Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Finland's national selection for Eurovision song contest 2026  or UMK (Uuden musiikin kilpailu) took place in Tampere tonight and was won by pre-contest favorites Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen and their Liekinheitin. Or rather they swept the floor with the other ones by winning both jury and televotes with a huge margin.  Special guests were last year's UMK winner Erika Vikman (11th in ESC) with last year's Eurovision winner JJ, Finland's Eurovision 1985 represent Sonja Lumme and quartet of leading Finnish rappers Elastinen, Ares, Turisti and Averagekidluke .  Out of 491 submitted entries a panel of 9 members along with five audience groups selected the seven entries for the final. Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen emerged instantly the runaway favorites to win the selection gaining more Youtube views in 24 hrs than any other UMK entry ever and also reaached one million streams in record time. They also became international favorites pushing Finland to #1 in od...

Finland's national selection for Eurovision song contest 2026  or UMK (Uuden musiikin kilpailu) takes place in Tampere tonight in Tampere arena to sold out crowds.  Special guests are last year's UMK winner Erika Vikman (11th in ESC) with last year's Eurovision winner Austrian  JJ, Finland's Eurovision 1985 represent Sonja Lumme and quartet of leading Finnish rappers Elastinen, Ares, Turisti and Averagekidluke. It's worth remembering JJ's staging and even outfit was made in Finland last year with UMK team.  The show is hosted by Jorma Uotinen, Sami Sykkö and Jasmin Beloued. Read more about them here . Out of 491 submitted entries a panel of nine members along with five audience groups selected the seven entries for the final. Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen emerged instantly the runaway favorites to win the selection gaining more Youtube views in 24 hrs than any other UMK entry ever and also reached one million streams in record time. They also became inter...

  Sinikka Monte (23) is a newcomer to the music scene - at least for the wider public. Half Finnish, half South African, born in Scotland and grew up in Vienna, Austria she a mix of many things. She describes her music as a gig to sad people. And yes, she does speak some Finnish and even her entry Ready to leave has a few lines in Finnish.  Sinikka started dancing ballet at the age of five and realized performing is her thing. Then came music. Her debut single It ain't ou was released 2019. So far the highlight of her career has been her song ending up in reality Love is blind. A perfect match for her "crying in the club" style music.  She submitted Hers, too for UMK 2024 and finished in top-10 but didn't make the final seven. She has released a dozen songs on Spotify so far. She has almost 199.000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Ready to leave ** Sinikka Monte, Florian Spies Charts action: Official singles chart: #35. / - / - / - / - / - / #26. / #49. / -  Official Ra...

  What to say? Chachi has been known so far only as the wife of Jukka Hilden of The Dudesons. They married in 2019 and have already three kids together. They met when she took part in Ultimate expedition. Now she's making her debut as a recording artist in UMK 2026 with Cherry cake. Among the songwriters Johannes Naukkarinen of Cha cha cha and Espresso macchiato fame, as well as Linnea Deb who has co-written already nine Eurovision entries,including one winner, Heroes.  Olivia Irene Gonzales (30) is an American-Mexican dancer. She's the youngest champion of America's Best Dance Crew at the age of 15 with her I.aM.mE crew in 2011. The year after she was awarded as the teenage choreographer of the year in World of Dance gala . She has danced in some music videos. In 2022 she took part in Masked Singer Finland making it to top-5. Her Youtube and Instagram have 1,6 million followers each.  Cherry cake ** Chachi, Johannes Naukkarinen, Linnea Deb Chart action: Official singles ...

When rumors started circulating Antti Paalanen might be one of the finalists a certain part of Finnish Euroviison fandom got very excited. This blogger on the other hand had really never heard of him but obviously got quite interested: accordion,.throat singing, folk music.... His entry Takatukka meaning mullet showcases all that with a sparkle in the eye with its humorous lyrics. But did I like it? Read at the bottom.... Antti Paalanen (48) is already a seasoned artist at home and internationally. He has won several awards and besides his solo career has been active in various groups with whom he's been nominated and won Emma awards. He's the Finnish champion in accordion three years in a row (1994-96). He has worked and composed for theater, studied in Sibelius Academy and other prestigious music schools. His international breakthrough happened in WOMEX showcase concert in Copenhagen 2011 Four solo albums todate and 17 collaboration albums with his various bands. Additional t...

  Kiki offers as a mix of Finnish melancholy and Greek passion in her Rakkaudenkipee. Kiki, aka Petra Gavalas (29) if half Greek, half Finnish and her brother is none other than pretty successful rapper Lukas Leon, thanks to whom she met her producer and the rest is history.  Kiki's debut single 666 in 2021 was a Top-10 success and the singles have been coming in a steady flow ever since. Her debut album Intuito was released in 2023. Decent chart action and streaming numbers for each and every single but the Big one is still waiting. Could it be Rakkaudenkipee? Eurovision is her big dream and right after that a collaboration with some big Greek artist is on her wishlist.  Rakkaudenkipee *** Kiki, Jaakko Kiuru, Niko Salmela, Leo Jupiter Chart action: Official singles chart: #13. / #19. / #36. / - / - / #14./ #22. / #47./ - Official radio play chart: #21. / #27. / #28. / #27./ #23. / #50./ - / #84./ - / #72. / #81. Spotify debut: #9 with 101.764 streams Spoty monthly listen...

Etta (or Emmalotta Kanth, 28) is the most successful and the first female rap artist to have a #1 album. But besides being a rapper she is also an excellent singer. She has released three  top-10 albums and has eight Top-10 singles (and four more as featuring, including one #1 hit). She first came to spotlight at the age of 10 when she reached the semifinal stage in Talent Suomi. Coming from a musical family her brother Vilikasper Kanth also has UMK 2015 experience. Another funny fact is her ex-boyfriend Lukas Leon is Kiki's brother. She has also done featuring with Pete Parkkonen and Isaac Sene among others.  Her song Million dollar smile is an ode to her single mother and gets inspiration from her difficult youth and dealing with alopecia that made her lose her hair as a teenager. As said music was always present in her family and she says she didn't choose music, music chose her. They have tried to label her as pop singer or a female rapper but she says she's and Artist....

  Komiat (or The Handsome in Ostrobothian dialect or smth) brings to UMK a genre never heard there before, more or less: Finnish dance hall schlager.  They have been around for ten years or so and after doing covers first in 2016. The year after they did their first gig s and in 2018 they already won the Finnish championships of dance orchestra (yes, there's such thing)  in Tangomarkkinat. They have been voted the most popular dance orchestra already seven years in a row! The dance hall culture is having a revival especially among younger people so their music hits the right cords. They released their debut album in 2020 and between 2022-24 they scored several minor  hits and last year their released their second album including Kaihosielu, a crossover hit streaming platinum and reaching #4 in the Radioplay charts. Last year they also played the Helsinki Olympic stadium as a warm up to Katri Helena's farewell mega concert. They are also nominated for four Emma (Finni...

Yle has usually revealed the hosts even before the artists but this year they have kept the secret for a long time. But today the news are out: Jasmin Beloued, already at it last year, will host the show with celebrities Jorma Uotinen and Sami Sykkö,  a popular podcast couple and not only. Jasmin Beloued (26) started hosting Yle's youth program at the age of 17 and few years later moved to Yle Mix channel. Since then she's been a regular in Yle's programs and made it to mainstream with UMK last year and later last year as one of the reporter's in the Independence Day  Ball, the most watched tv program in (along with Eurovision and sports) in Finland annually. Jorma Uotinen (75) is a household name in Finland. Since 1970 he has danced and choreographed in Finland and abroad. He has danced in Paris Opera, Milan's La Scala, Royal ballets of Denmark and Sweden and in Berlin's Staatsoper. Later he created also a career as a singer and was the boss of National Ballet ...

Tonight was the official date but as usual the list leaked already last night as Etta published the group photo and details of her entry in her IG by mistake and obviously someone got a screenshot. Or was it a PR stunt from Yle to boost attention and hype? We will probably never know. And yes, all names were circulating more or less during the past months with the exception of Antti Paalanen. Apparently very well known and famous in his music genre circuit but I have never ever even heard of him I admit.  As for the artists I will go deep with them later after their songs are out (and my holidays over) but I am very, very happy to see Linda and Pete in the list as I have been wishing and hoping both of them for years by now. Not sure about Antti and Komiat but let's hear the songs first. Kiki and Sinikka I'm also happy for, Etta ... not so sure and Chachi is a mystery as she's so far only been as the wife of Jukka Hilden of Duudsomit/The Dudesons fame. But then again she...

  Yle has announced today information on coming UMK 2026 with the first clues on artists. Yle received a record number of 491 songs for UMk 2026. As usual seven entries have been selected via various juries (both professional and amateur) to compete. The show will include also grand opening and interval acts by Top Finnish artists. The artists will be revealed on January 14, 2026 in live television event and the song previewed as usual one per day at midnight between January 15 and 23. The final takes place on February 28 in Tampere Arena.  There will be as give  as glues: a charismatic performer making their debut at UMK,  an artist who represents a current sound right now,  an internationally sought-after crowd-pleaser,  a pioneer in their own genre,  an attractive duo of two performers with unique voices,  a dramatic pop piece from a singer with a magnificent voice,  and a captivating ballad from an artist radiating international appeal So...

While Sweden's Melodifestivalen 2026 has received 3.888 entries only to have then some 20 out of 28 written by same 5-6 names in various combos Finland's UMK is way more unpredictable and you never know what we have in store for the next edition. We have already noticed the selection team tends to have a sort of trend for the season. If 2025 was very pop oriented and 2024 quite rap influenced it's curious to see where they put the focus on in 2026.  This said the fandom is already speculating and so far Yle has kept quiet and there hasn't been any leaks or bitter comments by artists that they applied and were not taken ( Vilma Jää this year for example). Anyways, here's my first prediction/wish list for possible names added with the first rumored names! If I get 2-3 out of 7 right I'm happy, LOL.      Ladies Vesta - She's in Van elämää this fall and already making it big, could it be that she's doing both back to back? Her career has taken an upright di...

UMK 2025 was a record breaking success. Almost 2,3 million people watched the show live on television or streamed it online in Finland making it probably the most watched programme in 2025.  It was broadcated live also in Spain were another 570.000 people watched it!  In Yle Areena it was watched all around the world, in 126 different countries! The commenting was made in 8 different languages and there were press on spot in Tampere from 14 different countreis almost 350.000 votes were given. Nokia Areena in Tampere was sold out in hours for both the final and the dress rehearsal. On top of that Erika Vikman's winning entry ICH KOMME has been watched already over a million times on Youtube when writing this (Monday evening) and it has streamed almost 2,5 million times.  On top of that Finland has climbed 3rd in the Odds. :-)

Finland chose its entry for Eurovision song contest 2025 in Basel in a show from Nokia Arena in Tampere. Some last minute drama was provided by Goldielocks and lost voice, as she was forbid by doctors to speak between dress rehearsal and the final. During the live show it was clear she couldn't sing and the show producers had decided in her favour to use the filmed rehearsal instead. Phew! As she had risen maybe the main contender to challenge Erika after One last morning withdraw/was disqualified taking away another one would only fueled more conspiracy theories against Yle. (Well, I never believed them for that matter but it was worth mentioning this). Update 9.2: 2,270.000 viewers last night  and 342.543 votes given - both are new records! The show was hosted by popstar Sanni and Jasmin Beloued, and by the way they were fantastic!  The sold out arena (as well as sold out dress rehearsal in the afternoon) witnesses a show opened by last year's surprise winner Windows95man wi...