Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Hurt is a powerful yet sensitive ballad about how looks can be deceiving. Someone may look like they’re ok on the outside, but they could still be in terrible pain on the inside. When you’re hurting, you also end up hurting the ones you love. I’ve lived that experience, so I’m truly able to identify with this message. My song is also a reminder that you don't need to be anyone but yourself , Aksel tells and believes that he is more prepared to focus on his performance this year, as he is now more familiar with the contest and its production process. As we all remember he won UMK2020 with Looking back , but never got to sing it on Eurovision stage. However, he still likes to approach things with his trademark mantra to life: “We’ll see how things will go” I didn't quite know what to expect after Looking back and his follow up in Finnish but this is good, soothing, touching.  I think I like this more than Looking back, that took me some time to appreciate. If he nails this live ...

  Finland - Aksel - Looking back Finland.... the fandom has paid little attention to this winner as their favorite Cicciolina didn't win. I admit I fell to that trap myself at first. But this is a fine song, well sung and beautiful. Actually a few weeks ago it was playing on radio and I was only half listening until I noticed myself stopping and wondering what is this song, this is good and it took me awhile to realize it's our Eurovision entry. I have a sneaky feeling the juries would have liked this and Finland for once could have been a shock qualifier. The staging in UMK was fitting and simple yet beautiful, and this was more or less how it would've been in Rotterdam. I give a very strong 8/10 YLE is planninh a new UMK2021 as usual and there's no guaranteed place for Aksel in it but "he is welcome to send a song". And indeed after initial hesitation it looks like he's about to......

Finland joins Sweden and Estonia confirming they will have a new national final in 2021 and this year's winner has no direct access to Eurovision 2021. Where as Estonia offers Uku Suviste a spot in the semi-final line up Finland joins Sweden stating "Aksel can always send in a song and professional jury will pick up the finalists".  Ops! A bit harsh... The process will be in 2021 like it was in 2020. The song submission opens on September 1, 2020 and a certain number of songs will be chosen for the final. The 2020 season was both viewing and rating success and obviously Yle wishes to continue the good trend creating a state-of-the-art music show.  This year's big favorite and runner up in the end, Erika, does not rule out a possible return, nor does her record company Mökkitie Records. "We keep on eye on UMK and we are very Eurovision friendly. We couldn't have had a better kick off for Erika's new career path" they say. A few days ago A...

UMK2020 finished with a somewhat surprise win to 22-year-old Aksel Kankaanranta and the media and social media has been busy trying to analyze what happened and why?  He was himself one of those most surprised and confessed he was a bit shocked and could do nothing but mumble "thank you, thank you" after his win, something very visible also in the television. He literally came out of nowhere as all the media attention was focused on Erika Vikman, and somewhat in Catharina Zuhlke and he didn't look for attention in anyways. he just came, sung and won.  Fans have been critizing his song is "yet another boring male ballad" but Aksel isn't taking pressure and thinks one just can't please everyone, and he doesn't even want to.  Aksel is said to have "the most beautiful voice" in Finland at the moment and he also thinks his voice might be one of the main reasons, with the simple sober performance, that won't be changed for Rotterda...

Last night in Finland was all about the question: Will Erika win with Cicciolina ? She didn't as I expected. She's in front page of most every magazine this week and has brokén all UMK records what comes to streaming, chart positions, Youtube views and clearly The One in media attention this year. Somehow the audience was divided already beforehand those pro-Erika and anti-Erika with Aksel as the alternative and in the end it is exactly what happened. The most quiet performer, there has been literally zero media attention to him before UMK, convinced the juries enough to beat her in the end and Erika didn't manage to get enough televoters support to beat him. The fandom is in outrage of course, pointing fingers at the Swedish and Estonian juries mostly. This blogger was #teamErika but ... here comes the Big But. As I feared YLE managed once again to ruin the entries on stage, not only Erika's but also Tika's with lousy camerawork and ideas that didn't ...

  A shy giant Aksel Kankaanranta (22) came second in Voice of Finland 2017 and after that was featured in #1 hit Jättiläinen by Pyhimys, the most streamed song of 2018 and also The Song of the Year winner in Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammy). Otherwise he has no releases yet and has been working on his solo material since Voice. Now it's time to kick start his career in #UMK20 with Looking back . And that's all there is to know so far really.