Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

When rumors started circulating Antti Paalanen might be one of the finalists a certain part of Finnish Euroviison fandom got very excited. This blogger on the other hand had really never heard of him but obviously got quite interested: accordion,.throat singing, folk music.... His entry Takatukka meaning mullet showcases all that with a sparkle in the eye with its humorous lyrics. But did I like it? Read at the bottom.... Antti Paalanen (48) is already a seasoned artist at home and internationally. He has won several awards and besides his solo career has been active in various groups with whom he's been nominated and won Emma awards. He's the Finnish champion in accordion three years in a row (1994-96). He has worked and composed for theater, studied in Sibelius Academy and other prestigious music schools. His international breakthrough happened in WOMEX showcase concert in Copenhagen 2011 Four solo albums todate and 17 collaboration albums with his various bands. Additional t...

Belgium's RTBF has chosen internally Essyla with Dancing on the ice for Eurovision song contest 2026. Essyla, or Alice van Eesbeeck. Essyla launched her music career in 2020 by participating in The Voice Belgique. She reached the finals and finished second to Eurovision 2022 veteran Jérémie Makiese.She has released a couple of singles and an Ep so far. When writing this she has 2.154 monthly listeners on Spotify and her most streamed song Let you go has less than 130.000 streams. Listen to some of her previous songs below:

  Kiki offers as a mix of Finnish melancholy and Greek passion in her Rakkaudenkipee. Kiki, aka Petra Gavalas (29) if half Greek, half Finnish and her brother is none other than pretty successful rapper Lukas Leon, thanks to whom she met her producer and the rest is history.  Kiki's debut single 666 in 2021 was a Top-10 success and the singles have been coming in a steady flow ever since. Her debut album Intuito was released in 2023. Decent chart action and streaming numbers for each and every single but the Big one is still waiting. Could it be Rakkaudenkipee? Eurovision is her big dream and right after that a collaboration with some big Greek artist is on her wishlist.  Rakkaudenkipee *** Kiki, Jaakko Kiuru, Niko Salmela, Leo Jupiter Chart action: Official singles chart: #13. / #19. / #36. Official radio play chart: #21. / #27. / #28. / #27. Spotify debut: #9 with 101.764 streams Spoty monthly listeners: 327.000 What do I think? Not much. For me not her best effort. Too...

Etta (or Emmalotta Kanth, 28) is the most successful and the first female rap artist to have a #1 album. But besides being a rapper she is also an excellent singer. She has released three  top-10 albums and has eight Top-10 singles (and four more as featuring, including one #1 hit). She first came to spotlight at the age of 10 when she reached the semifinal stage in Talent Suomi. Coming from a musical family her brother Vilikasper Kanth also has UMK 2015 experience. Another funny fact is her ex-boyfriend Lukas Leon is Kiki's brother. She has also done featuring with Pete Parkkonen and Isaac Sene among others.  Her song Million dollar smile is an ode to her single mother and gets inspiration from her difficult youth and dealing with alopecia that made her lose her hair as a teenager. As said music was always present in her family and she says she didn't choose music, music chose her. They have tried to label her as pop singer or a female rapper but she says she's and Artist....

BBC has internally selected Look mum no computer for Eurovision song contest 2026.  His entry will be revealed later. BBC also deny someone was already selected before and was dropped due to some internet writings.  Sam Battle (35) or Look mum no computer is a British Youtuber, electronics enthuastic. musician and composer. He is known for making and playing unusual, esoteric, and eccentric electronic musical devices made from vintage technology. he set up his Youtube in 2013, originally to promote his band Zibra. He released his first single Groundhog day in 2019 and toured Germany, Switzerland and the UK. He's lately got involved also in video games development. He's been releasing singles, Eps and albums in steady flow since 2019. Human procrastination is the one with the most streams on Spotify with just a bit under 2 million. He has less than 30.000 monthly listeners at the moment of the announcement.  Below are some of his songs for you to enjoy while waiting for th...

  Komiat (or The Handsome in Ostrobothian dialect or smth) brings to UMK a genre never heard there before, more or less: Finnish dance hall schlager.  They have been around for ten years or so and after doing covers first in 2016. The year after they did their first gig s and in 2018 they already won the Finnish championships of dance orchestra (yes, there's such thing)  in Tangomarkkinat. They have been voted the most popular dance orchestra already seven years in a row! The dance hall culture is having a revival especially among younger people so their music hits the right cords. They released their debut album in 2020 and between 2022-24 they scored several minor  hits and last year their released their second album including Kaihosielu, a crossover hit streaming platinum and reaching #4 in the Radioplay charts. Last year they also played the Helsinki Olympic stadium as a warm up to Katri Helena's farewell mega concert. They are also nominated for four Emma (Finni...

Sing for Greece, the Greek national final for Eurovision song contest, come to an end tonight and Akylas as expected swept full set of points from each and every jury.  A total of fourteen songs made it to the final from two semi-finals, each with 14 songs selected out of 265 submissions,  staged earlier this week, among them Eurovision veterans Koza Mostra, fan favorites Good Job Nicky and Evangelia and most of all Akylas who has already gone viral in some Käärijä way (who indeed has shown support in Joost Klein, Baby Lasagna and Tommy Cash style) irritating some part of the fandom.  Akylas Mytilinaios (27, Ακύλας Μυτιληναίος) is a Greek singer and songwriter. He has been releasing singles since 2021. Four years ago he participated in The Voice of Greece.  Final rresults: Stylianos  - YOU & I   18  7th D3lta - Mad about it   21   6th Mikay - Labyrinth   4  10th Marika - Daughters of the Sun (A, E, I, O, U)   0  1...

Croatia's national final for Eurovision song contest 2026 has also come to and end after two semi-finals where out of 251 submissions 24 selected songs competed for the 16 places in the final line up, among them last year's fan favorite Lelek. If I should pick up some names I would go for Alen Duras, Sergej, Lana Demarin, Stela Bade and Lana Mandaric. Read more here .  Lelek is a Croatian folk pop all female band. They are Inka Večerina Perušić, Judita Štorga, Korina Olivia Rogić, Lara Brtan and Marina Ramljak. They were formed in 2024 and already last year treied to get to Eurovision with fan favorite The sould of my soul placing 4th. A handful of singles released so far they are yet to release an album.  Final results (jury + tele): Ananda - Dora  (13 +7) 20  15th Sergej - Scream   (33 + 9) 42  10th Noelle - Uninterrupted   (27 + 11) 38  13th Alen Đuras - From Ashes to Flame   (41 + 15) 56  6th Irma - Ni traga   (32 + 11) 43...

Spain is not taking part in Eurovision song contest 2026 but their usual national selection took place anyways. After two semi-finals - each with 9 songs selected from 870 dsubmissions - earlier this week the final took place and was won by Tony Grox and Lucycalys and T amaré. Read more here  I have always loved Benidorm fest's graphics and finally the stagings were at the same level, thanks to some help from Finland :-)  Asha won expert jury's vote the winning couple being second before Izan llunas who won demoscopic jury before Rosalinda Galan  and Mikel Herzog Jr  the winners placing 4th but they won the televote before Rosalinda Galan and Miranda! and Bailamama. International fan favorite Kenneth was left last.... My favorites were Asha and Mikel Herzog Jr. Final results (experts+demoscopic+tele) : Mayo - Tócame (24 + 4 + 36) 64   11th Kitai - El amor te da miedo (51 + 20 + 32) 103    6th Asha - Turista  (92 + 28 + 24) 144   2...

  Latvia's Supernova 2026, the national final to select Latvia's entry for Eurovision song contest came to conclusion tonight and the winner is Atvara.  Atvara or Liene Atvara (33) is Latvian singer-songwriter. She has studied music, English and  marketing in Denmark. Her first attempt in music was in 2017 in X Factor but without luck. Her first single Pie manis tveries came out in 2024 and was a Top-10 hit in Latvia.  Dzīve mūs mētā was a radio hit. She has released some more singles as solo or featuring, and her debut album came out in 2025.  Out of 124 submitted entries and a jury of Latvian and international professional selected 24 entries for the two semi-finals where from the ten finalists were voted by a professional jury and televoters. Among the acts Eurovision veteran Robert Ox (2022 as a member of Citi Zēni). The semi-final results were not made public beforehand to keep things exciting. Last year's runner up Emilija seemed to be the favorite ...

The Danish national selection for Eurovision song contest 2026 took place tonight and the winner is Søren Torpegaard Lund. It was his second time in DMGP after Lige her in 2023 when he didn't reach the top-3. Søren Torpegaard Lund (27)  is a Danish singer, songwriter and actor. At the age of 17 he cecame the youngest ever student to be accepted to Den Danske Scenekunstskole. He has done several musical roles from West Side Story to Kinky Boots and even won awards for them. Past three years he has released few singles and an Ep. beforementioned Lige her being his debut. Other singles include En dreng som mig , Stor kunst and De ting jeg hvisker . There was an open call for entries and DR also invited record companies to send in their best offering. After selection committee and several national and international focus groups eight songs made it to the final. The number of submitted entries has not been revealed I believe. Amng the acts last year's winner Sissal again along wi...

Estonia has had the final of the 18th Eesti laul tonight, the national final for Eurovision song contest 2026. Vanilla Ninja was selected as the winner so they return to Eurovision after finishing 8th in 2005 for Switzerland with Cool vibes (that was actually cool). This Too epic to be true isn't very epic sadly. Neither the whol selection this year. My initial favorite was NOEP and indeed it may still be the best one for me. Vanilla Ninja these days is Lenna Kuurmaa, Piret Järvis and Kerli Kivilaan. They had their prime time in 2002-2008 when they had several hits in Central Europe ( Tough enough , When the Indians cry and Blue tattoo just to mention some) and reunited in 2020. They tried to win Euro laul also in 2003 with Club Kung-Fu (9th) and 2007 with Birds of peace (4th).  A total of 177 entries were submitted for the contest. A 34 member jury chose the 12 finalists and the songs were presented on October 30 and 31. Among the artists Eurovision veterans Getter Jaani (2011),...

  Ukraine's national final for Eurovision song contest 2026, Vidbir, has had its final and was won by Ukraine is the only country that has managed to qualify every time they have participated plus they have won three times and been runner up twice in the past 20 participation. War or no war Ukraine is one of the Eurovision power houses no doubt. In 2026 the selection followed already familiar path: Out of submitted 451 entries  15 were announced and invited for an audition where from nine made it directly to the final. The rest were put on an online vote and the winner Khayat was added to the final. Other familiar names made the cut as like last year's runner up Molodi, and two Eurovision veterans: Jerry Heil (3rd in ESC 2024 with Alyona Alyona) and Monokate (5th with Go_A in ESC 2021). Ad Olena Usenko, a member of The Elliens (6th in JESC 2021). Read more here   My favorite in the end was Laud witj Jerry Heil even if her song doesn't quite fit into Eurovision stage I sup...

Yle has usually revealed the hosts even before the artists but this year they have kept the secret for a long time. But today the news are out: Jasmin Beloued, already at it last year, will host the show with celebrities Jorma Uotinen and Sami Sykkö,  a popular podcast couple and not only. Jasmin Beloued (26) started hosting Yle's youth program at the age of 17 and few years later moved to Yle Mix channel. Since then she's been a regular in Yle's programs and made it to mainstream with UMK last year and later last year as one of the reporter's in the Independence Day  Ball, the most watched tv program in (along with Eurovision and sports) in Finland annually. Jorma Uotinen (75) is a household name in Finland. Since 1970 he has danced and choreographed in Finland and abroad. He has danced in Paris Opera, Milan's La Scala, Royal ballets of Denmark and Sweden and in Berlin's Staatsoper. Later he created also a career as a singer and was the boss of National Ballet ...

Last week Ebu and ORF shared the news we have hosts for the 70th Eurovision song contest 2026 in Vienna. Earlier hotly speculated Conchita Wurst announced she won't be part of Eurovision anymore in any form.  Victoria Swarovski (32) sparkles with her surname and yes, she an heir to that crystal empire. But she's not been waiting for the family money but created her own empire as tv-presenter, entrepreneur, model, designer and singer as Victoria S. Her musical started already at the age of 16 and later took her to Los Angeles where she worked with likes of Diane Warren. Later she went on to win Austrian Let's dance and later become a long running judge while hosting other nig shows. She has her own beauty brand ORIMEI, as a model she has been in covers of ELLE, Glamour, L'Officiel, Gala style and Forbes. And just like Finnish hopeful Linda Lampenius she's also a rally driver! Michael Ostrowski (53) is an actor and presenter. But also comedian, screenwriter, director....

Bulgaria returns to Eurovision song contest after three editions away and staged a selection show to choose the artist and doing so managed to engage big and most popular names in the Bulgarian scene. After semi-final and final the winner is out: Dara. Another show later on will select an entry for her as she will perform three songs and one will be voted for Vienna. Read more here . Dara (or Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, 27) is a big name in the Bulgarian entertainment business as she has built her career in the past ten years through X Factor, Bulgarian version of Your Face sounds familiar, being the coach in The Voice and Dancing with stars besides releasing hit singles in regular basis. Nearly 30 singles as solo or featuring including three #1s and eight Top-10 hits and two album under her belt she's off to Vienna next. Countless nominations in Bulgarian annual music awards winning the Artist of the year in 2018 and video of the year in 2021. In 2016 her song was the most played one...

Israel's selection show HakokHav Haba or Rising Star for the Eurovision song contest 2026 artist came to conclusion last week and was won by Noam Bettan. The selections and eliminations startd in November 2025 and a total of 21 singers took part in the televized shows this time. The final was a foursome with Noam Bettan, Gal De Paz, Shira Sloof and Alona Erez.. As usual only the artist was chosen and the song he will perform in Vienna on behalf of Kan is revealed later, on March 5, 2026 Noam (27) comes from a French Jewish family and grew up in Israel. He has already experience from other talent shows and has released his debut album and several singles and scored some hits, too.  Below are some of his songs and covers for your enjoyment along with his Rising star performances:

Luxemburg had its national final for Eurovision song contest on January 24, 2026 and was won by Eva Marija.with Mother nature. Eva Marija Kavaš Puc (20) was born and raised in Luxemburg by Slovenian parents. She has studied singing (from jazz to pop, rock and classical), violin, bass and piano in Conservatoire de Luxemburg. Her music writing studies continue in London. She took a clear win by winning both jury and televotes. Mother nature is her fifth single after When 2 lovers meet , Toxic trait , Time to go and Sweet child in the past five years.  Out of 83 submission came through different ways to enter and 15 were invited for an audition and an international jury chose the 8 for the final. In final the top-3 entered the superfinal. The other placements haven't been revealed yet. (Full results published January 30 and added below) Luxemburg song contest (jury + televote) 1. Eva Marija - Mother nature (94 + 128)  222 2. Steve Castile - Sweet tooth (80 + 65)  136...

  Moldova had its national final Finala Națională for Eurovision song contest 2026 on January 17 and it was won by Satoshi and his Viva, Moldova! Satoshi (aka Vlad Sabajuc, 27) is a Moldovan singer, songwriter, rapper and composer. He's been involved in music as Satoshi since 2019 and has already released four albums and 40 singles since 2022! However so far only two have apparently charted: Noaptea pe la 3 (#16 in Moldova) and Diferente (#81 in Romania).  Satoshi won in the final both international and national jury and also the televote by huge margin: he got 13.084 votes versus CatalinaSolomac's 861! Originally 37 songs were submitted, 34 attended the auditions round in December and 16 acts reached the final. Both the national and international jury included several Eurovision artists who also performed during the show.  Finala Națională 2026 (nat jury + int jury + televote) 1. Satoshi - Viva, Moldova! (12 + 12 + 12) 36 2. Pavel Orlov - Can't say goodbye (10 + 8 + 8)...