Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Finnish pop superstar Jenni Vartianen and Norwegian teenage sensation Marcus & Martinus are the guest stars at #UMK17 final in Metro Arena, Espoo on January 28.  Jenni has released three multiplatinum selling albums (two of them #1s) since she went solo. She has also three platinum selling singles ( Ihmisten edessä #2, Missä muruseni on #1 and Mä en haluu kuolla tänä yön ä #1) and countless other hits. She's been nominated to 13 Emma Awards (aka Finnish Grammys) and won nine of those in various categories from song of the year to album of the year, female artist fo the year, live performer of the year and even video of the year.... She's been having a break and ready for a comeback it seems. If only she was competing ..... Marcus and Martinus are 14-year-old twins. Their career kick started by winning Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2012. Three years later their debut album topped the Norwegian charts, as did its re-release Fan spesial, and their second album few mont...

YLE has sneakingly leaked the fact #UMK17 will be on January 28, 2017 in Metro Arena (ex Barona) in Espoo so it's back to big arena with public (up to 8.500) from YLE's tv-studios. Also, there are no semifinals but one off final with 10 songs only. More information might come net Sunday when the tv-spot will be aired. The chosen ones will be revealed on November 23...

Conchita Wurst started her press conference in Finland this afternoon - after posing for each and every photographer very kindly - stating she thought Finland was the clichè: Freezing cold. Instead the sun is shining and she loves it. It's her first time in Finland and the press conference in her hotel had also many journalists from Russia and Estonia attending. She tells about her inspirations (Celine Dion and her parents among others) and her busy schedule since she won the Eurovision song contest in Copenhagen this May. It's like a hop on-hop off - today in Finland, tomorrow somewhere else. She doesn't really know any Finnish artists yet but tomorrow she will meet the top artists sharing the stage with her in Serena Pop & Rock Festival in Espoo and maybe she will be inspired by some of them, too... Then she is asked about her home life and she states home is where the wig is in the corner, where it's just Tom being lazy. And does she cook? No, she orders he...

Eurovision 2014 winner Conchita Wurst is headlining Serena Pop & Rock festival in Espoo on August 29-30, 2014. She will be performing the first day. The other stars are (so far) Jenni Vartiainen , Juha Tapio , Kaija Koo , Jukka Poika , JVG , Sanni , Anna Abreu , Roope Salminen & Koirat and Pete Parkkonen . Also Kasmir , Sini Sabotage and Tuomas Kauhanen will be present. More info here .

Ott Lepland's Christmas concert last week in Espoo Cathedral was such a success that people wanting to attend the concert didn't manage to squeeze into the church and had to go home instead. He apologizes in his Facebook for the incident stating that he or the organizers just couldn't imagine he would attract such a crowd there. But as we know the man has qualities that surprise us time and time again. Some of them he's nicely covering in the sleeve of his new, third album  Öö mu kannul käib released today. It also includes Eurovision version of Kuula . You can order it from here . Just for the fun of it, here's the video that made him famous overnight. If you think his Kuula is one of the best Eurovision entries ever even without that little extra like I do, vote for him in ESC TOP 250 here . You still have time until Sunday 16, 2012!

The man with the full package, Ott Lepland from Estonia will perform in a Christmas concert in Espoo cathedral on December 11, 2012 in Finland. It's a part of his Christmas tour that takes him also to Brussels, Luxembourg and the a little tour in Estonia with Ivo Linna and Noorkuu. After placing sixth in Baku 2012 with fantastic Kuula , he has released Kodu  and apparently kept very busy with his career. 

Finland's second largest city - and this blogger's hometown - Espoo will host the UMK (Uuden musiikin kilpailu) 2013 final on February 9, 2013. Barona Arena was built in 1999 and can host up to 8.000 people. It's the home of Espoo Blues ice hockey team but also often used for concerts and names like Laura Pausini, Harry Belafonte and Alice Cooper have performed there, and this season's Talent semifinals and final will be broadcasted from there, too.