Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The media keeps wondering why Norma John an Blackbird failed to qualify for the Eurovision song contest 2017 final. Here and there pops up the idea that YLE should just drop UMK2018 (that is already in the planning with the first submission phase long gone), save the money and get Saara Aalto to do a X Factor UK like staging extravacanza for next year. Luckily no one's taking it with Norma John. They receive praise and consolances unlike for example poor Seija Simola back in 1978 when her until then flourishing and succesful career just died that night in Paris and she never recovered. Today, rumours tell, she's a bit bitter old lady living outside the spotlights in southern corners of Helsinki incognito.  But back to UMK. UMK stands for Uuden musiikin kilpailu aka Contest for new music. Sadly everyone has understood it stands for Contest for new artists. Or at least anyone with an ongoing career to speak of is taking part. Unlike in Sweden taking part in UMK or Eurovision...

Chagrined but still happy about their achievement. That's the way Norma John presented to YLE News after last night's non-qualification. As true professionals they stayed calm and despite disappointment went on giving interviews pointing out that it's very difficult to compete with music. "It's a question of opinions. people hear the song maybe for the first time and vote by that first impression" says Lasse. They also say it's useless to speculate why it ended like this. "We still have a great song. Eurovision is like roller coaster and you never know how it ends" continues Leena. Norma John is still happy they had this opportunity being an indie band that does everything by thenselves. "Of course we are chagrined as we did a good job and it's our song, we wrote it. No need to feel miserable that this happened to Finland again. C'est la vie. But this is certainly something we will remember sitting in a rocking chair when we are...

People haven't been exactly kind in social medias after Finland's Sandhja's Sing it away was shown on television last night, even before the results were in and Finland was out from the final on Saturday. Chatrooms are filled with nasty comments and critic, and some constructive views of what went wrong. Some are demanding the whole YLE's Eurovision team to be sacked, some blame Sandhja and her backings singing out of tune. Her dress gets a lot of critics as well, so does the whole team lookwise. Everyone's opinion seems to be it was too plain and simple, and it's not enough just to walk on stage and dance it away when you have the world's largest stage and the most imaginative props and lights in use, if you want to. One doesn't have go to the Russian way but at least something. Anything! It seems it worked in arena but on tv screen no. To this blogger this seems a dejà vú from 1978 when Seija Simola was crushed in media and eventually her long and...

Since the semifinals were introduced back in 20014 Finland has now qualified seven times, and not qualified six times. This is however only the second time Finland fails the final two years in a row, the first being the first two semifinal years 2004-2005 and then Finland came and won it all the year after. Let's hope that's a good omen for 2017.  I still stand by our choice and think she was the best. I don't think any of the UMK2016 finalist would have done any better. I'm talking about fan favorites Saara Aalto and Mikael Saari. UMK2016 was great but none of the songs was really outstanding with that special "it" that would have made miracles. To prove the point none of them have become even a minor hit.  As for the running order, I totally understand why Sing it away was chosen as the opener. This said, it wouldn't have done any better elsewhere in the running order I suppose. I'm always saying less is more and keep it simple, but this st...