Yle - Blog Posts
UMK 2024 Song Review - Vox Poppuli
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö ends with another rap entry!
Mikael Gabriel x Nublu - Vox Poppuli
Mikael Gabriel is one of the best known Finnish artists who started his career back in 2007 and has since released 7 studio albums and multiple smash hits. He's had more number #1s than one can count!
A big name UMK audience has been requesting to participate to the contest for years.
His mother is estonian which might explain why he is collaborating now with Nublu, highly succesful rap artist in Estonia. This is surely one of the most interesting UMK entries this year.
Vox Poppuli means in Latin the voice of the people. The song begins with eurodance entry but moves quickly to the 90's / 2000's rock-pop sound that will continue throughout the song. This reminds me of Blink 182 or similar rock band. There's a young energy here despite of its nostalgic sound for older generation.
As a rap song and as a non-rap music fan - this might be the least irritating of the rap songs in UMK24 - also even though musically this seems to be a bit tedious, one note kind of thing, I think this is delivering the crazy fun act better than Windows95man which had kind of similar idea with his performance. I like the choir a lot! Also points for Nublu's rap part in Estonian and not in English.
This has already become somewhat a domestic hit gathering views on Youtube and streams on Spotify. This is easy to listen even though not your cup of tea, it's radio friendly with a catchy memorable chorus and therefore a potential UMK winner. Also MG enjoys a loyal and young fandom so it is expected them to pick up their phones and vote on Saturday night.
Video clip keeps you hooked and we can expect a crazy staging at Nokia Arena at Tampere!
What do you think of the seventh UMK24 track and would you vote for Mikael Gabriel x Nublu to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!
UMK 2024 Song Review - Sini Sabotage
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with another rap entry!
Sini Sabotage - Kuori Mua
Sini Sabotage is one of the best known Finnish artists but at the same time one of the rare female rappers in the country. She started her career with a banger Levikset Repee roughly a decade ago and has since released 3 studio albums and multiple radio hits. She has fought her way to the top.
Despite of being somewhat a dream name for UMK for years the idea of sending her new Kuori Mua song to the competition was actually proposed to her by the songwriters and producers.
Kuori Mua which means peel me in Finnish is bold even as a title. If you're familiar with her personality and music you'll notice how this instantly fits her like a glove.
Kuori Mua begins with inviting piano notes and moves quickly to the electronic beat. The song has heat, rush - it tells you how to move and focus. This screams gay anthem. All the banger elements are here and they're well produced.
The lyrics and beat are energetic and sensual - some might be irritated by the Finglish here but I'm not a Finnish rap expert enough to say if this is common for Finnish rap. Chorus is a bit flat, it doesn't bunch me as I'd wish it would. This needs several listens even though it is memorable though. Musically I especially enjoy the beginning of the second verse and the bridge here. The piano based moments give the juiciest sounds. The song improves towards the end but still doesn't meet the expectations in my opinion.
Kuori Mua is not on top of the Youtube and Spotify lists when comparing the UMK24 tracks and I think it hasn't grown to become the banger they'd hoped for even in domestic levels.
What comes to the live performance music video promises several options and it must be big since this has been chosen to start the UMK show on Saturday (Feb 10th). I have no doubt she wouldn't be able to deliver this live.
What do you think of the sixt UMK24 track and would you vote for Sini Sabotage to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!
UMK 2024 Song Review - Windows95man
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with another entry!
Windows95man - No Rules!
Windows95man is a shy family man from the Finnish capital area who's made a name for himself as multitalented entertainer. The man is a visual artist and a photographer plus owns his own gallery in Helsinki but is the best known aka Windows95man. It all started from Youtube but quickly grew to become famous as a DJ who wears cut off shorts (magic shorts according to him) and Windows95 t-shirt.
He represents the same liberated crazy spirit as Käärijä last year. He does a lot of things that are not seen suitable for a Finnish man of his age in style and in music and feels no shame of doing so! Good for him!
No Rules is his first song in which he collaborates with Henri Piispanen who delivers the vocals.
No rules is a throwback from the 90's which according to Windows95man influenced his musical style the most (as born in the mid 80's). Musically this is part of the eurodance genre and reminds many of E-Type.
Musically it holds all the necessary elements that a proper 90's banger needs and Piispanen impresses with his high notes (can he deliver live?). However, what is a strong point for No Rules can be also its death.
This is a nice, funny, catchy add to UMK24 selection but doesn't really meet the high quality of the previous songs, does it. This can be seen as a joke entry especially with the music video which reminds me a sketch on TV. Musically this can be quite irritating for many. It doesn't offer anything new and some listeners might tune off before the song has reached its 3-minute run.
Last year Portion Boys delivered a similar entry but still bringing their own musical value to the table. I just don't see No Rules doing the same despite of possibly becoming a guilty pleasure for some UMK fans. In Eurovision this is something what we could have sent a decade ago but now UMK as Eurovision has topped its game since. Wiwibloggs were on point with their a Nokia reference - it's nice to down a memory lane for a moment but would someone still buy one? No.
This is still a decent first single and I hope nothing but the best and love in the future!
What do you think of the fifth UMK24 track and would you vote for Windows95man to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!
UMK 2024 Song Review - Jesse Markin
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with another entry!
Jesse Markin - Glow
Jesse Markin is one of the most promising upcoming Finnish indie artists who released his debut album Folk in 2019 and was widely awarded for it for example with an Emma (Finnish Grammy) as the best newcomer in 2020. He released his follow-up album Noir in 2021. Musically he would be categorized as a rap artist but his music is greatly influenced by other genres which shows also in his UMK 2024 entry.
He is one of the rare UMK artists taking a stand announcing that in case of winning UMK he would not go to Malmö if Israel participates ESC 2024.
Glow written partly in Finnish toilets but also in the streets of Ghana, is definitely something else. A fresh summer breeze in the middle of cold January - this is a song that no one expected to receive from Finland.
This ain't a simple track, instrumentally rich, would even call it noisy - a lot is going on in here. I hear reggaeton, afro-beats, hip hop / rap, electro / house well, smoothly produced urban sounds - musically this reminds me of Black Eyed Peas a bit. Chorus is memorable and uplifting with "you're gonna make it" where the verses tend to remain a bit flat.
The song doesn't have really a proper bridge and I don't think the rap section in the halfway of the song should be considered as such. And I don't think it's giving the correct energy here but this might be a personal preference. The track seems then a little long and repetitive. Visually this is on of the weakest of UMK video clips this year. Even though the lama is kind of cute!
However, there's a lot of love for this song out there. For those into this kind of genre, the track is an instant earworm but for others it has a risk of disappearing in the background as.. well background music. When speaking about views on YT and streams on Spotify Glow is losing in both lists for its competitors (being 7th and 6th). But Glow does serve a strong feel good vibe and I'm so glad it's here! It does bring light and different perspective to the 2024 UMK line up.
What do you think of the fourth UMK24 track and would you vote for Jesse Markin to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!
UMK 2024 Song Review - Sexmane
The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues!
Sexmane - MANIA
Max Scene aka Sexmane is currently the most streamed artist in Finland and also he has a connection to UMK. His little brother Isaac Scene competed in 2022 with Kuuma Jäbä.
Since releasing his debut album Sextape in 2019 he has been Emma awarded (Finnish Grammys) and he's managed to beat his previous successes with each release. He will no doubt have a lot of loyal young voters out there!
As a background info he and his brother grew up in a religious community where hymns were in and commercial music was not. He mentions this fairly often in the interviews so I believe it had an impact on his creativity and that he even ended up in the music industry.
MANIA is a song about mental health. "It's ok not to be ok" he says.
The song slaps you right at the face with MANIA. There's a lot of autotune in here from the very beginning and many have questioned if he can pull this through live. This is no basic pop tune you can put into a box within a certain genre. This is a hip hop / rap song with a heavy rock push. Music experts can peal this like an onion because it has plenty of layers to go around for all.
The song goes on smoothly having a strong pre-chorus and the anthemic MANIA is catchy and difficult to forget. I'm not a fan of rap music but I do enjoy listening to this even though my very first reaction was fear. The guitar solo at the end of the song is impressive and much needed add. The song ends with a scream.
Musically there's a strong pull towards our last ESC entry and a lot of people are criticizing of sending MANIA right after Cha Cha Cha (can anything be better?). In contrast to Käärijä's drinking party hit, there's some real pain and seriousness here. The beat is pushy and urges you to rush to act. And him desperately screaming in his pain and getting it out of his space - we see a lot of symbolism in the videoclip.
I kind of play with the idea of this winning because of the orange theme. In 2022 we had The Rasmus with Jezebel having a yellow staging, Käärijä last year obviously with his green effect, this would be a great continuity with the orange look.
What do you think of the second UMK24 track and would you vote for Sexmane to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!
UMK 2024 Song Review - Cyan Kicks
Again the hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö has officially started!
Cyan Kicks - Dancing With Demons
Cyan Kicks is a Finnish alternative rock/electric pop band established back in 2016. They had their big break in UMK 2022 when they came second with Hurricane losing to The Rasmus. I do remember for rooting for Hurricane two years ago!
Since then, they've been busy with making music and touring around Europe. This shows. They've also mentioned themselves the growth of confidence and experience, and especially the vocalist Susanna. This time around they're bolder and loader but still not losing their familiar energy and sound. But it's inevitable to compare their 2024 entry to Hurricane of UMK22 and perhaps their biggest contestant might actually be themselves from two years ago.
For many the 22 entry was instantly memorable and still is and the question is can DWD do the same?
Dancing With The Demons is the first of seven UMK24 entries to be released. And what a start it is!
The song is kicked off with a promising electronic beat and it builds up nicely towards the first chorus which I have to admit I'm slightly disappointed that it's not grabbing enough. Personally I'm liking the second verse and Susanna's interpretation of the lyrics here. I even saw somewhere a Lady Gaga comparison.
Instrumentally this is very rich and there's a lot to take in. Lots of volume which makes me worry if Susanna's vocals which are rather light in here, are strong enough to carry it through? Even though I know she can sing live obviously. As seconds turn into minutes there's more volume, more instruments and more noise coming up!
A lot of people have criticized the bridge but my musical (rock) taste is generic enough to love it actually. I'm loving the "follow me's" here. In three minutes it's tricky to get an instrumental part squeezed in but DWD manages to do just that. The whole band is clearly involved in this with 150% and musically this can be quite overwhelming. The ending is as load as the beginning. Lyrically not the best of songs but this wasn't the band's strong suit in 2022 either.
This is well and heavily produced track that can be blamed of sounding a slightly bit too mainstream and plastic lacking originality and organic sound. However, this is a question of personal taste. Live performance we don't need to worry with this entry because as we remember from UMK 22 - they'll nail it.
Visually this is impressive. Susanna and the band rocking under the rain (she was actually with fever when shooting the video!) and everything we see supports what we hear. Sexy, load, wet, explosive. It's actually difficult to listen the song without its video because that's how astonishing it is! And the pair clearly belongs together. UMK music videos have come a long way!
What do you think of the first UMK24 track and would you vote for Cyan Kicks to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!
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 - 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 - 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!
UMK 2020
After two years of selecting internally our representative YLE has gone back to have an open competition. Out of the 400 songs sent out, the final 6 artists with their songs were released in January. I feared the worse and hoped for the best. But compared to many other years material we’ve had this is a gigantic leap to the right directions. Here are my thoughts (the songs appear in the order of their release) - please click the link in the title of the song to listen the tracks.
Saara Aalto represented Finland in 2018 as internally selected artist.
1. TIKA - I LET ME HEART BREAK
THE power ballad. The X-Factor winner 2018 in Finland is specialized in them and she has a voice for it! However I feel something is missing. It has the right structure but it’s missing some filling. Surprisingly it has kept in the race within the ratings on Youtube (almost 200 000 views) and Spotify (over 120 000 streamings) making it the third most popular UMK entry this year. I haven’t lost my faith though and I’ll give the live version a chance.
2. ERIKA VIKMAN - CICCIOLINA
The most buzzed about. The song special theme (Italian porn star /politician whose story gave the name for the song) has received attention international and national along with the headlines. I’m bothered by Erika’s poor English skills though and her mispronunciation of the title. However I find her way from the Finnish tango scene to the pop sky interesting. It has a nostalgic Euro/ Finnish pop vibe but doesn’t represent the 2020 scene of either of them - it can be a pro or a con. The song sounds just out dated and something that Finns have been sending to ESC for decades with a little success. I find it difficult to understand why would we be going back for that. However it has a catchy chorus though. Unfortunately general opinion is against me and Cicciolina has been viewed over 1 million times on Youtube and streamed on Spotify over 1200 000 times. I just hope that these people click the song out of curiosity for once and will not be voting for it. Even though the international ESC bloggers seem to excited about it too. I really stand alone.
In 2014 Softengine brought Finland our best result (11th in the final) since Lordi’s victory (2006).
3. AKSEL KANKAANRANTA - LOOKING BACK
Our only male entry. This was the first one I actually liked. Well produced but tt could go further though. I wish they’d update it a bit or the live version will give it much needed kick. I really like his singing! He is fairly popular also among UMK 2020 entries - viewed over 200 000 times on Youtube and streamed almost 200 000 times on Spotify.
4. F3M - BANANAS
I understand why people wouldn’t like this but that’s exactly why I do! It’s a bit goofy,definitely catchy but also annoying. The song has some definite hooks that will be playing in your head all day but I wonder is it too forgettable? And people like this! Not doing bad on bloggers lists and on Youtube + Spotify considering.
5. SANSA - LOVER VIEW
Hate to say this but the loser of the crowd. A very unlikely winner. It doesn’t interest people. However Sansa’s song was the one I was the most excited about beforehand because of the dance and electronic style. It’s nicely produced but too light and easy. I wish there would be something to catch me properly. A great ac companion for a run or to the gym but perhaps that is its biggest problem. The most annoying thing is that I get it why they’ve left the song like this because I understand people who like music without too much drama or screaming.
6. CATHARINA ZUHLKE - ETERNITY
She competed in UMK 2017 and is back for another round. The first time I heard her song Eternity I knew this was it! From the Perfect Villain to a perfect pop song! However I’m afraid that it might be too predictable and that’s why it hasn’t become a Youtube/ Spotify favourite (or is it because she was released last). I really hope the live goes well for this one. I’m hopeful based on the positive comments and the mix of two genres (slow ballad in the beginning to catchy euro pop in the end).
The representitive will be selected tonight at 9pm (finnish time). Make sure you’ll be voting for your favourite(s)!
UMK artists 2020.