Finnish broadcaster YLE have today announced the first 12 artists that will compete to represent Finland at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. Three heats will take place next January, from which songs will progress to the final on February 12th. So far, the 12 artists we now know, will take up four places in each of those heats. However, there is room for one more song in each heat. Who gets those last three places is up to the Finnish public. Tomorrow, YLE will upload 15 songs to their website, and Finland will have two weeks to vote for their favourite. The top three songs will then earn a place in heats 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
Of the 12 artists confirmed for the competition, there are a few that already interest us. We quite like Soma Manuchar. Check out her song ‘Janie’, which we’ve embedded at the bottom of this post – it’s got a brilliant chorus that’s straight out of the annals of poptasticness! Hopefully she’ll be submitting something along those lines. Jimi Constantine excites us a lot because he has written for and is endorsed by fellow Finn, Cristal Snow, who we’ve written about on this site a couple of times before. Plus he looks a sexy chap too (that’s him below!). And finally we like Jonna, just because of her pop credentials – she’s a former member of girlband Gimmel, who won Finland’s first ever Popstars series.
Check back here tomorrow for our thoughts on the 15 songs that will be up for the public vote – we’ll guide you towards any that are of a scandipop standard! For now though, the list of the 15 songs is below the line up for the three contest heats.
Heat 1, Friday 14 January:
Automatic Eye
Jonna
Johanna Iivanainen
Marko Maunuksela
Heat 2, Friday 21 January:
Jimi Constantine
Milana Misic
Paradise Oscar
Soma Manuchar
Heat 3, Friday 28 January:
Sami Hintsanen
Eveliina Määttä
Tommi Soidinmäki
Stala & So.
Christa Renwall: Fool of Yourself
Tony Green: Miracle
Suvi: We Are One
Sara Sayed: Shallow Waters
Paul Oxley: The Prisoner
Pauliina Salonen: Every Day
Emilie Untamala & Jole Nissilä: It Is You
Joel Främling: Man in Squalor
Anfisa: Give Me Power to Resist
Chorale: Share Your Life
Cardiant: Rapture in Time
Saara Aalto: Blessed with Love
Sonja Bishop: This Is My Life
Father McKenzie: Good Enough
Blackbird: Gooseberry
