Samu Haber

Samu Aleksi Haber (born 2 April 1976) is a Finnish singer, songwriter, television music competition judge and entrepreneur. He was the lead vocalist and frontman of pop-rock band Sunrise Avenue.

Early life
Haber's father's family is from Germany, but his family has always lived in Finland. He has one sister, Sanna (born 23 January 1978) and one brother, Santtu (born 29 January 1989).

Career
Haber established the band Sunrise in 1992 with his friend Jan Hohenthal. Hohenthal left the band in 2002 as he wanted to focus on his solo career. In 2002, Haber changed the band name to Sunrise Avenue. Between 2002 and 2005, Haber visited 102 record companies and agents trying to find a label for Sunrise Avenue's music. The first album was made with financial help from Haber's friend Mikko Virtala, who sold his house to pay the studio costs.

Haber's band Sunrise Avenue released five studio albums, the first three selling more than 2,000,000 copies and 2,000,000 singles worldwide. Haber was Sunrise Avenue's main songwriter and he wrote all the band's songs either alone or with a producer and co-writer. The band's last international hit "Hollywood Hills" was written by Haber alone.

Haber is working as co-manager for new Finnish bands and artists together with the CoMusic Management. Haber owned studio Sonic Kitchen with producers Jukka Backlund and Aku Sinivalo from 2007 to 2010.

In 2020, Haber teamed up with Rea Garvey for a duo coaching team on The Voice of Germany, he won the season, but he was also a solo coach in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. In 2024, it was announced that Haber would be rejoining The Voice of Germany, alongside Mark Forster, Yvonne Catterfield and new coach Kamrad.

Haber presented Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2023, Finland's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

Solo career
Samu Haber's first single "Enkelten kaupunki" (in English "City of Angels") was released in 2020. Haber has also written solo songs including: "Täältä tullaan" (2021), "Sä" (2022) and "Sata vuotta sitten" (2022). Haber's solo album Pelastetaan maailma was released in 2022.

As a solo artist, Haber visited the Finnish television program Vain elämää season 6 (2017) and season 10 (2019). Some of the songs featured in Vain elämää Haber performed with original lyrics and other songs Haber wrote to a new and updated form. He also made singles out of those songs.

Updated songs (single release):

2017 (Vain elämää, season 6):

"Hiljaisuus" orig. Irina, "Joutsenlaulu" orig. Yö, "Onnellinen", orig. Robin Packalen (prev. Robin), "Perjantai 13." orig. Nikke Ankara, "Satuprinsessa" orig. Tiktak, "Kerran" orig. Laura Voutilainen.

2019 (Vain elämää, season 10):

"Ikuinen vappu" orig. JVG, "Hanuri" orig. Antti Tuisku, "Vanha sydän" orig. Erin, "Teguila" orig. Vesala, "Tuulettaa" orig. Elastinen, "Hyvä ihminen" orig. Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus.

Personal life
Haber is an ice hockey fanatic and his favourite team is Helsingfors IFK. Haber played ice hockey in Espoon Kiekkoseura until the age of 14 as defence-man attending tournaments also in Canada and the United States. Haber's other hobbies are kettle bell training and jogging.

Haber's military status is Finnish Navy Sergeant.