Arponen, son of a Finnish father and Dutch mother, spent his childhood in England as well as living in Belgium for a few years. He now lives in Finland, where he is a pursuing his music career after being catapulted to national fame through the Idols programme.
Each year the Young European Federalists in Finland, along with other national youth organisations, select someone under the age of 35 who promotes tolerance and projects a positive image of Europeans.
Previous winners have included the rapper Amoc, boxing champ Eva Wahlström, and human rights activist and lead singer for the Don Johnson Big Band, Tommy Lindgren.
