Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Happy news in Waldo's People. Karolina Kallio is expecting her first baby this summer. Iina Salin stepped into her place earlier this year and they have published a new video on Youtube today, You . And it sounds if time stood still. In a good way! It seems they have working on new material, but for sure they are doing gigs and festivals again this summer! Tonight you can catch them in Kalajoki's midsummer festival and two more gigs over this Midsummer weekend that is chillier than ever. Beware of possible snow! Check Out Waldo's back catalogue here .And their Eurovision 2009 bid here . Oh and Iina? She took part in UMK 2013 with fabulous Last night . Unfortunately she didn't make it past semifinal but greatly deserved a final, me thinks!

Time recap what the judges thought about the remaining six artists based on their very first stage performance of their demo tracks. What kind of advice they gave, what was good and what was not and who impressed, who didn't.... As an added bonus this blogger's views :-). Watch the show online here . Or on YLE2 next Saturday. Here you go: MIAU - GOD/DRUG The girls hoped in the insert that the judges would start arguing about their song, have a fight over it and indeed it nearly happened. General madness is one of the band's strenghts according them... They won't let anyone cold, everyone has an opinion of them! Toni: Well now, good boogie, I liked it a lot! It was fun, good song. I should analyze this performance somehow but... I'm simply sold. Surely you divide people, even among us judges, and surely this isn't for everyone. You've only got to gain here. Aija: One can see that you have been already so many gigs that you got it together on sta...

Remember Iina Salin and fantastic Last night from UMK 2013? She's back with Swan Land project together with Joonas Outakoski. Together they are releasing for free their coming album Your parade song per week in Youtube and Soundcloud . Quite interesting stuff, I'd say.... The idea of giving music away comes from the crisis/music/internet combination. They tell the main idea is to get gigs. If some label gets interested and sings us the album might see also a physical release. Today when music doesn't sell like it used to, mainly thanks to web piracy and illegal downloading that the artists gets nothing, the money comes from gigs. One can't buy the live experience from internet!

Elina Orkoneva Lucy Was Driving Diandra Flores Krista Siegfrids Iina Salin Last Panda

Well, it might be only wishful thinking but apparently some of the UMK 2013 artists have been planning on going on tour together, and even more so: to cover each other's songs, just as they have been doing in dressing rooms and backstage. True or fiction? Time will tell. However, the boys of Last Panda and also Lucy Was Driving would like to cover Mikael Saari's song. Panda boys would make it a rock song, and so would Lucys "Goosebumps are overrated. We would show it's really done! " says Otso Koskelo, band's lead singer. Diandra would love to cover Iina's song . "I really like the song and have been listenong to it! " And finally the winner Krista Siegfrid, a real rock chick in heart would do Arion's Lost. Besides, she has already altered the lyrics in her song including Arion's lead singer: "Marry me, Bieber!" - like he has been labelled by the jury, heavyrocks' Justin Bieber. Oh well.... maybe this is better to stay...

I will be once again live blogging the UMK live tonight. It's time for the semifinal and see who will be the two (or apparently it is four!?) lucky ones the jury and televoters send to next week's grand final with Mikael Saari, Diandra Flores, Krista Siegfrids and Arion. Like the previous weeks the show time is on YLE Areena with UMK+ 19.45 CET and the show itself starts at 20.00 CET,  also on YLE's website. Tonight's guest star is Elonkerjuu. Twitter #UMK13 19.45 UMK+ has started online and soon we will move to The Circus nightclub in Helsinki city center. One of the judges, Aija is interviewed and she tells how she has given advice to the vocalists in the early stages of UMK but now they are on their own and the judges only... judge. She also tells she wished there was more indie pop but apparently that's something missing in the Finnish scene at the moment... Next we talk with the hosts, Ile and Anne, and most of all their outfits for tonight. They remind ...

Join me tonight for a live coverage of the first heat of UMK 2013. Six artists will be on stage, voted by the jury and the public for the first time. Two will secure a place in the final, one will be sent home. The others will still have hope alive to get the final ticket from the semifinal. Anssi Kela is the guest star tonight. Coming live from the sold out Circus in Helsinki. Watch it live here from 19.45 CET. 19.40 The backstage UMK+ has just started. With a black screen and nonsense talking. Apparently eveything's not working out as it should have :-) 19.45 Ok, it all restarted with the view, too. Maybe it was better without. The presenters Ile & Anni are now interviewed and they confess being a bit nervous. Then they go and chat with Diandra, who sits in the make-up. She tells what she's been up to since presenting the demoversion to the judges. Mert Otsamo who designed her dress and Ville who takes care of her make-up and hair had a chance to wave, too. She s...

UMK ladies are getting for the live gigs and if their nails are something to judge at least Krista got her Ding donged nails bling blinged (left) while Diandra goes for a more sober golden shine. Hopefully there won't be any cat fights behind the scenes as it would be shame to ruin these... How do you answer to this, Iina and Elina?

Jack at Eurovisionjack3 has reviewed the UMK entries for Blogilkar. This blogger agrees in most cases but the beauty of these reviews and opinions that there is always something to disagree :-). Here's what he had to say: Arion - Lost  This is what Finland does best - ROCK! It's just awesome - the kind of music I like! Unfortunately, I was very underwhelmed by their stage performance - I hope they will be able to improve on that for next week. It's a powerful song which could do very well in the charts, even if it doesn't make ESC! One of my favourites for sure... 9/12 Atlético Kumpula - Paperilyhty Don't get me wrong, it's a really good song, but I feel like something is missing! It has a folk sound which I don't think will do very well. I can't see it doing very well - it's too strange. I would love to see it do well (or at least make the UMK final) but I can't see it happening... 4/12   Diandra - Colliding into y...

The six first artists performed for the first time to the judges with their demo versions. Their performances gave us hints about what will happen on stage and how will they present themselves. Here's a short recap of their comments and hints before the first gig with live audience in Helsinki on January 17 . And this blogger will say his, too. LAST PANDA - SATURDAY NIGHT FOREVER **** The judges generally liked it, especially Toni but he also criticized them lacking energy until the last chorus but on the other hand it's better lack than fake it. This blogger agrees and thinks they were maybe a little nervous? Redrama understood it isn't the easiest place to perform, a rockband doing only one song and for four people only. But they did a good job, he thinks. Aija liked also the fact they look like band and the look fits with their musical style. And Henry's way of singing. Tomi was also happy what he saw and heard telling their gig experience shows. The band it...

Tomorrow UMK continues on TV and the artists and judges meet for the first time and they get to perform to them for them as well. I will of course post about that tomorrow with video links and comments. I have made posts about each of them based on the first program where the judges listened the demos and picked up the 12 qualifiers. Those artists were interviewed as well and they got to present themselves a bit and you can read my sum ups here: Last Panda , Iina Salin , Mikael Saari , Ilari Hämäläinen , Rautakoura , Diandra , Atlético Kumpula ,  Krista Siegfrids , Lucy was driving , Arion , Elina Orkoneva and Great Wide North . My comments on hearing the songs in full and in final versions for the first time is here . Don't forget to vote for your top-3 in my poll on the right hand side of this page! In other fan poll Diandra is keeping her early lead still but Mikael Saari and Iina Salin are reaching her while Krista Siegfrids seems to be struggling a little. But th...

Iina Salin (27) is from Mikkeli but lives now in Helsinki, a singer, musician, vocal coach and music teacher. She also sings in Emma Salokoski Voices and was also a finalist in UMO's new talent contest earlier this year. And now she chose UMK instead of The Voice so that she can sing her own song. She likes soul and dance music and lists Madonna as one of her favorites along with Aretha Franklin but feels most confortable singing disco and pop songs. Coffee and chocolate keeps this energetic woman going.  What did the judges say? Toni Wirtanen: I must give credit that she comes in with the chorus, the strongest part of the song.  Aija Puurtinen: Very strong start indeed. Tomi Saarinen : Best in this clearly is the singer. You can hear she's been doing it a lot. Redrama : Even if the chorus is very strong I don't think it comes out strong enough. I would make it even stronger as now the beat is the same all through the song.  Toni: With better...