Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The long and confusing Finnish national final concept called UMK aka Uuden musiikin kilpailu comes to an end tonight in a live show from Helsinki's Ice Hall. I don't know if it's going to be a full house aas at least in last night's programme they said go and get your ticket and come see the show live as tickets are still available. There will be 14 cameras, the sage looks pretty enough and YLE apparently has put an effort for the final with guest stars like The Rasmus world premier of their comeback single I'm a mess, the "biggest show ever seen by a Finnish artist" by Anna Abreu, last year's Euroviisut winner Paradise Oskar will perform, too, and even the current #1 in the single's chart Robin is there. Six songs made it this far and even if I may not agree with the results I do have a favourite, Kaisa Vala. I also like Mica Ikonen. Many Eurovision fans favour Ville Eetvartti and Pernilla Karlsson. Then we have Iconcrash and Stig. I just don'...

The last qualification round of UMK came from Helsinki Ice hall where we had the stage, the greenroom but empty hall giving a very strange feel to the whole thing. Anyways after the interview with The Rasmus , the round up how the 540 songs came 40, then 12, then 8 and finally only six tonight they started telling us who the online voters had sent to the final: Mica Ikonen, Pernilla Karlsson, Ville Eetvartti while Kaisa Vala was in danger of dropping out. Then Iconcrash and Stig to the final and Freeman joins Kaisa Vala on stage tonight and faces the judges. They performed again after Anna Abreu was interviewed. She will have her biggest show ever on UMK stage. After the Madonna's SuperBowl performance it was reported she was mad about her as her planned show was very similar to Madonna's and now needed to be redone to avoid copycat label. (Yeah right!). So then to the judges Anna Laine, Jorma Hietamäki, Vallu Vaipio, Anna Puu and Tomi Saarinen. They praised Kaisa Vala, the w...

Tonight there will be the last qualification round for the seven entries left in UMK aka Uuden musiikin kilpailu, ex-Euroviisut. First they were 540, then 40, then 12 and tonight they will be only six. Televoters will take five of them to the final, and the judges will send there also one of the two leftovers. So, one will be so close, 24 hours, from the final but will be left out. I would kick out either Freeman or Stig (for the simple fact he can't sing) but I'm afraid both will go on tomorrow's final. My favourites are Kaisa Vala as she is the most intteresting, fresh new artists here, and Mica Ikonen for the simple stage presence and voice!The songs still in the run are: Freeman & Uusi Fantasia - Noitanainen Iconcrash - We are the night Kaisa Vala - Habits of the human beings Mica Ikonen - Antaa mennä Pernilla Karlsson - När jag blundar Stig - Laululeija Ville Eetvartti - Lasikaupunki

Mica Ikonen has a history in boyband XL5 . After the brief teenage hysteria he joined Käsityöläiset band and has made a name as a great live performer. Now he's heading for a solo career with new co-writers and this Antaa mennä is the first fruit of that. A bit Robbie Williams-ish, isn't it?