Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Ram pam pam, performed by BESS in UMK 2022, the Finnish national selection for Eurovision - placing third - has made history becoming the longest running #1 in the official Finnish radio charts, or being the most played song in the Finnish radios for 19 consecutive weeks already! It has reached according statistic 110 million listeners from April to August in a country of 5,5 million.  In the official singles chart Ram pam pam topped the charts for 10 consecutive weeks being the biggest hit along with Italy's Brividi of all national final songs this season in any country. It dropped out of Top-20 only last week after 34 weeks.  The previous record holder was Epäröimättä hetkeekään by Elastinen and Jenni Vartiainen. 

UMK 2022 has been a success already. The international praise when the songs were released, approval by the fandom and the chart action in Finland proves it. Four out of seven songs has made the official singles chart besides making waves in streaming platforms, and each song has made the Radio play Top-100 as well. If we were to believe charts BESS would be clear winner, being at #1 for the fourth week at the moment, and also the highest entry on radio charts but is it destined to be a domestic hit only? We'll see. On top of that the UMK final in Logomo, Turku, sold out in record time. It is also a record it sold out completely unlike the previous attempts to have a national final arena style. I personally have three favorites, a couple of other that would be fine. too, so it's very hard to say how this will end and what would be the best choice, I let the live performance guide me. And there lies my biggest fear. We all remember what happened to Cicciolina on stage and how w...

Isaac Sene is maybe the most unknown artist along with Olivera to the great public. Sene's name has however popped up in music medias but so far mainly thanks to his brother Max Sene aka Sexmane , nominated for four Emma awards this year. But back to Isaac. This 22-year-old has roots in Senegal but was born in Brussels. His music is hard to label as he mixes modern soul pop with a hint of jazz, rock, hip hop and rap. He grew up listening everything from Mozart to Bob Marley, trance and of course Finnish heavy rock. He released his first EP last year and features feats by Vesta and Yeboyah. He has already gained attention with his charismatic stage presence so let's see how cool dude (Kuuma jäbä) he is going to be on UMK 2022 stage! Saved last in the presentation for a reason? I'm intrigued....  Meanwhile listen to  N-sana , Bébé , Nälkä , Akryyli , Hello my Plp , Kukaan ei tanssi niinku sä . Listen Kuuma jäbä here. 

Tommi Läntinen (62) returns with Eurovision hopes having taken part in the 2015 selection with Mitä vaan , placing second to last in his heat. But he has made his career elsewhere. First with bands like Boycott and Fabrics since 1979, and then already almost 30 years as a solo singer in Finnish. Eight albums and several compilations as soloist, a dozen albums with various bands he's been around and known for decades. His biggest hits are Via Dolorosa , Syvälle sydämeen sattuu and Kevät ja minä , and latest minor radio hit is from last summer, Meidän murusia . He will release a new studio album after UMK, his first in ten years. His song Elämä kantaa mua is written by Haloo Helsinki's Leo and Jere, with Elli in the lyrics. Haloo Helsinki has been the most popular pop rock band in Finland for years and this is the first song they have written for someone else so there's a certain buzz and expectations about this one but I must admit neither Haloo Helsinki nor Läntinen belon...

Olivera (or Katriina Ullakko from Espoo) is pretty much unknown yet to the wider audience despite having millions of Spotify streams and important international releases. She has released so far four indie-pop EPs on her won, but she has written (and sung) for other artists like Tiësto's Affliction . Her UMK 2022 entry Thank God I'm an atheist was born from an idea she had played with since childhood: What if one of the religions is actually right and we are living forever? She finds the idea of eternal life depressing but she thinks the song itself is her best and most important so far. She started writing songs at 11 and this particular song was written in half an hour! She has dreamed of Eurovision since 2011, when Da da dam made an impact. Today she's friends with Paradise Oskar so he can surely give her some tips. For further listening here are No more , Trust , Lot to live   and I can't sleep . Listen Thank God I'm an atheist here . 

  The Rasmus was born at the high school where they had their first gig in 1994. Their debut EP was released a year later. Now they have released nine studio albums and two compilations. 32 singles including global hit In the Shadows (Finland #1), F-F-F-Falling (#1), Heartbreaker / Days (#1), Living in a world without you (#1) and their latest Venemous moon (with Apocalyptica).  A curious fact is The Rasmus lost one member and gained a new guitarist, Emppu Suhonen who herself enjoyed great national success and fame with TikTak about the same time The Rasmus broke through. As we remember also Lordi changed its members a bit just before Eurovision.... Current band members are Lauri Ylönen and Eero Heinonen, both original, Aki Hakala and before mentioned Emilia "Emppu" Suhonen. Lauri has had also a sort but successful solo career with gems like Heavy and In the city . Btw he lives these days in Hawaii. Apparently Yle asked them to represent Finland (when Saara Aalto and Da...

BESS is a pop artist from Helsinki who mixes electronic sounds to house and pop but her musical journey has been trough classical music, Michael Jackson, jazz, reggae and heavy periods just to name a few. She's got a recognizable voice, a double platinum selling single ( Tempo ), over 20 million streams for her singles and debut album that sold gold before its release and yet she's pretty much unknown to a wider audience. Eurovision has been one of her "Well, then some day....." dreams but now the someday is here. And she's going to be a household name after it. Her first releases are dated 2017 and she usually works with Nopsajalka and as many other singers these days has done also several featurings ( Pimeyteen with Mikael Gabriel, 100% with Keko Salata and Seittemän with Raappana). For futher listening listen to Peace ,   Viisi kesää (feat. Nopsajalka) and   Melodia ,  She has written her entry Ram pam pam with Jonas Olsson and Tomi Saario.

Alternative rock band Cyan Kicks was founded in Helsinki 2016. They mix in their music hard rock with melodic pop and electronic sounds. The members are Susanna Alexandra (vocals), Niila Perkkiö (guitars), Leevi Erkkilä (bass) and Pietari Reijonen (drums). They have written their entry Hurricane with Swedish-Danish Eliza Ryd, singer in Amarathe and it's been produced and mixed with American Chris Walla and Zakk Cervini. Their debut single Feathers was released in 2017 but it was the second single Gasoline that brought them to radio waves and notoriety. Critics have labeled them as a very possible export product. Their debut album I don't love you (2019) was nominated for Emma award as the best rock album of the year. Last year they released their second album Not your kind and their latest (and 10th) single is Invincible . Late last year they also did a cover of Blind Channel's I died enough for you . Check out also The Flood , Tidal wave , Wish you well   and Beat of m...

Yle gave hints earlier this week about the UMK 2022 entrants and fandom has been trying ever since to figure out who they are. The first speculation part is here . I guess all these names are more of a wishful thinking rather than reality as I suspect there will be more rock than announced. After all this is Finland. The new names thrown in are nelow. Who knows, maybe one or two of them really is in? Time will tell. On January 12, 2022 that is when the names will be revealed and from January 13 the songs will be released one by one. All seven of them. Yasmine Yamajako Yasmine is a singer-actress of multicultural roots; Benin and France from her father's side, Finnish from mother's. Her aunt is Eurovision 2002 veteran Laura (Voutilainen). Yasmine has been doing musicals. She has been featured in Cheek's megahit Syypää sun hymyyn among others. Listen Kato mitä sä teit  Sini Yasemin Sini is half Turkish, half Finnish and openly lesbian. Two albums so far and 15 singles so far...