Coconut Girl
Coconut Girl was Paula Hagert, a bubblegum dance artist from Finland. She began her career as Coconut Girl when she was 18 years old, and released one album called "Fly Away". Coconut Girl consists of Paula, and two dancers Laura and Teresa.
The Coconut Girl project is shrouded in controversy, mainly due to the publicity stunt surrounding her origin. As a result, Coconut Girl is still a sensitive topic for many people involved in the project today. The information displayed on this page is intended for educational purpose only, and all images, graphics, logos and slogans are copyright their respective owners.
Brief Background
Paula Hagert was 18 years old when she met producer and song writer James Black in Helsinki Street, Stockholm, Sweden. The producers had worked with Dr Alban and Jennifer Brown, and Paula soon got an audition. The idea for 'Coconut Girl' was that of James Black's, as he suggested Hagert looks Hawaiian. He introduced her to Niko Nordstrom, BMG Finland, and, impressed by what they heard, she was then officially signed up. She then got introduced to producers TWINS, who produced a few tracks on the album. There has been a big dispute as to why James Black's name got cut from the album.
Background Information
At the end of the 1990s, Kari Hynninen and Pekka Nieminen decided to try a Finnish equivalent of Dr. Bombay or Aqua. They found a Roma girl, Paula, who could dance and sing, and also a song writer and producer who was from the girl's circle of friends. Paula was named the "Coconut Girl" and a fictional story was developed around her. The "Coconut Girl" was born 19 years ago in Hawaii as the result of a holiday romance between a Finnish nurse and a Hawaiian DJ. The promotional photos were taken in the Botanical Gardens. To fit the role, Paula also learnt some Spanish. She was interviewed on a number of Finnish radio stations, where she told her story as the Coconut Girl, and consequently, Coconut Girl gained quite a lot of publicity in Finland.
Scandal
There is rumour about a scandal related with the Coconut Girl project, and many sources state completely different facts. After extensive research, this is what we believe happened.
The studio promoting Coconut Girl tricked the public into thinking that Paula really was a genuine Coconut Girl, and that the fictional story about her being the love child of a holidaying Finnish nurse and Hawaiian DJ was actually true. The public lapped up the information eagerly, and Coconut Girl's story was featured in a number of magazines and radio stations across the country. However, soon the tabloids began to press that Coconut Girl should go to Hawaii to meet her father, and even offered her tickets for the trip. Pekka Nieminen, who was head of promotion, managed to postpone the offer by claiming that the “Coconut Girl” was busy. At the same time, Paula's real relatives began to contact the press, uncovering the Coconut Girl's real indentity, and the record label's trick for publicity. The revelation led to a scandel, and magazines were furious.
