Eurovison Song Contest - Blog Posts
Thinking of making a Jan Rozmanowski imagine because I don't see any on here and that is a violation.
3am: Eurovision and George was live.
So I pick Eurovision. so its 5am when it ended so i check George stream and I lucky I pick Eurovision. In George's stream, he kinda prank the dsmp fans by him fakeing lore.
Music is not beyond politics
It's astonishing and surreal to hear about apoliticality in contests where people represent a certain country….
Cruel humor. But I almost choked on my tea. I also see this as more of a chemical attack. Meanwhile, the russians are having fun…
They are proud of their crimes and shout about it at the top of their lungs. But the world is indifferent.
We need so much support right now when Russia is planning to take away even more territories and Ukrainians' lives. Don't quite our voice. Especially on a platform like that. Yes, it's entertaining competition but our reality in war is definitely not fun to live. We keep crying out to the world in every possible way.
regarding the genocide song contest:
various past eurovision contestants are campaigning for the removal of israel and some national finalists are now choosing to boycott. olly alexander, who will rep the uk, condemned the palestinian genocide and was subsequently attacked by israeli media (in a blatant rule violation the ebu did nothing about)
slovenian broadcaster rtvslo is purportedly trying to negotiate the removal of israel
1000 artists from host country sweden are preparing to send an open letter to the ebu to ban israel; the swedish left wing has also called for israel to be removed immediately
iceland is officially threatening to boycott eurovision pending the removal of israel
word on the street is that if iceland does compete, it will send palestinian artist bashar murad who is openly anti-israel and has collabed with previous icelandic reps hatari, aka the guys who did this back in 2019
iceland is now leading in the odds whereas israel has been steadily dropping, suggesting that the bookies are aware israel is becoming increasingly unpopular
lastly, in a move so ridiculous i'm beginning to suspect eurovision is a figment of our collective imagination, israel is seemingly gearing up to enter eden golan, a moscow-based russian singer. while russia is still banned for terrorism.
if you're european: please contact your participating broadcaster and demand for the removal of israel, or try to contact your nation's selected artist to put pressure on the broadcaster. if you're swedish, please try contacting svt or authorities with security concerns regarding the inclusion of israel. if israel does enter eden golan, complain about her selection and ties to russia. and absolutely DO NOT vote on, watch or promote this show if israel does end up competing.
im saying it once and never again: if israel is allowed to compete in eurovision then we should let russia compete too.
fight me on this.
Since Eurovision has now ended and we have a winner, I wanted to give everyone who needs it a reminder:
Don't send any hate or death threats to Looren or her team. Same goes to anyone who voted for her.
I also wanted Finland to win and I'm very annoyed at the jury vote, but we need to remember that these are real people performing on stage and making these songs. Just because you didn't like the song, it doesn't mean you need to go tell them how much you hate them or to even threaten them with their life (like seriously what is wrong with you?).
Let's just enjoy the songs we love. Feel free to share your favourite songs or who you simply believe deserved more points. I wanna hear some positive opinions :D
I appreciate eurovision because it's the only time of year when it's appropriate to discuss "serving cunt" on a work call
The fact my love to Dylan makes me see him in Bojan adds +100 to my yet beloved Slovenia
And I want to get know if there is anyone else who likes The Quarry and watches Eurovision simultaneously
my winner of eurovision 2023!
Based off real events
Eurovision?
In my doctor who season 2 trailer?
More likely than you think.
Shout-out to Aldi who tweeted that UK's set for eurovision looked like it had been shoplifted from IKEA.
The first round of eurovision was so good. I loved Iceland and Poland’s performances.
👏👏
I’m not personally from Europe but I’ll still watch and praise the contestants.
New I recognised this look from somewhere…
I think I'm a little late.? lol
If you know, you know and if you know, YOU KNOW THAT LATVIA DESERVED BETTER
>:(((
How should voting system be changed in Eurovision?
So..... Community is buzzing about the results of the Grand Final and especially the voting system. I find it unlikely EBU wouldn’t change the system in somehow considering how huge is the people’s reaction and they did drop the juries from semifinals last year so... Anyhow here are some options.
1. JURIES ARE DROPPED FROM EUROVISION ENTIRELY
France 2023.
I don’t think this will happen. First of all, there are too many delegations and countries that benefit from the jurers. Second, it wouldn’t change the problem. Last year folks were crying why Juries didn’t stop Ukraine winning with sympathy televotes. People don’t always know the best and we do make decisions based on politics etc soo.. Every year we’re not happy with either side of voting system but I do believe we need both sides to continue in the contest.
2. JURIES PERCENTAGE WILL BE DROPPED
Currently jurers hold 50% of the votes in the final (semifinals it’s only televote). In some national finals their percentage is less and people votes have more impact. If this scenario did happen, would it be 30%? 40%? 45%?
Ukraine 2023.
3. JURERS WILL BE INCREASED TO ADD DIVERSITY OF THE VOTES
Currently there are 5 jurers / country. Would adding more people bring diversity of giving the points? Because they often are surprisingly aligned on their big favourites. They should be musical professionals or media professionals experticed in music industry and they’re not allowed to talk about the acts to each other or have any connection to the delegations, artists etc.
4. BRINGING IN 3RD VOTES (TELESCOPIC)
Georgia 2023.
Sanremo and Benidorm Fest use Telescopic votes. I think they have 15-25% impact to the final points. This might help to smoothe the biggest differences between audience and the jurers or make the final decision in some cases perhaps.
5. KEEPING JURERS BUT MAKING JURY SHOW PERFORMANCES PUBLIC
Currently only the audience that bought the tickets to Jury shows and press sees the actual Jury show. Would it be better to add visibility here by publishing the performances later on Youtube?
Armenia 2023.
6. KEEPING JURERS AND CHANGING CRITERIA
So the current criteria being:
Vocal capacity of the artist(s)
Performance on stage
Composition and originality of the song
Overall impression of the act
Every year the entries outside of pop genre seem to be receiving less Jury love. Jurers should represent different genres and parts of the industry though to appreciate rock, rap entries for example. I wonder is the singing overly hyped in the criteria and should there be different guidelines for it because you can’t judge pop song singing and rock song singing in the same way.
7. KEEPING JURERS BUT MAKING THEM VOTE ALL THE ACTS
Croatia 2023.
Again to make the jury votes more even and less in favour for the big favourites only, would it help if they’d judge ALL the entries? Having limitations on how many 12 points etc you can give of course. This would also solve the zero points dilemma.
8. KEEPING JURIES BUT CHANGING TELEVOTING TO VOTE 3 ACTS WITH THE SAME PRICE
In Junior Eurovision public must choose 3 different acts I believe. Not sure how this would work but it would help diving the points instead of people voting for their one and only favourite. In years like these when we have such a strong televote favourites like Finland and Sweden, they tend to suck all the votes and there isn’t much left to anyone else. We saw the televote scores being quite small even for songs that were loved (Austria, Moldova, Czechia etc)
Portugal 2023.
9. KEEPING THE JURIES BUT CHANGING TELEVOTING FOR FREE
They do this in Melodiefestivalen I think. They’ve built up an app just for voting where voting is free. Again people wouldn’t just vote for the number 1 favourite but several acts and this would also perhaps prevent the unpleasent zero points situations.
What are your thoughts on the voting system in Eurovision and how would you change it?
Who will qualify from ESC SF1 in 2023?
Eurovision is on! Rehearsals are on! We’ve seen most of them performing at the multiple preparties and the first clips (even super shots ones) are in!
It’s time to predict who will qualify on May 9th from Semifinal 1! These are my predictions based on the reactions, comments, listens and clicks in social media, Youtube and Spotify.
Some I will get right, others I may not - that’s the risk you will take by continuing reading this.
1. Norway - Alessandra - Queen of Kings
She’s IN. No question. HUUUUUUGE viral hit by now. There was some concern about Alessandra’s vocals (MGP used autotune) when performing live but she’s on point based on the first rehearsal clip. Visually they’re loyal to National Final one but her outfit is a bit different, she’s wearing a crown look a like hair band and there’s more light now on the stage.
2. Malta - The Busker - Dance (our own party)
This is worst spot in semifinals to perform as second in Eurovision. Lots of good entries have failed because 15 other amazing songs will follow and people tend to forget. However, Malta’s lively and colourful performance does stand a chance. The song stands out with its saxophone sound. If this did go through would I be sad, definitely not but being where it is, second and between two dark songs (Norway, Serbia) I say this is OUT.
3. Serbia - Luke Black - Samo mi se spava (Само ми се спава)
One of my faves this year but I know a lot of people who’re not warming up to this Hatari II. However, their staging looks improved and Luke’s performing very confident. This kind of dark pop is exciting for many! In Eurovision it doesn’t matter how many haters you have but how many lovers, based on the interest in Spotify / Youtube I’d say this might appeal enough voters to be IN.
4. Latvia - Sudden lights - Aijā
Indieband with a strong chorus. In the national selection the staging didn’t impress me but this is one of my faves again. Lamps are there though but there’s a good energy in here which I hope will come across to the audience. This is still boarderline, this can go to either direction. But I have faith so IN.
5. Portugal - Mimicat - Ai coração
Portugal has been topping their game in preparties and even though you wouldn’t like this kind cabaree music - this is very authentic, catchy, memorable. And she can sing and perform - true pro! The stage looks a bit empty without the couch but I do have faith in Portuguese staging skills because they have nailed it during the few previous years. I still say IN.
6. Ireland - Wild Youth - We are one
Why the producers put this at 6th? If this had been an opener for this semi Wild Youth could have had a chance. However, they’re going all the way with the staging, using every inch of that stage: we have golden body, pyros, stairs - we know the guy can sing but the song is a bit generetic and forgettable. This breaks my heart but OUT.
7. Croatia - Let 3 - Mama ŠČ!
A big fan favourite. Huge interest before going in to Eurovision, they also did well in the preparties. We saw some aspects from the pics and Tik Tok clip that we saw before (same LED screen, cannons). Not my personal favourite but a lot of people love this kind of quirky performance so IN.
8. Switzerland - Remo Forrer - Watergun
One of my personal faves this year but again - a lot of people don’t agree with me though. The anti-war song was actually written two years ago which I kind of hope would push some buttons among the voters. However, Switzerland was one of those unfortunate countries last year who went to Final with Jury votes only and received 0 points from audience. This time around Semifinals have only audience voting so I’m afraid there might be payback and especially since it’s another Swiss ballad.
Staging like this can be strong but the clip didn’t convince me yet. Pretty dark and they have similar strings attached to the dancers as Finland had in UMK (why are you coping??). I love this but I say OUT.
9. Israel - Noa Kirel - Unicorn
She’s IN. This is not my favourites to be honest, just because it’s so messy genre like. Israel was a bit of mystery to everyone because they didn’t participate to any preparties and they kept all their plans as a secret. But she sounds amazing and the Tik Tok clip and the photos promise us a spectacle. The seem to have a running unicorn in the LED screen, she’s in this bright box, upside down and in the end she’s making Chanel style break dance. This will please many for sure and high chances of becoming a top5 in the final.
10. Moldova - Pasha Parfeni - Soarele și luna
This is one of the most ethnic entries this year and Pasha Parfeni is no stranger to Eurovision as he represented Moldova also back in 2012. The song is memorable, it does stand out and the live performance even just from the pictures doesn’t disappoint. Moldova is a master of creating memorable performances even with a smaller budget and there’s no way that this didn’t go through. So IN.
11. Sweden - Loreen - Tattoo
Do I need to say this? IN. The LED sandwich so called what they used in Sweden was a lot bigger(16 m² ) but I don’t think the current size (6,25 m² ) will cause actual problems because the camera work will make it look larger. This is copy paste from Melodiefestivalen so pretty epic. A lot of people do complain however that Loreen is not bringing anything new to ESC as this does remind her victorious song Euphoria from decade ago. However, potential winning song for sure!
12. Azerbaijan - TuralTuranX - Tell Me More
One of the indie entries we have this year. I quite like it but... this is not a crowd pleaser unfortunately and in Eurovision you kind of have to be. This is such a good feel song but no. Stating isn’t doing much either, they’re standing on the platform of spaped by the heart playing their quitars. Unless there is something major happening what wasn’t revealed in the Tik Tok clips. I’m sorry, OUT.
13. Czechia - Vesna - My Sister's Crown
There’s so much love for this entry but at the same time there’s talk that this might be the shock non-qualifier. They didn’t perform as well and confidently as people were expecting them to during the preparties. However, in their live rehearsals we see them wearing rose coloured outfits, they have long braids - there’s a message of we’re not your dolls combined with some doll movements so very strong female empowerment thing going on. This can get too messy but hard to say from the Tik Tok clip itself. I still belive this would be IN.
14. Netherlands - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper - Burning Daylight
Another sleepy ballad. I don’t hate it. And to be honest this has the strongest ballad staging I’ve seen so far. Mia and Dion are standing on this moving platform and walking towards, around, from each other. This can be a moment, beautiful one. Their voices go nicely together. BUT this comes after a strong Czechia and before Finland. I don’t see this year being very kind to the ballads, people are clearly having more reactions (clicks, listens etc) towards the quirky songs of ESC 2023. I say OUT.
15. Finland - Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha
A big fan favourite when going in for the rehearsals. Many didn’t expect Käärijä’s team to change the stating at all actually because it was pretty damn good already at the UMK. However, they have upgraded it. They have this big wooden box on the stage, according to photos and the Tik Tok clip he’s in it at some point and also the dancers where they emerge at one point. The silhouette is awesome! Great add and super powerful! There’s pyro at the end also, colours of the rainbow - the human snake has movement. This is so good! If Finland doesn’t win the ESC alltogether I do belive this will make the televotes to explode at the semi for sure! IN!
What do you think of the songs in Semifinal 1 and who do you think will qualify? Talk to me in the comments below!
Top 5 Non-English ESC23 songs
Eurovision is just a couple weeks away so let’s talk about different entries this year!
Nine songs that are completely not in English are competing this year at the Eurovision. I ranked my top 5 below.
5. SPAIN - Blanca Paloma: Eaea
No one can deny her talent. Her presence and interpretation is captivating, almost hypnotic. This is dramatic, load, theatrical, this is art, this has a soul, authencity. I’m a big fan of her live peformance which I hope will make Europe vote for her. However, after all these weeks I still haven’t downloaded this to any of my ESC playlists which make me scared that this might the most painful flops of ESC23.
4. SLOVENIA - Joker Out: Carpe Diem
This is fun! Catchy and the music video is well fitting of the spirit of the song. You don’t need to understand the language or the lyrics to dance to this one. There’s a true disco, retro beat here I enjoy. I hope they’ll get the staging right for this one in Liverpool.
3. FRANCE - La Zarra: Évidemment
This didn’t knock me out at first listen to be honest. But it has grown on me. It has a nice structure, that builds up nicely and in my opinion could have gone even higher, more edgier. I like the beginning of French chanson which then turns into a this groovy pop tune. I kind of expected a revamp but this definitely the direction France needs to go. Well produced, professionally performed and character owned songs!
2. ITALY - Marco Mengoni: Due Vite
Each year I vote for Italy. Even when I think I don’t like them. Every year the songs grow. I cannot resist the quality, emotion, professionalism, talent that has gone into these Italian tunes. A lot of people say that we don’t need another Italian ballad this year but when it’s this good... there’s always room for one more.
Marco Mengoni is no stranger to Eurovision as represented Italy already a decade ago in Malmö.
1. FINLAND - Käärijä: Cha Cha Cha
Maybe I’m a bit bias as a Finn but even if I wasn’t... this is good and even though I wouldn’t find my cup of tea no one can deny the effect and reaction this song will surely cause in the viewer. Either it’s hate or love people will feel Cha Cha Cha will leave no one cold. The agressive cocktail of multiple genres (rap, pop, rock sounds and effects) will reach out majority of Europeans’ tastes. We’re potentially talking about a winner of Eurovision 2023 and for sure the best Finnish result since Lordi in 2006.
What do you think about the Non-English tracks competing ESC this year? What’s your favourite??
UMK 2023 - review
Gone are the years when Finns were ashamed of their Eurovision selection!
We saw signs of improvement in the attitude of Finnish artists and music industry towards UMK / Eurovision already in 2020 before the COVID-19 hit us. I would wanna say a game changing factor happened when YleX (radio channel, part of YLE broadcasting company) joined in the production team after ESC 2019.
Robin’s song Girls like you was elevated by the fun, uplifting and may I say a bit risky staging! (UMK23)
Three years ago Erika Vikman was the moral winner with her Cicciolina even though not winning the actual trophy and ticket to Rotterdam. Her song became a major hit launching her musical career to new hights in Finland. I even dare to say that she did change the competition with her song and performance.
In 2021 the world saw music shows differently on TV and it was much needed face lift also for UMK. The other songs had no chance against Blind Channel. These were the years when the staging improved overall tremendously even though we had a few misclick (Teflon Brothers 2021, Erika Vikman 2020).
Lxandra’s Something to lose was one of the most beautiful moments in UMK23! I would have wanted this to reach a much higher climax at one point though..
In 2022-2023 we really saw big Finnish names participating UMK (The Rasmus, Benjamin, Robin Packalen, Kuumaa) and also having some new artists emerging (Bess, Younghearted, Käärijä) and making a name for themselves some even without the UMK trophy.
In 2023 UMK final gathered 2,1 millions viewers (in 2022 1,9millions), the lyric videos on Youtube were viewed almost 5,5 million times and the songs were listened on Spotify over 14 million times!
In 2023 we finally have the quality that we need and the people’s interest (abroad and home) that we want!
Kuumaa’s Ylivoimainen live performance was simple but effective! However, when watching it for the first time it seemed a bit dull and not having enough to keep you interested. (UMK23)
Finns tend to complain about the number of UMK songs and how 6-7 is not enough but if this is the quality they deliver, personally I need no more! I’ve voted 5 UMK songs now in two years in a row and I’m content! This is also a money factor, if we had more songs would the level of quality hold? In music, music videos and in the live statings? I would be doubtful.
I also like the way things are being revealed and when. Mid Jan for artists anouncements is a perfect time just before the ESC national selection kicks off and I love that the songs are being dropped from there without any delay or waiting times. For seven days, there was always something new to look for each day! Late Feb has become a bit a pattern for UMK final but technically this could be later but would it ruin the hype then?
Keira’s No business on the dancefloor was excellent with catchy coreography and simple stating. However, the fact that she’s a new artist came across a bit. (UM23)
UMK has received criticism about stagings over the years which we’ve seen improving each year (this year being perfect). Also camera work, angles haven’t been on point (las year Isaac was a bit of a disaster) but last night was a big jump to the right direction!
What still is left to improve however is the acoustics - every year we complain about the artists vocals sounding shitty when in reality they sound good at the actual venue. The venues have been changing over the years (Tampere’s Mediapolis, Turku’s Logomo etc). Even last night the sounds of the audience singing, clapping were overwhelming the artists vocals which I think damaged the reactions of the people watching the live at home.
Benjamin’s Hoida Mut was well executed and performed except vocally... However credits for performing ALONE!
So overall UMK was smash hit with high quality performance and not just the competing ones and with a winner (Käärijä - Cha cha cha) that is definitely taking a risk. The hype has already spread outside of Finland and Cha cha cha is predicted to become a televote winner (juries, you never know). Time will tell us in a few months..
UMK top 3 worst and best stagings (recent years)
All Eurovision fans out there know that the staging is half of the performance and it can either kill you or raise you.
Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu has had a track record of producing both over the recent years. Here are my top three for each category. The performances do not appear in my favourite order!
TOP3 THE BEST UMK STAGINGS that have managed to elevate the songs :
The Rasmus - Jezebel (2022 UMK winner)
Despite of being the biggest favourite when going in to UMK last year The Rasmus’ song didn’t quite reach the hights as a studio cut. However, the playful and colourful live performance elevated this one for me
Akseli Kankaanranta - Looking back (2020 winner)
Akseli pushed through passed the fan favourite Cicciolina back in 2020 with his well balanced and stylish live performance!
NormaJohn - Blackbird (UMK 2017 winner)
Back in 2017 Blackbird left many people cold with its studio cut but when performed live.... the emotion was real and very atmospheric!
TOP3 THE WORST UMK STAGINGS that have ruined the song’s success in the contest :
Bess - Ram pam pam (UMK 2022)
Bess Ram Pam Pam eventually became the biggest hit in Finland last year but her UMK staging ended up being messy, confusing and not meeting the hype of the song before going in to the UMK live.
Erika Vikman - Cicciolina (UMK 2020)
Can someone explain me what those bears and forest do on the same stage with sinful Cicciolina? This performance made no sense to me at all. Not then or not now.
Saara Aalto - Monsters (winning song in 2018)
Despite of winning the entry ticket to Lisbon’s Eurovision back in 2018 Monsters live performance was complex to start with. I liked the beginning with the cape and all but they ended up adding here too many elements (this got worse in Lisbon).
Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu Final takes place tomorrow February 25th on Yle Areena at 9pm (FIN time zone)! Let’s see how the seven acts will do and if fan favourites are able to keep their positions!
UMK 2023 Song review - Portion Boys
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with glam rock anthem!
Portion Boys - Samaa taivasta katsotaan
Portion Boys have been around for a while. They originally started from Youtube back in 2010 and by releasing regurarly singles slowly but surely made theirselves a name in Finland. Especially the few last years have been succesful for them. They’ve become known as a positive dance-pop group with a lots of personality.
Samaa taivasta katsotaan represents quite well the band’s musical repertoire and style. It offers a great ending to UMK23 series (as it was released as the seventh and the last track) and also to UMK23 show on February 25th. This is a very rich song, we have several elements and genres mixed in this one and it is the thing that might keep the viewer hooked for the entire 3 minutes but it might also be the thing that breaks charm.
I get the feeling of the song trying too hard. It’s trying to please everyone - we have the rock rap, anthem like instrumental parts, heavy metalish screaming going on. Even the lyrics mention several countries and make references in foreign languages. It’s a mess and it’s up to one’s personal taste whether it’s a mess for your taste.
The song reminds a bit of Eurovision Movie: Fire Saga by its vibes and with its to be honest Eurovision clichés. Even reference to Latvian Pirates in 2008 has been made in social media. There’s a certain sillyness in here but also the spirit of becoming one despite all our differences. Usually these kind of entries haven’t done very well in ESC.
However, this might be one of the rare UMK23 entries that I do not wish to advance to ESC. On another year yes but not in 2023 when we have better options. However, I have to admit it does hold the strongest hook in UMK23. This might go against the lovers of Cha Cha Cha as it musically and spiritually stands completely on the other side of the edge. However, I can see this becoming a true Finnhit classic and bringing people together on the dancefloor.
What do you think of the seventh UMK23 track and would you vote for Portion Boys’ Samaa taivasta katsotaan to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!
UMK 2023 Song Review - Kuumaa
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with another nostalgic retro banger!
Kuumaa - Ylivoimainen
Kuumaa had their breakthrough back in 2016 and their debut album came out three years later. They’ve also released several radio hit singles regurarly over the years and today they’re described as “most interesting pop group in Finland” Quite recently they also won Emma Award (Finnish Grammy) for being the best group so they’re surely becoming hot in the Finnish music scene (their name actually means hot!) Again another entry that has a full package and vision ready even before entering to UMK.
Ylivoimainen is another retro entry in UMK this year and it’s being seen competing directly with Benjamin’s Hoida Mut. However, this perhaps gives more indie pop vibes and it reminds me a bit of A-ha’s Take on me actually. This sounds very Kuumaa and this kind of contemporary nostalgic tunes are what they do the best. I cannot praise the chorus enough - it’s catchy, it’s warm, irresistable, probably the strongest chorus in UMK23,
Ylivoimainen is super easy to listen, easy to sing and dance along and it actually invites you to do so. It’s an embrace that will instantly make you feel safe. Ylivoimainen is a crowd pleaser and well produced radio hit (reached number one in Finnish Spotify already!) but it still has authentic sound without being too slick (Robin - Girls like you). BUT as we saw last year’s with Bess’s entry Ram Pam Pam, becoming a hit is not enough to get you a ticket to Liverpool - you need to get the Finns to vote also. However, they do have a solid fan base in Finland who might be showing their loyalty on February 25th.
As a package - this might be the best UMK23 entry. The song ticks all the right boxes and we have a band that we know can deliver energetic live performance. However, if this did advance to ESC - we already have several more or less nostalgic boy band entries (Slovenia, Latvia, Ireland) which Kuumaa would go against and to be honest I’d worry if we’d stand out enough as we could do perhaps with another artist (let’s say Käärijä?)
What do you think of the sixth UMK23 track and would you vote for Kuumaa’s Ylivoimainen to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!
UMK 2023 Song Review - Käärijä
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with ..... I don’t know what this is actually!
Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha
Most of Finns had never heard of Käärijä before the artist release of UMK23 a month back. Including me. So zero expectations. I didn’t know the language he was gonna perform, I maybe expected some dancy sounding tune based on the title. However, he described his song that “this track combines all three big Finnish loves together: party, pop and heavy music”. Should have known something crazy will be coming up ever since I read he’s a ESC Verka Serduschka fan (Ukraine 2007).
Cha Cha Cha gets your attention from the first second untill the last one. You know right away that you have something in here. The song kind of starts with rap, there’s techno sounds also, the darkness reminds me of Hatari (Iceland 2019) the chorus is aggressive almost violent but catchy and memorable as hell. The music video is a perfect fit to this! Be prepared to be knocked out by some Cha Cha Cha!
There’s no one like this in UMK or in Eurovision. Then when you think you’re figured out the song everything turns upside down and the song becomes this pop-folk banger. I can hear Verka here actually! A definite late night dancefloor hit in a Finnish bar! The ending is explosive, just pure fireworks and you’re like WTF did I just hear.
There’s a wide selection of genres here, just take your pick while trying to put this guy into one box.
Käärijä likes to confuse people and traditional sounds aren’t his thing. This is definitely clear! Cha Cha Cha will surely test boundaries, push some people away as it will cheer up and encourage others. This will surely cause a reaction and sometimes that’s all it’s needed from a decent hit and Eurovision song. In the end lovers count more than the haters. This is by far the most played and watched UMK entry this year in all the platforms. Foreigner ESC bloggers have been mostly excited about this and highlighting how Finnish language fits these hard sounds perfectly.
I can definitely see this advancing to ESC (I don’t think even a bad UMK staging might stop people from voting for this!) and put my money on it that Europeans will this time around understand a piece of Finnish crazyness!
What do you think of the fifth UMK23 track and would you vote for Käärijä’s Cha Cha Cha to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!
UMK 2023 Song review - Lxandra
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with a ballad this time!
Lxandra - Something To Lose
Lxandra is a talented and let’s say an established artist with several independant releases under her belt and some of them already appearing several tv series for example. Her international sound isn’t a coincidence as she’s lived in Berlin and US and her UMK23 entry also has American songwriters and producers. She is clearly someone who’s got her vision and sound figured out and she doesn’t need UMK or Eurovision to define her. She has fan base but not in Finland and she’s hoping participating UMK would at least change that.
Something to Lose is the only ballad in the selection of UMK this year. I’m hopeless lover of ballads so this was perhaps the entry I was anticipating the most even though I had never heard of Lxandra before. I wasn’t disappointed.
This is a well produced, striking ballad with modern approach. The lyrics go deep which Lxandra interprets beautifully and tenderly. There’s darkness here, almost death but also something that is very fragile, angelic. In the music video she only doesn’t put her voice to work but her entire body interprets the message of the song. The video is perhaps the most beautiful UMK music video to date!
This is not a power ballad and I’m hoping we’d get more volume vocally, instrumentally when on UMK stage - because the studio cut is somewhat lacking the peak. Someone might say this is forgettable and in some ways perhaps it is, I struggle also to remember the chorus or melody after but I remember the feeling that it gave me. It does make an impact clearly and the song is very gripping.
This is poetry, this is art - I can see juries reacting well to this but I’m nervous will the audience get it especially the ones who’re listening to it for the first time? This would be the question that was repeated if Lxandra advances to ESC. However this is a song that perhaps needs a visual performance and I hope YLE (TV broadcaster) gets it right and Lxandra can just focus on her own performance. I can definitely see myself voting for this but I doubt this would have the winner factor however.
What do you think of the fourth UMK23 track and would you vote for Lxandra’s Something to Lose to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!
UMK 2023 Song review - Robin
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with another solid performance!
Robin - Girls Like You
Robin is one of the best known pop artists in Finland who’s been making hits one after another since he was 10 years old (he’s 24 now). Slowly he’s been making steps towards more international music scene and releasing more and more material in English instead of his native Finnish.
For years the Finnish audience saw him as the dream artist to represent us in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is our Benjamin Ingrosso! Each year we hoped and were disappointed. So this is definitely a moment just having him participating UMK!
Obviously this entry and artist probably had more expectations than anyone else from the line up of UMK23 and he’s being seen as a direct competitor for Benjamin (Hoida Mut). Stakes were high. He says the song is the best one he’s ever made and what really describes him the best musically. He wants the whole world to listen to it so participating to UMK (and perhaps ESC) makes perfectly sense.
The song was made partly in L.A and you can hear the sunny, positive, easy breezy vibe here. This is easy listen pop funk, well produced, BTS, Maroon 5 -kind of sounding music. It’s slick and smooth, reminds me something that Melfest (Sweden) would probably have in their song selection. There’s a comfort, familiarity here which fits to Robin’s comment how this is so him at the moment.
However, there’s a danger of all of that being too generetic too mainstream and forgettable and to me unfortunately that’s the case. The song fails to reach the hights as the other UMK23 entries, the chorus is non-existing - I listened the song 3-4 times and I missed it every time. At best this is a filler song for me and being taken from the selection with this high quality, based on the studio cut, this wouldn’t be my choice for Liverpool. And I am disappointed because the guy has better songs, or at least more memorable ones.
Anyhow, Robin is skilled and experienced, charismatic as hell live performer. A well executed live performance might add that extra value to the song that it desperately needs. Also I cannot ignore his popularity and big fanbase in Finland who might vote him to advance to ESC (like The Rasmus last year).
What do you think of the third UMK23 track and would you vote for Robin’s Girls Like You to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!
UMK 2023 Song Review - Benjamin
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with another banger!
Benjamin - Hoida Mut
Benjamin is a fairly well known popstar in Finland who has released hit songs mostly in English and now quite recently switched back to his native Finnish. He also made a name to himself by winning Dancing with the Stars last year. He is now competing in UMK with his song Hoida Mut (do me).
UMK apparently is something he’s been eager to do for a while but has felt the Finnish music industry as less ESC-friendly so he’s pushed his participation for years. He’s being seen now as the main competitor for another UMK23 artist Robin who more or less represents the same genre as him.
Benjamin’s 80′s disco pop tune Hoida Mut is an erotic, solid banger which he wishes to break some of the male sexual stereotypes by singing about surrendering to someone. Despite of the 80′s vibes in here which have been compared to Weekend, the song sounds fresh and current.
The lyrics are hot and steamy and so is the video. Benjamin’s dance moves come accross definitely and there are some very high expectations now to be met with his live performance in UMK final on February 25th. I don’t think of him as much of a vocalist though but the song fits perfectly for his voice and vocal capacity. I hope he’ll be able to execute this well vocally too when on stage.
Hoida Mut is one of the four UMK23 entries in FINNISH this year. As Finnish I cannot imagine how the language sounds like for a foreigner but the international reactions have been utterly positive. If this wins the ticket to Liverpool, I really hope and pray they won’t be changing the language. There are a few English verses in here and they feel natural and on spot.
This is catchy as hell and might be on the road to become the next Ram Pam Pam (UMK22). Even without winning UMK the publicity, visibility he is receiving will surely lift him to hights of the Finnish pop music scene. Out of all the seven UMK23 entries, this is probably what I enjoy listening the most. I’m defintely hooked. However, the song offers a lot of foreplay but does it actually get to the climax? They could have added a trick or two in here to spice up the things even more (musically I mean!). Anyway, in a another ESC selection, Finnish or elsewhere, in 2023 or before - this could win the whole lot!
What do you think of the second UMK23 track and would you vote Benjamin’s Hoida Mut to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!
UMK 2023 song review - Keira
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool kicked off with a banger!
Keira - No Business on the Dancefloor
The 18-year-old Keira became known to Finnish audience in Voice of Finland where she did fairly well becoming third on the final last year. Since then while waiting and searching for her momentum UMK came up in the discussions quite early on but finding “her hit song” took its time.
This is her first single and what a hit indeed it has become! Currently it’s in top 10 most listened tracks in Finland on Spotify and on Youtube it’s the second most watched UMK23 clip with over 440 000 views! But as we saw last year becoming a hit song is not enough to win the ticket to ESC!
No Business on the Dancefloor was written actually by Finnish ESC representative from 2011 Axel “Oskar Paradise” Ehnström (can you believe it?). The Finns will probably also recognize the other songwriter Teemu Brunila (Jenni Vartiainen, Anna Abreu) and how the song definitely has some familiar Brunila vibes.
Keira herself tells her song that she wants people to liberate their “inner party animals”. I’m not quite sure if it manages to do that but this still ticks all the right boxes for a catchy dance entry and it’s completely stage and Eurovision ready. Well done UMK and Finland!
Some compare her to Rihanna - I can recognize some resemblence there also. Vocally this is a safe effort, they could have gone further with her vocal range but maybe she will surprise us in the live show of UMK on February 25th?
Track like, this is strong. The beat is memorable, the flute gives an ethnic vibe to it and sets the song apart from other dance tracks of UMK. Lyrics are cheeky and full of pop references which some find them corny but for me they add personality instead. However, would I have added some volume, some power to this - yes I would and I’m really hoping the live performance gives to it its much needed extra spice!
What do you think of the first UMK23 track and would you vote this to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!