.

## Personal life

Puisko began a romantic relationship with classmate Danny Tehava in 1985, while both were 14-year-old primary school students. They dated for two years, and broke up when Puisko was 16, and beginning her music career. The couple reunited in 1993, before breaking up again in 1997. In 1998, they reunited again, and later became engaged the following year, before marrying in an extravagant ceremony in Cezzina in June 2000.

Puisko and Tehava have three children together: Eliias (born 2001), Sigrid (born 2003), and Tanel (born 2008); both Eliias and Sigrid have careers in the Estian media as singers and actors. The family resides in Tüsamaa, while also owning a home in Jõgeküla and a vacation home in Cezzina. Tehava owns a landscaping company, and also assists with running Puisko's clothing boutique. Both Puisko and Tehava are members of the Reform Party, and have campaigned with the party in various elections.

## Discography

*Main article: Kataliin Puisko discography*
* *Kataliin* (1989)
* *Ära kunagi anna alla* (1992)
* *Ämblik naine* (1995)
* *Nitro* (1999)
* *Kuningannad* (2002)
* *Mu armsad* (2014)

## Concert tours

### Headlining

* Kataliin Tour (1989)
* Ära kunagi anna alla Tour (1992–93)
* Kuningannad: The Eurean Tour (2002–03)
* Mu armstad Concert Special (2014–15)

### Supporting

* Incorronata World Tour (1989; with Regina)