Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Neea River (or Jokinen) has been singing all her life and had a dream to become an artist. And in a fairytale like way she has become one. In her early 20s she left for a holiday in Los Angeles and being active in Instagram she posted videos of her singing in various places and tagged Los Angeles, after all that was where she was. She was noted by a local producer who became her friend.  A year later she moved there, they worked together and started writing songs together, Neea made contacts, including CEO of Sony Music Finland and soon she had a contract to write songs for others. Already in LA the third song she had written ended up in a movie soundtrack of The perfect gitl in 2015. Next years she was writing songs for other before she decided to concentrate on her own career and even founded an own record label. She has co-written for example UMK veterans Portion Boys Elämän ABC and Eurovision veteran Blanka's Rodeo .  Her first shot to fame became in Tiktok where one of h...

Finland's UMK has really turned itself around in just a couple of years from no hit machine disaster to a real chart topping delivering career launching hit machine. Two years in a row the Finnish Grammy aka Emma has gone to a song from UMK, all the songs hit the charts, it delivers several Top-10 hits, number ones and creates new stars. This year more than ever. In my personal opinion every song this year is good or great, and any of them would have been a winner just 3-4 years ago but things have changed now. How to pick up the one from the goodies? Easy if you think about it: there's one that caused an international stir right after it was released, it sticks out like a slap in the face and all I can say is WE MUST CHOOSE IT.  The running order caused some commotion in the social medias but I believe it has something to do with the stagings and props etc. On the other hand with only seven songs it's not so important if you go first, last or somewhere in between. Especial...

Iskelmä Gala, that translates to Schlager Gala was just like Emma Gala (here) a success for UMK artist. the Gala is organized by Iskelmä radio station and the awards are voted by its listeners. BESS won the award as the Female artist of the year, while Portion Boys won The Band of the year, and The Entertainer of the Year awards. Olli Halonen (ex-Satin Circus) won the Newcomer of the Year award. Kuumaa left with empty hands this time as did Erika Vikman.  All UMK related nominees were: Song of the Year:  Portion Boys - Elämän ABC BESS - Ram pam pam Olli Halonen - Suomen kesä Kuumaa - Tulipalo Female Artist of the Year: Erika Vikman BESS (won) Male artist of the Year: Olli Halonen Breakthrough of the Year: Olli Halonen (won) Band of the Year: Kuumaa Portion Boys (won) Entertainer of the Year: Erika Vikman Portion Boys (won) The Song of the year is Vesterinen Yhtyeineen with Kohti sydänpeltoja:

How things change! Not so long ago the Finnish national entries didn't bother the charts, not even the winner and there are even entries that have never even been released after the contest. And now, UMK is living a real resurrection or renaissance and has become similar to Sanremo or Malodifestivalen: It makes hits. Artists want to take part. It's hot. Relevant. A hit.  Not all this year's entries have had the time to enter the official charts but last weekend for example Spotify's Top-10 had five UMK entries! I'm sure they will all storm into the charts this week. So far we have two debuts at the official singles Top-20 charts; Benjamin at #7 and Keira at #10. In the radio play Top-100 we have Robin at #46., Benjamin at #55., Lxandra at #65. and even Käårijä made it #77 already. I suppose he might hit the singles #1 and who knows how high on radios..... Let's look back at how it all started, this new era. Erika Vikman hit #5 on singles chart back in 2020 and ...

Finland has quite a line up this year starting with Robin Packalen, who has been on fandom's wish list for years as well as the most popular party band at the moment, Portion Boys and probably the next big thing Kuumaa. Add fresh Dancing with stars winner and fan favorite Benjamin, Lxandra who has been also on many wish lists for a few years (including mine). Add newcomer Keira and somewhat unknown Käärijä and you have maybe the biggest line up on paper ever on Umk. Sunrise Avenue's Samu Haber will be hosting the show from Turku's Logomo on February 25, 2023 and the winner will be selected by televote (75%) and international jury (25%). Once again Yle goes multilingual as you can watch the show on stream in either Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, Ukrainian, sign language, northern Sami and Inari Sami. As usual the songs have been released one by one, one per day. I will get back to them one by one as well once they are all out. Keira - No business on the dancefloor Benj...

A bit over a week to go before Yle will announce the UMK2023 artists and starts showcasing their songs from  January 12 one per day. Meanwhile the fandom has been trying to figure out who they are by spying social media, Yle's hints dropping every now and then and everything possible from wishful thinking to the logical solutions, or in most cases just pure coincidence.  Some changes have been in the guessing since it started in November ( read more here ) but some seem to be now cemented and fans are sure they are in: Lxnadra, Kuumaa, The Poets of the fall and Portion Boys, only now without Meiju Suvas but maybe with Osku Luukkainen? Now much left from the original late summer wish list by fans though ( here ) New names have emerged especially in the new female singer department. Is it Linda Teränen (with or without her Relax Trio band?), is it LOLA (Lotta-Maria Heinonen)? Or Astrid Nicole? Or is it Berta? Aliisa Syrjä? Yona?  Kiki? The names are flying! How about the bo...

Well, most probably not but this list of artists seems to fit the hints Yle gave and it did spread around fast like a forest fire in August . It does include names that this blogger has been toying with as well, and names that could fit the concept well and most of all feature several strong names so it wouldn't be one or two horse run but a real battle and more battle between the songs rather than artists. In theory. Here they are for your enjoyment and speculation: Portion Boys feat Meiju Suvas Portion Boys, the biggest party band (maybe) with three Top-5 hits in the past year, one of them with Teflon Brothers from Umk fame, with Meiju Suvas who's been around 40 years and living a new fame peak thanks to Vain elämää season 13 this fall. She's tried to get the ticket to ESC several times already. Pete Parkkonen he shot to fame in Idols 2008/09 and has had ups and downs in his career, the ultimate sex symbol who finally proved to most everyone he's a real international ...

  This week a heavy dose of Finnish humor pop and 80's beat with Portion Boys and Herrat who also drops a few dozens song titles. And a couple of other ones. Enjoy! Romu - Kaikki mun arvet Herrat - karaoke Eroma - Kahenlaisii kuvii Portion Boys - Elämän ABC