Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Yle has announced today information on coming UMK 2026 with the first clues on artists. Yle received a record number of 491 songs for UMk 2026. As usual seven entries have been selected via various juries (both professional and amateur) to compete. The show will include also grand opening and interval acts by Top Finnish artists. The artists will be revealed on January 14, 2026 in live television event and the song previewed as usual one per day at midnight between January 15 and 23. The final takes place on February 28 in Tampere Arena.  There will be as give  as glues: a charismatic performer making their debut at UMK,  an artist who represents a current sound right now,  an internationally sought-after crowd-pleaser,  a pioneer in their own genre,  an attractive duo of two performers with unique voices,  a dramatic pop piece from a singer with a magnificent voice,  and a captivating ballad from an artist radiating international appeal So...

  Here comes a dose of #Finpop 2025 with a lot of UMk flavor. Aka the latest offers from Nelli Matula, costee, BESS, Ilta and previous UMK winner Aksel Kankaanranta who sadly never got to Eurovision thanks to... you know what. Enjoy! Nelli Matula - Uus ikuisuus costee / BESS - Köyhä ja kipee Aksel Kankaanranta - Helpottaa Ilta - En mieti sua

  This dose of #Finpop 2025 is packed with BIG familiar names, award winning chart toppers with their latest efforts. Enjoy! Kuumaa - Valoa Varten Suvi Teräsniska - Kukat kasvaa raunioon Robin Packalen - Unelmavävy Danitello / Mirella - Mitä mulla ei oo

  This is already the 30th #Finpop 2025 quartet, that's quite a lot of new Finnish music for you this year! This time we have newcomers Minttu and Lumi Aalto with Haavat, a new band that sounds quite similar to Kuumaa tbh, and then veteran Mira Luoti of PMMP fame with yet another goodie solo effort that probably won't get what it really deserves. Oh well.... Enjoy! Minttu - Yöpakkasii Mira Luoti - Enola Gay Haavat - Haavat Lumi Aalto - Näen tutut kasvot, jotka ennen nauroivat

  After a month's break it's time to relaunch your #Finpop 2025 doses. We kick of with Behm dueting with Ahti (she's in charts also dueting with Kuumaa's Johannes covering Käärijä, read more here ), along with other collaboration with Mellas and Sana. I have already featured Sana as well as Runo in this series. And then we have Louie Blue who's tipped for UMK 2026 even by other than this blogger as I have tipped for a couple of years already. We'll see.  AHTI / Behm - Tähdet Runo - Jumala armahtaa Louie Blue - Alone in my world MELLAS  / Sana -  Rakastaa

While Sweden's Melodifestivalen 2026 has received 3.888 entries only to have then some 20 out of 28 written by same 5-6 names in various combos Finland's UMK is way more unpredictable and you never know what we have in store for the next edition. We have already noticed the selection team tends to have a sort of trend for the season. If 2025 was very pop oriented and 2024 quite rap influenced it's curious to see where they put the focus on in 2026.  This said the fandom is already speculating and so far Yle has kept quiet and there hasn't been any leaks or bitter comments by artists that they applied and were not taken ( Vilma Jää this year for example). Anyways, here's my first prediction/wish list for possible names added with the first rumored names! If I get 2-3 out of 7 right I'm happy, LOL.      Ladies Vesta - She's in Van elämää this fall and already making it big, could it be that she's doing both back to back? Her career has taken an upright di...

Vain elämää, the Finnish versison of originally Dutch The Best Singers has reached its 16th edition featuring quite a fresh and young cast including Käärijä, Viivi, Johannes Brotherus of Kuumaa from UMK, Lauri Haav and Vesta with more seasoned Jonna Tervomaa, Mikki Kauste of Egotrippi and Pelle Milhjoona. In further episodes there will be guests like Marion Rung (ESC 1962, 1973 - Imagine Käärijä belting out Tipitii for example - and Pepe Willberg. In each episode said artists perform a new version of their choice from the day's artist's repertoire. (Update: Sadly Käärijä didn't attend these last episodes as he was performing in Japan instead!) Update: Käärijä's episode scored 447.000 viewers.  Käärijä's day opened the season and we heard the following versions:  (and updated 19.9. with chart positions in the official singles Top-50 charts) Cha cha cha - Pelle Miljoona ( original ) Mic Mac - Jonna Tervomaa  ( original ) Ruoska - Viivi  ( original ) Enters official c...

It might be only September but the Sanremo 2026 cast speculation is on already now that the deal with the town of Sanremo and Rai is settled finally for the next three years at least and the festival stays in Sanremo and bears the same name as usual.  All Music Italia that is to Sanremo what Aftonbladet is to Melodifestivalen in means of spoiling the artists way before the official announcement - due in December by Carlo Conti - has released their first list of possible names taking part next February. Curiously there's only one band in the list..... The Comebacks: Angelina Mango - winner of 2024 who retired to rest and take care of her mental health over a year ago recently reappeared in Olly's concert on stage and could be coming back. Alfa - after his debut in 2024 as well he's gained a lot since and scored The #1 summer hit of 2025  Blanco - winner of 2022 with Mahmood has been returning to charts in 2025 also as a co-author for three songs in Sanremo 2025 (Giorgia,...

Two new superstar duets from Italy. Many fans dream came true when Annalisa announced a duet with Marco Mengoni while Irama's duet with Elodie came pretty much out of nowhere. Annalisa feat. Marco Mengoni - Piazza San Marco **** Annalisa nor Euroviison veteran Marco Mengoni need no presentation. Both have been delivering hits for years and while Mengoni has done Eurovision already twice Annalisa is yet to win Sanremo and do Eurovision. She's on most foreign Euroviison fans wish list for Italy already for years. Piazza San Marco is their join effort off Annalisa's new album yet to be released. Being a long time Mengoni fan, less so of Annalisa I was quite curious for this collaboration. It's a pretty song wonderfully sung by both. Will it be an evergreen or a song I will sing to myself for years to come? Most likely not but it's a good one. The video is stunning. I have the pleasure of experience empty Venice at night  in January and all I can say it's amazing, n...

  Faith is the past two Eurovision song contest winners Nemo of Switzerland and JJ of Austria both have released their latest efforts almost at the same time fighting for same public for the chart success and attention. Nemo - God's a raver **** Nemo has been around already almost ten years with many EPs and singles released but if we consider his past-Eurovision career God's a raver is the first serious contender to hit big along with his debut album to be released in October 2025. His first release after win was Eurostar that went by without much success and the other songs after that ( Casanova , Unexplainable ) even less so. God's a raver could change his fate being a catchy, groovy, humorous number with somewhat questionable lyrics to stir some attention being the real follow up to The Code . Clearly the best effort since The Code. JJ - Back to forgetting ** JJ releases follow up to his winning entry Wasted love titled Back to forgetting. His winning entry hasn't ...

The beauty of Eurovision is occasionally the artists became friends and/or collaborate in the future. Here comes another fruit of that thing: Germany's last placed Lord of the Lost join forces with Finnish runner up Käärijä in Raveyard.  Somehow I have a feeling this isn't last Käärijä collaboration with fellow Eurovision artists..... It's worth remembereing Lord of the Lost already did a v´cover of Cha cha cha, too :-)