Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

YLE brought Finland's UMK aka Uuden musiikin kilpailu 2024 the the biggest ever arena for our national show and expectations were high after last year's Käärijä and Cha cha cha mania and second place in Liverpool. Tickets sold out in minutes and the fever was high before the songs were even released. For the selection it all remained the same and open call received 419 submissions and as usual seven was chosen for the one off final. Why seven? Yle has explained it's the amount they can fully give their all for the production, music videos and staging. And why not? UMK is living its prime time and for a few years already every song has charted and three years in a row a song from UMK has been the most streamed and sold one of the year so sometimes less is more! In every way. And just like last year most every act was already known, or even a big one. Except one. At least to the majority of the audience. And just like last year that one won. But unlike last year as a huge sur...

Well. Well well well..... I must admit I said when this was released "Wait and see Finns will vote this to Malmö!" In between it looked quite, even very unlikely considering polls and streams and charts etc but here we are. Last with international juries (but Uk gave them 12!), first in televote they beat Sara Siipola to second place. To be honest, I never cared for the video but I had grown a little liking for the song and on stage it came alive and was just over the top in a good way. So I'm not angry nor sad, just amused.  As for the name, they said they have a name in  store if Ebu doesn't approve Windows95man. On the other hand it's a product no longer in market and therefor Yle for example can use it now and back in the 2017 New Year's celebration party where he performed.  Otherwise the show was a bit underwhelming. Käärijä and Erika Vikman totally stole the show, as did always lovely Katri Helena with her 1979 entry Katson sineen taivaan. I read Erika ...

Every UMK seems to have a humor act in the past few years and after Teflon Brothers and Portion Boys here comes Windows95man with Henri Piispanen in vocals and their 1990's Eurodance No rules. Windows95man is no other than Teemu Keisteri (39), a known artist. He created or desgner Ukkeli in 2008 and it soon became a real cultural phenomenom, a sort of Finnish Keith Haring. He has studied photography and is also video creator and all around visual artist . He has his own art gallery in helsinki, Kalleria. Windows95man is his DJ persona. No rules is his very first original release. Henri Piispanen (29)  is best know as a dubber, especially for Paw Patrol. In Finland we don't dub except for children's programmes, Disney etc and Henri has been dubbing them dozens of them since 2002. He has also been a tv-host and is singer in indiepop/rock band Pasa that has released three albums. Henri was singing the song in its demo version and didn't want to do UMK but they didn't f...