HEAD UUT AASTAT!!!

Dear Club Vanilla Ninja friends,
come good into the new year.
We already wish you all the best for 2012 and a happy and successful new year.

See you in 2012! Head uut aastat!

Piret 2011

This year Piret has mainly been busy with work in TV.
Read about her year 2011.

Febuary:
- Piret has been a guest at Raadio 2's show Siin Me Oleme [Engl.: Here we are], she talked about Vanilla Ninja, a possible wedding, esoteric literature, her work and about her birthday.





March:
- Piret performed as DJane at the GüüTTeÖö  event.
- For the third time Piret has hosted the Kuldne Plaat [Engl.: Golden CD] event.
- Piret went back to acting - she had a little role in the series Unistuste Agentuur [Engl.: Dream Agency]

May:
- Piret moved to the countryside with her fiancé Kallervo Karu.
- Piret represented Estonia in the ESC 2011 announcing the points of the votes.

June:
- Piret got her own show in ETV '2011'.

July:
-Piret left her job in the ministery.

August:
- Piret became a main reporter at ETV and joined the crew of Pealtnägija [Engl.: Eyewitness].
- Piret was the publicty model for Vichy VivaSport.
- Piret filled the cover and the cover story of the magazine Mood.

September:
- Piret was a guest at the show Ringvaade [Engl.: Newsreel]. She talked about herself being one of the main editors of ETV and being in the show Pealtnägija.

October:
- Piret talked about Pealtnägija.

December:
- Piret talked about her magic moments.

We're looking forward to a great new year for and with Piret.

Katrin 2011

The Vanilla Ninja keyboarder, Katrin Siska is known for chaning her hairstyle very often. Just like this year again. But 2011 has as well been busy and exciting for her.
Read about Katrin's year 2011.







Febuary
- Katrin was at the cover of the women's magazine Naised and talked about music and politics.
- As director of the biggest culture centre in Tallinn Katrin organized a lots of events.

May
- Katrin attented to Raadio 2's show Siin Me Oleme and talked about Vanilla Ninja and her present activities.

June
- Katrin attented to the Vana Tallinn Days and this year she was not participating in the Lilyball like last year but was a member of the jury.
- She also went to see one of her favourite bands 30 Seconds To Mars.

August
- As having worked in politics Katrin gave a statement about the new currency.
- The famous Estonian painter Juhan Rodrik talked about Katrin being his muse.

September
- Katrin talked about her favourite meals and her vegetarian diet.
- Katrin organized an event 'Ei Hinnatõusule'.

October
- Katrin gave an interview to the Polish VN source Ninja Diary.
- Katrin told them also about her Halloween.

November
- Katrin admitted that she would like to play in TV-series.


We hope that 2012 will bring even better things than there have already been for Katrin and all the best!
 

Maarja 2011

The ex-Vanilla Ninja bassist and singer Maarja Meriste-Kivi who is now better known under her artist-name Marya Roxx had an exciting year.
Read below about Maarja's 2011.

September
- Maarja released a new song, the ballade 'Blinded'.

October
- Maarja opened her official Music Store.

November
- Maarja released one more song, she covered 'Tie Your Mother Down'.
- Maarja has found herself a new activity besides being a musician, she is a volontary music teacher.

December
- Maarja announced that she wrote new song which will be released in January.

Triinu 2011

We have lately informed you that the ex-bassist of Vanilla Ninja, Triinu Kivilaan, officially confirmed that she retired from the music business. Even though we still get information about her.
Read about her year 2011.




November
- Triinu has won 10.000 SFR in a lottery.

December
- The Swiss magazine BLICK released an article about Triinu. 

Vanilla Ninja 2011

One more year has passed.
In a few days we can welcome the year of Vanilla Ninja's 10-year-anniversary.
Even though the band is having a rest it has not been completely quiet.
Let us remind you on Vanilla Ninja in 2011:
 

Febuary:
- After contesting against each other in 2010 Piret and Lenna were the hosts of this years Eesti Laul.
- We have cleared why Deutschrock.de doesn't sell VN fan stuff anymore.

March:
- Piret and Lenna were to see in the black comedy 'Kormoranid Ehk Nahkpükse Ei Pesta'

May:
- After the girls were to see in the Estonian movie screens the DVD has been available in Estonia.
- Lenna and Katrin attented to the Hair Fusion Show.

June:
- The VN Portaal asked the girls about their plans in summer.

July:
- Once again we reminded the fans of two Vanilla Ninja pages on Facebook they should join.


September:
 - Us, Club VN, planned a more or less big project for the girl's 10-year-anniversary. We recommand you to join it. Deadline: Febuary 6th, 2012.
- We asked Katrin about a third Vanilla Ninja ice-cream.


November:
- The VN girls, Lenna, Piret and Katrin, has been calling their fans for help, through the VN Portaal.
They have planned a big project. Deadline: January 31st, 2012.
- We've asked VN's manager, Hector Faune, about a statement on the band and the girls.

All the faithful Vanilla Ninja fans are expecting a lot in the next year. We are informed that quite a lot is in work, a concert, a show and probably a fan-meeting.
Let's keep exciting and hopeful.

ANNOUNCE: New Song!

Today, December 21st, 2011 the former Vanilla Ninja girl, Maarja Meriste-Kivi, who is now better known as the solo artist Marya Roxx, informed her fans that she just finished her new song.
Unfortunately we have to be a little bit patient because her song will be to hear right at the beginning of the new year 2012!

She is also very excited to hear what you think of her work. We'll keep you updated!

Source: Marya

Triinu Talks: The Truth About Her Abadoning

Today the Swiss magazine BLICK [Engl.: View] released an article about the ex-Vanilla Ninja, Triinu Kivilaan, who had replaced Maarja Meriste-Kivi (now known as the metal singer Marya Roxx) as bassist and singer in 2004 and left the band at the beginning of 2006.

In the two-sided article Triinu talks about her time with Vanilla Ninja, the reason why she left the band and the reason why she doesn't have contact with the girls.
'We had a really tough management behind us that urged us to perform, even if we were sick. We often drank a lot of whiskey so that we could sing at all.', Triinu tells about her management, which was led by the Swiss David Brandes, who lost the court case against Vanilla Ninja because of chart-fraud.
But he did not only lie with that but also with Triinus age. As the German magazine YAM! noticed Estonian sources wrote a completly other date of Triinu's birth than the German ones. Õhtuleht and Triinu confirmed that her manager made her two years older so that the (at that time) 15-year young talent could also be allowed to perform in discos at late times.

'The stress was too big. I had a burn-out.', Triinu names as reason for her adadoning. Whoever believed in the rumors that she left Lenna, Piret and Katrin because she had a fight with them will be proofed wrong. She isn't able to contact the girls because '(last) year I lost my phone. That was a sign for me to end my past.', she explains.

Of course she never regrets the time as a star. 'I bought a big house in Estonia for my parents and traveled a lot. But I loved Switzerland most.'

Would she try to contact the girls if she could?
A fact is that fans still remember Triinu 'that often happens to me in Estonia that people look at me as at a stranger and talk to me about Vanilla Ninja. I often find that's funny.'

Triinu really has ended her past. After a little solocareer in 2008 with the album Now And Forever and the three hits Fallen, Be With You and Is It Me she is dedicated to languages now ' I've learned German in 4 months in a migrant-class almost flawless.', she tells laughing.

Today she lives in Pratteln a town in the German Switzerland with her boyfriend Giovanni. She has a job in Pratteln BI as sales advisor. 'Since I've lived there I want to stay here forever.', she says about her 'new' home.

Triinu has learned something very valuable from all what she experienced so far. 'I know how quick you can get at the very top. And how fast everything is over. All the more I enjoy every moment as if it was the last one.'

Check out the whole article and the making of the photoshooting, which was accompanied by the song 'Cool Vibes', the song Triinu performed with Vanilla Ninja representing Switzerland and reaching the 8th place at the Eurovision Song Contest then in Kiev; Ukraine in 2005, on Triinu's Facebook page .
'It was a great feeling to be allowed to represent Switzerland at the Eastern bloc'

Source: Triinu

Eesti Laul 2012

On December 15th, 2011 the Estonian preliminary decision for the well known Eurovision Song Contest 2012, the Eesti Laul or Euro Laul, has released its 20 contestants.

Within the 20 contestants we find many familar faces who have tried to win and represent their country for certain years and well known Estonian names. But what would the Eesti Laul be without at least one of our Vanilla Ninja girls?
After losing the narrowly against Malcolm Lincoln in 2010 with her song 'Rapunzel' and being one of the hosts this year Lenna is back on the Eesti Laul stage with a new song 'Mina Jään' [Engl.: I Stay] written by Lenna and her new guitarist Mihkel Raud.

Don't miss the final and the semi-finals which are on Febuary 18th, Febuary 25th and March 8th.

Source:  Eurovision.tv

R2 Aastahitt 2011

The famous and popular Estonian radio station Raadio 2 has announced its legendary Aastahitt we should all know about as the Ninja Girls are always present at the party of the year.
If you don't know what's it about or have forgotten about it here the short refreshing:
On the R2 page  you can vote for your TOP 3 ESTONIAN ARTISTS/SONGS [EESTI ARTIST/LUGU] and your TOP 3 WORLDWIDE ARTIST/SONGS [VÄLISMAA ARTIST/LUGU] 2011.
At the end you give your name (nimi), e-mail address (e-post) [and telephone number (telefon)] and click on vote (hääleta).
Our Vanilla Ninja girl, Lenna, is calling her fans on Facebook to vote for her songs (Õnnelaul/Hüvasti, Maa!). Of course Piret would as well be happy about votes on her song 'Feel The Beat' which she wrote for Küttebänd.

Apart from that you can also vote for your UNISTUSTE BÄND (dream band) as every year. You vote for your favourite Estonian

- bass-guitarist (e.g. Tõnis Kivisild)
- drummer (e.g. Reigo Ahven)
- keyboarder (e.g. Mihkel Mattiisen)
- guitarist (e.g. Piret Järvis)
- person who plays another instrument (e.g. Käll Haarde)
- singer (e.g. Birgit Õigemeel)

ATTENION you have to choose a musician who hasn't been at the Unistuste Bänd yet

The band will perform on the R2 party which will be on January 6th, 2012 

Happy Birthday, Katrin!

The time is really running like crazy, today the Vanilla Ninja keyboarder and fashionista, Katrin Siska, celebrates her 28th birthday!
The Club Vanilla Ninja crew and of course all our visitors wish her all and only the best of this world and a wonderful birthday! May all her dreams and wishes become true!

Palju, palju õnne sünnipäevaks kallis Katrin  :)

Piret's Magic Moments

The Vanilla Ninja girl, Piret Järvis, talks about new rituals which changed her life and the magical effect of intimately hugging.

The new member of the Pealtnägija [Engl.: Eyewitness] reporters crew, is recently interested in esoteric things. 'At home I have so many good thoughts, when I ask the cards for advide from time to time. And intimately hugging with people is as well an enjoyable ritual with a magical effect.', Piret betrays about her magical rituals.

These moments, which changed her life, Piret describes at the Estonian portal Alkeemia.ee the goes on telling: 'Obviously this has been about five years yet, it is especially fascinating to meet familar people. They are totally different from you in thinking crossing your way like this having a different past, that silently also become my previous values and my perfecptions take an absolutely other figure. Some time after the transformation you will be given bigger dynamics in the same personality the authors I suggest are Carlos Castaneda or Eckhart Tolle.'

Source:  DELFI

Vuosaari - Naked Harbour

After her musical success with song 'Hüvasti, Maa!' [Engl.: Good-bye, earth!] and an accompaning music video, Lenna now is back on the lines of the Estonian an Finnish cinemas with the movies 'Täitsa Lõpp' [Engl.: Absolutely in the end], which has already been published since the middle of November, and 'Naked Harbour', which you can watch from Feburay 2012 on.

The Vanilla Ninja girl, talked to the Estonian news-paper Õhtuleht about her role as the Estonian girl Viivi. It was not easy to play the role, furthermore you can say it was the hardest but also most exciting role Lenna has ever played. She not only had to deal with her role but also with foreign locations, the Finnish language, the precision of Finnish film-makers and the specific Finnish actors and actresses. All these hard situations were like a test to her which she mastered very well.

'My role was quite big and the scenes were shot in the area that was foreign to me. I had to work with the people I had never been exposed to. And I had to speak Finnish language – it was a big step forward for me!', she says, 'I like situations when I get thrown in at the deep end and I have to prove to myself and to others that I can handle it.', Kuurmaa tells about her personality and explains 'Because I didn’t grow up with the Finnish television, there was no Finnish language for me that I could learn from. However, I’m a dab hand in languages. Finnish crew was very helpful and everyone was caring. I had got the text, I had learned it clearly and I did it. When I was practicing the dialogues, I had one local person who was correcting me everytime I mispronounced something.'
'Actually, I didn’t have to speak like a real Finn- after all, I was impersonating an Estonian and my accent could have been a bit “wild”.'

If in the plan there was that shooting would start at 8 o’clock in the morning and it would end at 6 o’clock in the evening, so it was. Estonian films are shot as long as the light is on and they are also more spontaneous. In Finland they don’t let people get overtired.', Lenna describes.

At the end she says: 'I got to know Finnish language well enough to understand a little, but still not much. For example, if the director discussed some details with operators or other actors, I often had to ask “What?” and look at them with big eyes. Then the director explained everything to me in English and there was no problem. But outside the set it was a bit tiring. I had to listen carefully to figure out what is exactly going on.'

Watch the result of Lenna's adventure in Finnland below!

Source: Love-Ninjas

'Feel The Beat'

It is a common knowledge that the Vanilla Ninja girl, Piret Järvis, is famous for successful songs written by herself. She has not only written songs for her band (e.g. 'Black Symphony', 'I Don't Care At All', 'Club Kung-Fu'), but also for other artists.

Lately she wrote the song 'Feel The Beat' for the new founded band 'Küttebänd' together with eight other people among others her fiancé, Kallervo Karu, who is as well the drummer of the band.

The band performed the song firstly at the legendary event GüüTTeÖö, where Piret is always present, yesterday on December 5th, 2011.

Like Küttebänd on Facebook and check out their song  and performance dates! With a piece of luck you might meet Piret on place as well.

Source: VN Portaal

Autograph Hour with Lenna! #2

We informed you that the Vanilla Ninja girl and current face of the Expressions capagne, Lenna Kuurmaa, gave an autograph-hour in front of the Expressions shop of the Kristiine Keskus in Tallinn.
If you missed it you got now a new chance to meet her, because her autograph tour goes on, in Tartu.
On Thurday, December 8th, 2011 in  front of the Expressions shop of the Tasku Keskus from 4 pm - 5 pm (GTM+2).

Source: VN Portaal

Lenna talks about her Cooperations

Since the Vanilla Ninja girl, Lenna Kuurmaa, has started her solo-career in 2009 she has worked together with many Estonian artists 'I’m a happy person – I was given a chance to cooperate with almost all my favourite artists. Such projects are being born when both artists show a great interest and respect for each other's music', she says.

One of her first duets were with the famous and poplar musician Ott Lepland, who has won the Estonian verion of American Idol, Eesti Otsib Superstaari.
Last Christmas time they went on the tour Pühad on Saabunud Linna [Engl.: The Saint one returned to the city.] through Estonia and presented their mutual song Sinuni [Engl.: Until You]. Ott Lepland explains his choice like this: 'I think Lenna is one of the best female vocalists. Lenna listened to the melody,liked it and said "Let’s do it!"'.

Lennas band which is called like her is maned by a plenty of famous Estonian musicians for example Mihkel Raud who is one of the highest men in the Estonian music business. He replaced Lenna's ex-guitarist, Robert Vaigla, about one month ago. But also before that Lenna hat a lot to do with him 'He has inspired me a lot through the years. I’ve always listened to his advice and opinion about my music. He’s a great musician and I’m happy to see him in my band.', she says. 'An artist must have the power and this feeling that he wants to do something for the others. And Mihkel has had this feeling for a long time – this is why I haven’t regreted asking him to join my band even for just a second.'

Lenna's lastest duet takes part with her good friend and the well-known Estonian artist Märt Avandi with whom she has been going on the tour Kui Vari Kaob, Siis Valgus Jääb.
'We discussed our co-operation because of different reasons and at different times.', Kuurmaa explains and goes on 'Together with Riivo Kallasmaa we thought of co-operation with Märt- we wondered who would like to take part in our tour – someone interesting and someone we hadn’t worked with before. Märt was a great choice.' at the end she adds 'Estonian songs are beautiful and very dear for both of us.'
Moreover she explains about her partner '"We want Märt!" – Märt is a very good friend of mine and we have a great communication on the stage, so that’s why we decided to make a tour together.', which was fully prepared by themselves.

Lenna has cooperated with the best Estonian male artists, but what about female artists, which Estonia has so many of?
'For sure it would be a very sexy and rocky female band with huge power, but I believe that these times had already passed for me.' - we know she is alluding to the times with Vanilla Ninja.
'But Estonian music world showed that even high-profile female duets don’t catch much attention. I’ve heard that Birgits (Õigemeel and Varjun) made a song together, but it went past me. But I don’t think about female duets in a bad way. For me it would be interesting to co-operate with Heidy Tamme or Iiris Vesik. People still want to hear the classical duets.', she explains her opinion.

Source: Love Ninjas