So what’s this now? Over in Finland, broadcaster YLE last week announced the seven artists who will be competing in UMK 2021 – their national final for the Eurovision Song Contest.
And the songs? They have been released, one at a time, every day, finishing with the 7th song being released today. And so you can now find them all below.
And the final? Takes place on February 20th.
And their chances? Well If Finland want to break into the final at Eurovision, and march dominantly up that leaderboard, we’d say that their best bet would be to go with the rock song – ‘Dark Side’ by Blind Channel. The song by Teflon Brothers & Pandora is a whole lot of fun, but could just as easily come in last as it could take the Finns to the final. Elsewhere, we’re also liking the three songs by Ilta, Oskr and last year’s winner Aksel. However, all three are similar in genre, tempo and tone, and so we’re enjoying them best as contemporaries to each other, as opposed to real competitors.
Take a listen and see what you think;
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Oskr – Lie
(Oskari Ruohonen, Joonas Angeria, David Pramik)
Previously a member of two different Finnish bands, Oskr now relaunches his solo career via UMK. He cites Bon Iver and James Blake as his influences, and you can hear that in his song ‘Lie’ – a break-up anthem that builds into an emotional gut-punch of a climax.
Telfon Brothers x Pandora – I Love You
(Jaakko Salovaara, Axel Ehnström, Mikko Kuoppala, Heikki Kuula, Jani Tuohimaa, Anneli Magnusson)
Finnish comedy rap band recruits a Swedish eurodance icon of the 90s. Pandora promised that this song is one that is gonna bring us all plenty of joy. And she didn’t lie, bless her love-filled heart. Total Eurotrash excellence – so much so, that it has us hoping that Jean Paul Gaultier hot-foots it from his place in this year’s Franch national final jury, over to the Finnish jury instead.
Danny – Sinä Päivänä Kun Kaikki Rakastaa Mua
(Janne Rintala, Timo Ruokola)
A Finnish pop legend who last year started to become more famous in Eurovision fan circles as being Erika Vikman’s 78-year-old husband. They’ve now split up, and he’s following her lead from last year – into the UMK circus (a circus he’s experienced himself quite a few times in the past). The song is a sombre ballad in which he plans and imagines his own funeral. Enjoy!
Laura – Play
( Karl-Ander Reismann, Laura Põldvere, Reinis Straume)
She’s no longer lost in Verona – she’s got herself onto the Tallinn-Helsinki ferry to charm the Finns with her song ‘Play’. It’s a country-tinged pop tune with some playful drama injected into it.
Aksel – Hurt
(Gerard O’Connell, Kalle Lindroth, Joonas Angeria)
Last year’s UMK winner, who sadly missed out on the prize of heading to Eurovision for his country. So it makes sense that he’s back a year later to give it another go. He returns with ‘Hurt’ – a song that despite its title, actually offers up undertones of hope and positivity. It’s a melodic ballad that packs a lot of strength in its mere three minutes.
Blind Channel – Dark Side
(Niko Moilanen, Joel Hokka, Joonas Porko, Aleksi Kaunisvesi, Olli Matela, Tommi Lalli)
The token rock band that every Nordic national final needs. But with ‘Dark Side’, Blind Channel have delivered much more than a token rock entry. With a song this strong, Finland could be setting its sights on the top of the Eurovision final leaderboard for the first time in a long time.
Ilta – Kelle Mä Soitan
(Ilta Fuchs, Väinö Wallenius, Lasse Piirainen, Jouni Aslak)
She’s already got quite the flourishing pop career going on in her native Finland, but now Ilta is aiming to take it to the next level via UMK – and hopefully Eurovision! She describes her song as a touching track about loneliness, and you can definitely hear the heart-ache come through in her vocal delivery, even if you don’t understand the lyrics. This is dramatic torch-song territory that’s in the excellent hands of a competent diva in the making.
