Pernilla Karlsson won the UMK final and therefor presents Finland in the coming Eurovision song contest 2012 in Baku. She's a totally unknown newcomer to the music scene and her song När jag blundar was written by her brother Jonas (who is having success at the moment with his project Elokuu which Pernilla admits of being a huge fan) for their mother's 50th birthday last summer. It's almost two months she won the final but she is still a totally unknown. I have come across only one interview in printed paper (I may be reading wrong medias but then, I don't think so), namely CITY magazine and here's what she had to say: "I'm think there will be other totally inexperienced artists in Baku and we can get excited together on the spot. I will take two pieces of luggage but as I don't have any I have to buy them first." Cool. She also tells she had difficulties to find out how and where to send their song with her brother on UMK's web pages and were not even sure it was ex-Euroviisut - which tells us a lot about UMK. And yes, she would have participated even if it was called Euroviisut, new name didn't it more inviting. The irony of that is that YLE wanted with the name and format change attract "artists who wouldn't want to participate in Euroviisut to take part". Yep. And more irony is in the fact the probably most Eurovision-like song won. Contrary to all expectations they had.
Soon after the victory the tabloids were suggesting the song is a plagiation of Yona's Pilvet liikkuu, minä en (and if the song was out already in October, how come it took nearly four months to notice that?). How many times has Pernilla listened to that song? "Once last year. I don't even know how she looks like but I hope to meet her one day. I'm not interested in media hype." And about the language choice: "I could also sing in English, but not this particular song. It was written for my mother and I sing it of course in my mother tongue." She believes her chances to win are 4 in the scale of 1 to 10 and she doesn't sing in the shower as the water gets into your mouth. And now she labels herself as a hand ball playing singer instead of singing hand ball player. And yes, she's an Eurovision fan. "When I was a kid my mom used to make us scoreboards and we were comparing our favourites!"
Pernilla Karlsson was born in 1990. In 1995 she started playing hand ball and a year later got her first kiss from a boy in a kindergarden. At 8 she starts playing piano. At 15 she wins Världens minsta schlagerfestival aka The world's smallest schlagerfestival singing contest. and six year's later she represents Finland in Baku.
And now we know her a little bit better, don't we?
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