Live: Finland decides for Vienna

The Finnish selection Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu kicked off the first weekend in February, and tonight it all comes to a deciding conclusion. The competition this year boasts a diverse pool of 18 contestants, 9 of which qualified for tonight’s finale to discover who the next representative will be in Vienna.

Finnish broadcaster YLE has been busy slightly revamping their preselection format in response to viewer feedback and in attempt to stay one step ahead of fading trends. Producer Anssi Autio made the decision to cut the jury and prolong the show to 3 semi-finals and one final. That means the decision has been 100% dependent upon the televote so far, and tonight it is split 90/10 with a public jury.

Follow the finale with us here, as well as the broadcast via YLE staring at 20:00 CET!

The 9 finalists are:

  1. Shava – Ostarilla
  2. Satin Circus – Crossroads
  3. Solju – Hold Your Colours
  4. Järjestyshäiriö – Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla
  5. Norlan El Misionario – No Voy A llorar Por
  6. Opera Skaala – Heart of light
  7. Jouni Aslak – Lions and lambs
  8. Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät – Aina mun pitää
  9. Angelo De Nile – All for Victory

Newest comments appear at the top!

* * * *

Kiitos for following UMK with us this year! It was an exciting competition, we hope you enjoyed the coverage, as well! And we’ll now see Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät in Vienna shortly.

* * * *

21:54 – RESULTS!

After a very long moment of tension dishing out final percentages it comes down to:

Third place: Opera Skaala

Second place: Satin Circus

And FIRST PLACE WINNER: Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät

And an encore performance of course.

* * * *

21:47 – Interval

Softengine is warmly welcomed back to the stage! This time with a lovely acoustic version of their hit 2014 song Something Better. It’s nice to see them again. Building up some drama in the middle of the song, it seems they’re going to break into an acoustic of their song Siren –

* * * *

21:45 – Stop voting!

A countdown and now to count the results

* * * *

21:32 – Public jury voting begins (10% of final vote)

In order from lowest to highest, the top three points go like this:

The first points to Pertti , Angelo and Solju

The second to Shava, Opera and Pertti

Third to Jouni, Shava and Satin Circus

Frouth to Shava, Jouni and Satin Circus

As of right now, Satin Circus lead with 37 points – Shava is second with 27 – and Pertti third with 24

Fifth voting goes to Angelo and Opera

The sixth votes go to Järjestyshäiriö, Opera and Satin Circus

A lot of public juries tonight! The seventh goes to Jouni, Opera and Satin Circus, who still lead in points

The seventh and looks like final goes to Järjestyshäiriö, Opera and Satin Circus

One more recap now, for the televoters!

* * * *

21:28 – Interval act

It’s Emma Salokoski with a lovely contemporary dance routine. In flesh colored spandex the dancers have lyrics painted on the bodies and some handy camera work times it perfectly.

* * * *

21:17 – Another round of greenroom interviews

This time beginning with Jouni Aslak, then Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät, and Angelo De Nile – the latter two getting huge applause.

Followed by another recap. It’s an incredibly raucous audience this evening! Quite fun just to watch them in their excitement.

* * * *

21:11 – Time to vote!

A run through of the phone numbers again and a quick recap of the night so far.

It’s a rather diverse pool of styles and images tonight – who will Finland choose to represent them in May? In just about any case, it will be an interesting choice!

* * * *

21:06 – Angelo De NileAll for Victory

And we end on the most dramatic – yes even more so than the Opera – entry. Angelo has 8 Romanesque ‘studs’ and a couple goddess-type women circling around him center stage. It’s a huge climax of a stadium rock song, built upon a huge choruses. Though the foundation is shaky at best, as there is not much substance as “live all for victory” is repeatedly screamed at various levels around static electric guitar riffs.

* * * *

21:02 – Pertti Kurikan NimipäivätAina mun pitää

These guys have created a lot of hype around their entry in the last couple weeks, with huge tips to win the selection. They have shortest song – just barely at two minutes. This four-piece who came together through a cultural workshop for the learning disabled, here we have The Punk Syndrome (a documentary by the band). The song is a shallow kind of punk rock with rough vocals and a steady beat. The debate if they will

* * * *

20:54 – Jouni AslakLions and Lambs

At the same time, it’s pop and something a little more mellow and organic. It begins quietly in the verse and then pop-ishly grows into chorus-driven harmony – a nice mix of darker tones and an uplifting hook. Jouni’s vocals stand out with a nice timbre and bubbly energy. It sounds better tonight than when we first heard him! He’s got two drummers on either side of some stairs placed center stage, on which several dancers and his two backing vocals do their thing. Half are dressed in black and half white, the color contrast split down the center with Jouni in blue, to signify the lions and lambs balance.

* * * *

20:47 – Opera SkaalaHeart of light 

Drama: there are some men dancing around in Mozart type garb and it’s all very royal looking with pearly pedestals and fancy dress. This is a collaboration between three artists, who fancy themselves as ‘pioneers’ in Operatic Dance Music. What to say? Well, it’s not a long shot for Eurovision, as we’ve already seen this style on the stage. The Opera mixes well with the electronic choices. It becomes a little much, but I suppose unless you were an opera fan, it would. There are danceable, crowd-pleasing elements, despite the classical clash in structure.

* * * *

20:42 – Norlan El MisionarioNo Voy A llorar Por

Finland’s ghetto of Latin music – we have a Spanish song in the selection. Norlan is originally from Cuba, but has been a Finnish-based ambassador for various styles of Latin music since 2005. Thus we have him here! A reggae/hip-hop based track with pop melodic chorus and Latin flair in the music – it strikes you as a quiet Brazilian number. Lots of percussion to keep it afloat & some Spanish guitar for a little embellishment. The performance isn’t a stand out, unfortunately.

* * * *

20:35 – Järjestyshäiriö – Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla

Just a little pop-rock number with roots in punk. It’s not as strong as in the semi-final performance, but still welcomed to the stage. It’s a rather slow lead into the song, but the Finnish language is smooth sailing into melody. The chorus briefly picks up before falling abruptly into steady percussion. The vocals are not bad, just not as impactful tonight, changing it up with some nice harmony. The stage presentation is full of nice purple, pink, and blue hues that bathe the band in a nice atmosphere, with snippets of video playing in the background. Nicely done.

* * * *

20:31 – Interviews

Just a few minutes in the greenroom to speak with Shava, Satin Circus and Solju after their performances.

* * * *

20:25 – Solju – Hold Your Colours

It’s unfortunate the vocals are not as strong in the live performance, because this Sami ballad is quite lovely. Solju are Hildá Länsman and Ulla Pirttijärvi-Länsman, a mother-daughter duo from Lapland. It may be accented with traditional sounds, but the music is still modern and has a flowing melody that sticks with you. The vocals have a nice timbre and there is an organic feel to the composition – which was written by Eurovision-familiar Swedes Linda & Ylva Persson.

* * * *

20:19 – Satin Circus – Crossroads

The best sound in the selection this year from the initial recordings, and a good winner image. Satin Circus is a group made of students, they have a wide appeal to the current generation and the familiar Crossroads we’re faced with. Live it’s a bit thin, with the vocals not as strong. They haven’t improved a great deal from their first performance, but they’ve done a better job with keeping the energy level up. All in all, it’s a wholesome alternative radio-pop song with a catchy beat and unique, nasally vocals that stand out.

* * * *

20:14 – Shava – Ostarilla

We start with the bhangra hit! Shava roll out in style in a van decked to look like an Indian bus, filled with people and traditional tapestries. Same as their first performance except a bit more refined. It’s all bright colors and Bollywood dancers. The Indian tonal structure to music mixed with Finnish lyrics is done a flawless fashion. The fluttering notes keep your body moving, as well as the dancer’s energy, and the melody is pulsing with hard-hitting soft tones. It’s fun, fresh and different – you can’t help but love it.

* * * *

20:10 – Jan Ola Sand is in the audience tonight. “Explain Finland’s history in Eurovison in just 3 words” he is asked, and his answer: “Hard. Rock. Hallelujah.” And what a great answer it is!

A quick run through the phone numbers, and then we’re off.

* * * *

20:00 – Welcome to the show!

In the way only Finland, they kick off the show with a medley of showtunes. The presenters tonight are Rakel Liekki and Roope Salminen, who sang the last note of this opening act.

With a few acrobats and red umbrellas, the 9 finalists are introduced and appear on stage. It’s an excited crowd, and a great atmosphere tonight!