Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Annica Milán and Kimmo Blom both are already television talent search veterans and have been in Idols, The Voice and Kimmo also did #UMK15 as Angelo De Nile. Together they have also done musical theater and performing together since some time.  Annica tried her luck in The Voice 2013 where she was kicked out in the battle stage by Suvi Aalto, Saara's sister. Before that did Idols 2008 and didn't reach the final seven. In between she has won a random talent contest Palatsin tähti 2011.  Kimmo has been singing in many bands, and particiated with Boys of the Band in Euroviisut 2010, and then as mentioned before as Angelo De Nile in UMK last year. He has been backing singer to many heavy bands, played Freddie Mercury in The Show must go on musical, He has also written songs to countless artists over the years.  Apparently they are alos romantically involved so are we witnessing the birth of rock Al Bano & Romina Power here? Maybe..... 14/20

The fan lottery for the possible #UMK16 names goes on and on. Some new names have been digged out, but they seem more like wild guessing than anything based on proper facts like it could be the case here . Maybe. Those who know must be having a laugh, and over the past days I have started wondering one thing: How come all the instrumental demos sound so similar, with a couple of exceptions? Has someone played them again with the same programming just to confuse fans even more? ;-) Ok, that was my contribution to this mystery. I can't even bother to think myself who these could be, I am just curiously waiting for January 12 and the revelation. As it seems we might be having quite a good year ahead of us.....  Meanwhile enjoy their music after the jump....

Tonight the joik made it in both Finland and Sweden! And we completed tonight the Finnish national final line up when Solju, Järjestyshäiriö and Angelo De Nile made it through. So the line up for next Saturday's final is: Angelo De Nile - All for victory Jouni Aslak - Lions and lambs Järjestyshäiriö - Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla Norlan El Misionario - No voy a llorar por ti Opera Skaala - Heart of light Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina mun pitää Satin Circus - Crossroads Shava - Ostarilla Solju - Hold your colours YLE and the team behind #umk15 has done a great job so far. This season it has been fun, good television, fresh presenters, just enough glitter and glamour, kitch if you want. The stagings have ben thought after, artists have delivered on stage. It can ony get still better in the final. Well done YLE and Elias, Reija and the rest of the team!

Finland will chose its last three finalists tomorrow. No big favorites for the victory in this one, but some interesting and possible surprises in this heat anyways. Solju might be the front runner and surprisingly Järjestyshäiriö won the YLE's poll . In my poll here on right Solju rulesbig time. Will the tango people be watching and voting sending Heidi Pakarinen to the final? What about the only hard rock epic fantasy cocktail by Kim Blom's alter ego Angelo De Nile? (Kim himself qualified to the knock out stages of The Voice of Finland tonight) He's supposed to be bringing on stage eight gladiators.... Be ready! Anyways, as always I will be LIVE BLOGGING the semifinal so join me Satuday night or read it afterwards... I'd be happy with Solju, Ida and .... can't decide, depends on performance: Järjestyshäiriö or Angelo? What did my litle Finnish-Swedish-Italian-British panel think of these songs? Read below: Solju - Hold your colors  12/20 Ida Bois - ...

Once again YLE's poll has given a result. It looks good for Järjestyshäiriö and Solju as in the first two semifinals the top-2 has qualified for the final. Ida Bois might be in danger as in the first semifinal Norlan El Misionario surpassed both Pihka ja Myrsky and Vilikasper Kanth and qualified and in the second one Jouni Aslak qualified ahead of Siru who was third. We will see how this ends. Curiously my little international panel ranked these three as qualifiers as well! In my poll her on right Solju is leading big time, followed by Ida Bois and Angelo De Nile. Do you agree? If not, take a moment and vote! In various media polls Heidi Pakarinen has featured well so my wild guess is she will qualify ahead of Ida... Or I'd like to think only Solju is safe from this one as we can't forget Angelo De Nile, the only hard rocker in #umk15 and who knows if Aikuinen's humour will hit home as well on Saturday night if the staging is right? This semi is the most difficult t...

Angelo De Nile travels throuth time and space and was born in Ninive 2768 years ago. Right. Actually it's a project by Kimmo Blom, currently also in the Voice of Finland, and already in national Eurovision selection as a member of Boys of the Band in 2010. He's a history freak and as Angelo promises to bring the big names from the past alive again, so get ready! Behind his song are guys from some hardrock bands like Leverage and Urban Tale. His incarnation as significant men from the past will provide us a spectacular soundtrack in the future, should he have success with this. Maybe. His hero is Marcus Aurelius and if he could do whatever he'd sneek into Vatican museums at night and spend the night with the masterpieces. All for victory then? Being an emperor in a real world isn't always easy....  Jack: Angelo de Nile's song is rather dramatic but boring at the same time, if that's possible. It wouldn't sound out of place in a theatre production b...

And here are the last six songs in UMK 2015. Three of these will be televoted to the final. Aikuinen - Kyynelten lahti Ida Bois - Kumbaya Järjestyshäiriö - Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla Angelo De Nile - All for victory Heidi Pakarinen - Bon voyage Solju - Hold your colours

I already posted some of the UMK 2015 artists and their previous musical history here  and here . But we have still some more! Stadion pop, a tango queen, religious pop, Finnish EMD, cute boy pop and a mystery act no one seems to know anything about.....  Pihka ja Myrsky is a stadium pop band with two singers, they describe themselves. Apparently including this singer and this no longer existing band's guitarist . Their songs include Et koskaan kaipaa takaisin , Sumun läpi and Milloin on aika . Heidi Pakarinen won Tangomarkkinat's Tango Queen title in 2013. And tango is serious business in Finland and Tangomarkkinat the biggest music festival. Tango royalties haven't really crossed well over to pop (except Jari Sillanpää) nor featured well in national finals. Her songs include Sun kuningatar , Värähtelyjä  and Näiden tähtien alla. Ida Bois is a singer-songwritr. She has released Nukkuva maa and Tarinoita meistä album, listen the trailer here . She ...