Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Käärijä has cha cha chad already almost three years and Finns - and not only - love him as much as ever. Since Eurovision he has released an album, a string of singles with various collaborations at home and abroad, toured Finland and Europe a few times to sold out venues, performed in Eurovision song contest as guest star two years in a row, making him do Eurovision three years in a row,  and this fall he has starred in ever so popular Vain elämää series doing covers of other singers songs on weekly basis. And now.... finally! He has announced an arena concert in Veikkaus Arena, the new names very arena that hosted the Eurovision 2007 in Helsinki.  He has teased many guests, most likely at least everyone he has collaborated (see videos below) and that's not all for sure.  Slovenian Joker Out will be the opening act prior Käärijä stars in their show in Slovenia in June 20,  2026. For this bromance he skips the very generous midsummer gigs in Finland that he could hav...

  Erika Vikman returns and is The One to Beat this year. Fandom and public has waited for her return since Cicciolina didn't win in 2020 and she's been present in UMK multiple times in a way or another  since: Opening act with Antti Tuisku in 2021 and 2024 interval act with Käärijä. Eerika started her career in tango circuit, a very popular music genre in Finland, by winning Tangojunior in 2008. More talent shows followed and she also acted in tv drama series 2009-10. The year after she starred in a musical and in 2013 tried her luck in Idols placing seventh (ahead of her UMK veteran Zuhlke and international pop star Alma btw). Her big breakthrough came however in 2016 when she won Tangomarkkinat and was crowned the Tango Queen. The year after she starred in reality  tv-series Iholla. In 2020 she dropped her tango singer image and launched the raunchy slutty pop diva with usually double sensed lyrics and humor with Cicciolina winning the televote in UMK but the juries...

 Here we go again! Today's dose of #Finpop2023. Enjoy! Aliisa Syrjä - Sydämetön BESS - Mission Antti Tuisku - Koti Joalin - SOLO

  Another dose of #Finpop2023 from this spring/summer season! Enjoy! Antti Tuisku / Käärijä - Auto jää ABREU - Eilisen m Aleksanteri Hakaniemi - Viimeinen kesä sinkkuna Benjamin - Minä-minä-maa

  Today's dose of #Finpop2023: SANNI - Haukilahden rantaan Hassan Maikal - Päästit mut pois Antti Tuisku - Baila por mi Berta - Pitäisit mua hulluna

Antti Tuisku, Finland's self declared Number One Pop artist has released a new party banger in time for Vappu aka the May 1 Eve, a Finnish spring is here carnival when most everyone gets drunk and enjoys picnic the the morning after even if it might be freezing cold and snowing - as it usually is....  The song is a nonsense with lyrics in bits in dialect, trying to be humorous and I doubt no one will listen tot his except on these party days Vappu, midsummer and new year's but it bears an important message If you drink, don't drive! Thus auto jää or car stays (where it is) while party continues elsewhere. 

Käärijä has been touring Finland with full packed sold out gigs ever since he cha cha chaed to victory in UMK2023, hasn't left the charts and radio waves since and has got everyone talking about him, fueled by the Eurovision 2023 polls and odds. Some eager Finns might be already booking hotel rooms in Tampere and speculating who will be hosting Eurovision 2024 in Tampere Arena. If I may say mine I think it'd be very classy to welcome back amazing Jaana Pelkonen and Mikko Leppilampi and Krista Siegfrids could be the princess of the nation played by Krisse Salminen in 2007. Just like AFTER Lordi's win there are products! If Lordi got his Lordi Cola in shops the summer after their win Käärijä is already ready with his very own alcohol free Piña Colada and Piña colada tasting ice cream! It's crazy, it's party! And just before packing his bolero for Liverpool he got the ultimate honor by this ice-hockey crazy country: The bolero was lifted to the ceiling of Helsinki Ice...

  The pop royalty Antti Tuisku and Erika Vikman are back with new tracks, Pihlaja delivers another goodie as does this year's revelation Pehmoaino. Enjoy! Antti Tuisku - Elämä tuulee beibi Pihlaja - Baby baby Pehmoaino - Ikuinen virta Erika Vikman - Kateus

Yle has announced the rules for Umk 2023 aka the Finnish national selection for the Eurovision song contest 2023 to be held somewhere in the United Kingdom on behalf of Ukraine. While doing so they also promise that Umk 2023 will be bigger than ever! The submission period is from September 1 to 5 . One artist is allowed up to three submissions (but only one of them can qualify). If chosen the final versions must be ready by November 3. The final will take place in February 2023.  The songs can't be sent to any other country's selections and at least one writer must be a Finn, as well as the main soloist, or at least have a permanent residence in Finland. Rest of the rules are the common Eurovision rules set by Ebu. They also launched a sort of Who do you want to take part? commenting on their Instagram and here is the short list of those names mentioned most often (or just mentioned and who this blogger agrees with ;-) As we've had two rock acts in a row I hope for a more p...

  Another week, another dose of #Finpop. This year's revelation BESS teams up with Antti Tuisku for some Grindr reality, Evelina is back and newcomers Sebastian Noto and Thelise release another goodies. Thelise - Timanttii Antti Tuisku feat. BESS - Grindr Mayhem Sebastian Noto - Aina Evelina - Sydän sulaa

  This week new releases of big stars Antti Tuisku, Mikael Gabriel with JVG along  with Nelli Matula and Ollie. Antti Tuisku - Koti Mikael Gabriel / JVG - Nallekarkit Nelli Matula - Kiltti tyttö Ollie - Kaksi sydäntä

  Antti Tuisku / Erika Vikman - Huonoja ideoita Robin Packalen - Rest in beat AM (EP) Nicholas X -  Herään helvetistä Meiju Suvas - Levi's-kesä

Yle has teased on on Umk's social medias about the imminent reveal of the Umk 2022 artists sending fandom in frenzy of guessing adding hint and hopes, and a very, very few facts. After Blind Channel's sixth place, Finland's second best ever and Måneskin's global success with rock one can guess there's going to be rock. After all Finland IS rock. However the photo hints didn't reveal much so the glues are thin and non existing but here are the wild guesses put together. Cyan kicks and Husky rescue Cyan Kicks, an alternative rock band from Helsinki has been together since 2016. Their debut album came out in 2019 and they earned an Emma award nomination right away. They mix rock to pop and electronic sounds. Listen The flood Husky Rescue has been around for almost 20 years already, gaining also international success but the last ten without releasing any new music. Could this electronic band be making a comeback? Listen New light of tomorrow Antti Tuisku, Elias Kas...

  New music from Finland twice a week in this new series from the charts, radio play or just new names trying to make it. Enjoy! Antti Tuisku - Kipee Mira Luoti - Hopeinen tussi Ollie - Hei Rose ANI, MELO, william - Mul on kaikki

Finland really, really turned into dark side again when Blind Channel took a very clear win with their violent pop  Dark side in the UMK21 final. That was no wonder as the signs were clear in the social medias all throughout the day and evening, but the amount of televotes was: 479 vs. Telfon Brothers feat. Pandora's 150. over 54% of the total. Still not as much as The Roop got in Lithuania though. This said, YLE did a great job. Each staging had an idea and was well done. Teflon Brothers feat. Pandora was a bit over the top (and vocally clearly the weakest) and one could not think the Darude example when Look away was wonderfully staged in UMK and won, and then it was literally down scaled and watered down for ESC.... All the others gave their best and worked, including Danny with his funeral symbolism and minimalism and Ilta's beautiful staging and touching performance. Oskr and Aksel clearly ate each others votes and if only one of them was in running he would have ended ...

  Let's continue with the most unlikely ones. See the previous post for more information.... ABREU - Lusikat Antti Tuisku - Valittu kansa Chisu - Ikävä Sanni - Yksinäinen milleniaali Arja Koriseva - Leipää, lempee, lämpöö Evelina - Mä en haluu tietää Kasmir - Aamu Mariska - Minä liityin sinuun Suvi Teräsniska - Samase Ressu Redford - Viimeinen päivä Jukka Poika - Papaija Laura Närhi - Helsinki

The tenth season of Vain elämää has come to an end what comes to the artist days, a few more episodes will air again with re-runs of the songs only and also a two episode Christmas specials. Maija Vilkkumaa had the honor to end the days, and as I am a fan of Maija these songs were mostly wellknown to me beforehand. Antti honored the Finnish national instrument kantele in his version.  Studio Maija Vilkkumaa's original Studio Maija Vilkkumaa's original Studio Maija Vilkkumaa's original Studio Maija Vilkkumaa's original

Sunrise Avenue's Samu Haber's day gave us some rather interesting covers and the demand of him doing a solo album in Finnish is getting louder and louder.... It was a bit hard to choose the four and also Vesala , Elastinen and Lauri Tähkä all did a great job in a way or another.  Studio Sunrise Avenue's original Studio Sunrise Avenue's original Studio Sunrise Avenue's original Studio Sunrise Avenue's original

Elastinen is the artist I know less about these ones taking part in this Vain elämää 10 camp, and therefor it's harder to get excited about the covers, especially as I have never even heard the originals.... I admit. But here are the more fortunate ones.... Studio Elastinen's original Studio Elastinen's original Studio Elastinen's original Studio Elastinen's original