Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

While waiting for the entries for UMK2023 aka Finland's national selection for Eurovision song contest let's look back at some of the best non winning ones from yesteryear. Euroviisut 2000, what a mess! Nightwish was the clear televote (well, telephone) winner getting the double of votes the runner up got), the jury winner was Nylon Beat while Nina Åström, sadly a random nobody before and after Eurovision won placing jury 3rd and people's 2nd won with A little bit . A cute little harmless tune. Anna Eriksson placed jury 2nd and people's 3rd and 2nd overall 4 points short of Nina with a real Eurovision banger. Oot voimani mun   (You are my power) would have been composer Petri Laaksonen's third Eurovision entry. Instead it became a huge hit and Finland's only winner so far in the OGAE Second Chance song contest. Oh, and Nina finished 18th with 18 points in the end and was never heard again.

Compromise. Not a pretty word. That's what BBC is doing. Add OGAE and you will end up a total mess. Ask YLE. Finland involved OGAE members and various juries in the selection and ended sending Edea in 1998 leaving Jari Sillanpää home and his song is an evergreen today while Edea? Or the song.... And again in 2000 Nina Åström won without being anyone's favorite and is today a totally forgotten one while Anna Eriksson  wnet on to win OGAE Second chance and is totday a megastar and what to say about  Nightwish ? A true missed chance.  So, good luck BBC and prepaire for the worst. Ok anyways, the procedure is that 45 OGAE UK members divided in five groups of nine will each review 60 song and pick up their personal top-5. Actually this might be the saving aspect of this method. As a smaller group of persons hear only a smaller group of songs. Then each groups top-5 is sent forward so there will be 25 most likely heavily compromised and melodifestivalized songs to dea...

And the last group of artists following the semifinal one , two and three . I have picked up 32 big names in Finland, mainly from the pop genre. I have on purpose forgotten harder rock, punk and complete schlager singers. What do you think? Would this kind of approach give us any fruits, domestic hits and success in Eurovision like Melodifestivalen does in Sweden? Please comment in the box. Dreaming is free..... and We have a dream .

Eric Himan (remember You're gonna need me from the Swiss selection?) is back with Red hot tears that is rather brilliant song indeed with a simple but effective video. Croatian Nina Badric released earlier this year Ceznja , that fits very nicely to this late summer filled with heat and sun and nostalgic atmosphere. Hannah Mancini has joined with Vanillaz and Kosta Radman in Back 2 life . A perfect club anthem for those hot summer nights, isn't it? OGAE Second chance winner Anna Eriksson will release a new compilation this month including some new songs performed live, including Je suis malade/teit minusta sairaan . She proves once again she's one of the most touching and best vocalists in Finland!

The Finnish post has reached the 1990's in their series of stamps featuring popular artists. The stanps are published on September 3, 2012 and the criteria for choosing these six artists is that their career and popularity is still strong besides them being top sellers of the 1990's. Among them we have two Eurovision veterans, Jari Sillanpää and Laura Voutilainen, OGAE Second chance winner Anna Eriksson, the best selling female singer of the 1990's Kaija Koo and two ever popular bands, The Agents and Yölintu. The stamps simply feature their best seller album sleeves.

Carly Rae climbs un top #1 after three weeks in the charts with Call me maybe . Loreen drops to #4 this week and Stig is also dropping at #14 with Ryyppy . In albums Anna Eriksson stays at #2. 

The Finnish music scene has been dominated by female artists the past few years. First names like Jonna Tervomaa, Irina and Maija Vilkkumaa did pop rock, followed by more sophisticated Jenni Vartiainen and Chisu while Kaija Koo was always there in between. Then we have Jippu and Anna Eriksson who both have returned with a bang this spring. And they both have turned very dark!  Jippu entered the album chart at #8 this week with her Väärinpäin lentävät linnut full of very personal songs about the very colorful life of this somewhat troubled and sensitive artist. This is her third album following the previous #1 album Kuka teki musta tän naisen four years ago. In between she scored cover hits in duet with Samuli Edelmann. And did you know Jenni Vartiainen is one of her closest friends? Here is Henki ja elämä and the title track .  Anna Eriksson returns with her 7th studio album Mana in Finnish after the previous Garden of love album in English and went straight to #2 ...

Jos mulla olisi sydän , or If I had a heart if´s the brand new single off Anna Eriksson's coming album Mana . She's back to singing in Finnish after her previous Garden of love album. The new album will hit the stores on April 18, 2012 and she will only do two concerts in Finland this year: April 18 in Turku's Logomo and April 28 in Helsinki's Musiikkitalo. Watch the new video here .  Mana is Anna's ninth studio album. Her albums have earned her so far one multiplatinum, 4 platinum and 9 gold discs. Anna is so far the only Finnish OGAE Second chance winner in 2000 with the Finnish national final runner up Oot voimani mun . 

The Finnish post will release a sheet of stamps in September 2012 celebration the popular music of the 1990's. The chosen artists are Eurovision veterans Jari Sillanpää and Laura Voutilainen, the most sold female artists Kaija Koo and Anna Eriksson and two bands, Agents and Yölintu. The criteria to pick these artists was simple: their popularity has sruvived not only the 1990's but also the 2000's and is staying strong well into 2010's. .

Anna Eriksson's delayed conquer trip to Sweden finally took place and this morning she was interviewed by Nyhetsmorgon, watch it here . She also sung two of her songs, Garden of love and Mad girl's love song from her latest and 8th studio album but the first album in English, Garden of love released in Finland and Norway last year. The Norwegian edition includes also her duet with Seal, You get me . Now let's wait and see if she will repeat her huge success over the years in Finland also abroad...  I certainly hope so as she's a great singer, song writer and amazing live performer. And of course she is the OGAE Second chance contest winner in 2000 with Oot voimani mun .... She has also covered Sonja Lumme's Eläköön elämä but has declared she is not going to participate again in Euroviisut... Shame!

Kaija Koo's latest album made the top-10 and it is her 10th top-10 album since 1993. Her each and every album has made it and she's about to break Katri Helena's and Marion's record in the number of top-10 albums with her next one it seems, making her the most succesful Finnish female artist ever. The queen of the charts is however Madonna who can claim 18 top-10 album since 1985. Katri Helena has ten as mentioned before between 1968 and 2006, while Marion scored them in a very short time in the 1970's, or between 1972 and 1980. Celine Dion and Swedish Eva Dahlgren have 8 albums both while Björk, Anna Eriksson and Maija Vilkkumaa have so far seven each. All have very good possibilities to add new albums to their list in the future. At six top-10 albums we have Laura Voutilainen who will surely score other ones in the future while it might be very unlikely for Whitney Houston, Donna Summer and Tina Turner who also have six along with Anne Mattila. Hanna Pakarinen is ...

Anna Eriksson has been around over 10 years in Finland, all her albums have sold gold, platinum or multiplatinum, she has won two Emmas and countless other awards. She has shown her versality singing pop, rock, classics from TV studios to stadiums and rock festivals. And that's where she's at her best: on stage. Mikko Räsänen writes today in Ilta-Sanomat she's at least as good as world stars Katie Melua and Amy McDonald. So far the Finnish export music has been metal, rock or heavy - will Anna break the spell and be the first female poprock artist to do so? Next Monday she will perform in Stockholm and if everything goes right it is a start of an international career. "Of course I'm quite excited about it " she says. " The sold out tour in Finland this fall has made me feel very good, the act is working and solid. The idea of concert(s) in Sweden came last spring when my record company's Nordic boss saw me in Helsinki live. I'm glad this opportun...

Kaija Koo's latest single Vapaa ( dance mix ) hits number one in the single's charts and despite all her hits, half a million albums sold and all her awards it is her very first single number one! She kicks from the spot Jenni Vartiainen's third single Missä muruseni on ( remix ) off her second album. Laura Närhi drops to 5th with her Tämä on totta . Seal ft. Anna Eriksson with You get me enters at #17 and Jippu and Samuli Edelmann still stay at #18 with Jos sä tahdot niin . They've have recorded an album together to be released before Christmas!  In albums Suvi Teräsniska drops one to 5th while Jenni Vartiainen is on way to up again at #6. Chisu is going up again - on her 53rd week! Tarja Turunen is on the way out after peaking at only #7 and Lordi's new stayed in Top-50 only 2 weeks, peaking at #9.  And none of these artists are involved in Euroviisut 2011 after all :-(

Anna Eriksson was chosen by Seal to duet with him in You get me off his new album. This version will be released in Finland and Norway, as Seal is using the old trick of recording with several artists for various markets. In Italy the song gets a treatment with legendary Mina . For the latin market there's Concha Buika . This is not the first time Seal duets with European stars. Les mots with Myléne Farmer is a classic masterpiece in my books. Maybe we will get Mrs Seal or Heidi Klum to present Eurovision 2011?

Here they are, my dream artists for Eurovision who we will not see for a reason or another. Paula Koivuniemi and Anna Eriksson have said they won't take part again. Hanna Pakarinen is very unlikely and who knows what keeps Johanna Kurkela away? Maybe she's just too popular at the moment just like Jenni Vartiainen. Maybe we will see them in a few years? Tarja Turunen, The Rasmus and Sunrise Avenue are just too big to risk it not winning.... I guess. Meanwhile while waiting for the twelve names to be revealed on 30th lets enjoy some of their biggest hits: Ihmisten edessä , Nettiin , En haluu kuolla tätä yönä , Rakkautta ja piikkilankaa , Anna mulle piiskaa , Moskova , Kaikista kasvoista , Mad girl's love song , Oot voimani mun , Leave me alone , Black Ice , Paperimiehen tytär , Rakkauslaulu , Tuo se mulle , Olet uneni kaunein , Fairytale gone bad , Welcome to my life , Forever yours , In the shadows , Living in a world without you , October & April , I walk alone , Kuolem...

Here we are, after 300 songs and 88 artists we have the top-5 as voted by the listeners of Iskelmä radio. The most loved songs by (schlager) Finnsof the 2000's. 1. RAKKAUS ON LUMIVALKOINEN - YÖ No wonder this was voted the best song knowing Yö's popularity and this song must pull all the right strings also in non-fans: dramatic and melancholy playing with the patriotic tunes with "for a little moment love is snow white" and such. Calculated or not but a great track anyways. Has become popular song in the funerals so is this the Finnish Angels by Robbie Williams?? 2. KAKSI PUUTA - JUHA TAPIO Juha Tapio won the Emma award last year thanks to this song as the best male artist. His career has been steadily going higher and higher and this might be the culmination where everything falls into place. Or has he something better still coming up? The lyrics of this song are pure poetry that make you think with its story about two trees that grow and stand in the rain and...

6. MÄ PUTOAN - YÖLINTU Yölintu is a danceband that's been around since 1992. Their vocalist is Simo Silmu who also scored single hits on this list, too. Ten albums so far that have sold 7 gold discs, 5 platinum and 2 double platinum albums. This song is maybe their biggest hit and from 2002. 7. KIITOS JA KUNNIA - YÖ Yö has been around since 1981 and were part of the Pori movement that culminated later in Dingo who also may have stolen their fans as their record sales dropped dramatically in mid 1980's. After nearly 15 years of thin years what comes to success Yö came back in early 2000's and has been selling (multi)platinum in each their four latest albums again. Singer Olli Lindholm also won Iskelmä Finlandia 2008. I guess the guys never thought in early 1980's they would end up 30 years later as schlager radio's pets! 8. KAIKISTA KASVOISTA - ANNA ERIKSSON No doubt one of the best singers in Finland. She's now making small steps to conquer Scandinavia with...

We are nearing the top-20 and the names are already very familiar. Anna Eriksson has some of her best songs here, so does Lauri Tähkä. Popeda enters with their rather dubious song "20 cents" - it remains unclear is he has 20 cents or 20 centimeters in his pockets that she refuses to even look at as they both are the same in Finnish.... Also Jenni Vartiainen is here with her tribut to lesbian affairs. Lauri's Rakkaus ei oo pysyvää has become a very popular with its tango version amongst the tango singers and has been covered by both Amadeus and Marko Maunuksela, tango kings 2009 and 2010.  21. LINTU - ANNA ERIKSSON 22. PREUSSINPUNAISTA - YÖLINTU 23. MAAILMA ON RENKI - LAURI TÄHKÄ 24. UHKAPELURI - AGENTS 25. KAKSKYTÄ SENTTIÄ - POPEDA 26. TAIVAS TIETÄÄ - JARI SILLANPÄÄ 27. OOT VOIMANI MUN - ANNA ERIKSSON 28. RAKKAUS EI OO PYSYVÄÄ - LAURI TÄHKÄ 29. IHMISTEN EDESSÄ - JENNI VARTIAINEN 30. SAMMUNUT NUOTIO - AGENTS

The usual cast here, too: Kari Tapio, Sillanpää, Yö. Eppu Normaali, Kela, Edelmann, Eriksson but then we have Janne Raappana with his fantastic cover of Biagio Antonacci's Iris and one hit wonder Teleks. 81. SE JOKIN ALKAA - KARI TAPIO 82. TAHDOIN TAIKKA EN - JARI SILLANPÄÄ 83. HÄN TANSSI KANSSA ENKELEIDEN - YÖ 84. TAHDON SUT - EPPU NORMAALI 85. 1972 - ANSSI KELA 86. JOS VAIN VOISIN - JANNE RAAPPANA 87. SININEN SOINTU - SAMULI EDELMANN 88. KUKA SAA SUT NYT - ANNA ERIKSSON 89. KAKSOISELÄMÄÄ - PATE MUSTAJÄRVI 90. TUULILASIN NURKKAAN - TELEKS