On February 10th, Finland will select their artist among seven prospective acts to represent them on the Eurovision stage in Malmö. This preselection show, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, which is colloquially known as “UMK”, will bring us the next face (or faces) that will tote the flag for Finland and carry on their great Eurovision legacy.
UMK as the Finnish national selection debuted in 2012, where the singer Pernilla Karlsson won the final with the Swedish-language song “När jag blundar”, which means “when I close my eyes”. Since the launch, the selection has produced two top 10 finishing acts, including last year’s Käärijä, who earned 2nd place with the televote-slanging, crazy party number, “Cha Cha Cha” These seven acts competing in 2024 will come face-to-face at the Nokia Arena in Tampere:
Cyan Kicks – “Dancing with Demons”
Jesse Markin – “Glow”
Mikael Gabriel and Nublu – “Vox Populi”
Sexmane – “Mania”
Sara Siipola – “Paskana”
Windows95man – “No Rules”
Sini Sabotage – “Kuori mua”
Among these acts are the returning band “Cyan Kicks”, who received 2nd place behind The Rasmus with their song “Hurricane” in 2022. The rock group went on tour after the national selection, garnering even more fans across Europe. This year’s entry, called “Dancing with Demons” will deliver a strong, anthemic melody. The lyrical body of this track highlights the philosophy of turning weaknesses into strengths.
Bringing a flow of afro-house and a message of perseverance, Jesse Markin gained popularity as a unique and well sought-after independent artist, using multiple genres. He’ll be performing the song “Glow”, and per the broadcaster, we can expect to hear a good bit of experimentation in its delivery.
With the song “Vox populi”, Mikael Gabriel and Nublu are a duo comprised of two artists from Estonia and Finland, respectively. Recent years has shown the duo accolades for their independent projects, and the first collaborative project between them, Universum, topped the streaming charts in both countries. What we may be able to expect is a dance track with punchy hyperpop beats. Maybe there will be a hint of rap influence as well? We’ll be listening closely.
Having spent over 100 weeks on the Finnish Albums Chart with the album Sextape in 2019, Sexmane made his introduction to the Finnish music scene. Since its release and its sophomore volume Sextape II, the young artist has been named “Finnish artist of the year” in 2023, according to the broadcaster, YLE. Also worth note is the fact that Sexmane is the sibling of Isaac Sene, who had also competed that year with the song “Kuuma jäbä”, which landed 5th.
“Paskana”, the title to Sara Siipola’s song, translates to “I’m a f****** wreck”, according to YLE. Sara describes this song as speaking to one’s sense of loss and grief, and that with the performance, she intends to create a space where sadness can be expressed. Her vocal delivery could easily be the star characteristic of her stage time, as she’s known to have a very deep and captivating timbre.
People who have seen Käärijä perform live in concert may recognize Windows95man. Set to show viewers his debut song on the UMK stage, he’s joined by Henri Piispanen, the vocalist for the song “No Rules”. Known in some spheres to be a wild stage performer, the artist behind the visually distinctive Windows95man will follow Käärijä’s footsteps in some regard, especially by bringing an energy of fun, silliness, and liberation to Tampere.
“Kuori mua” is the title of the song by Sini Sabotage, with the interesting translation of “Peel me”. Promising to be lyrically insightful, Sini Sabotage has seen steady success in her rap career since the release of her debut project in 2013, called 22 m². According to her chat with the broadcaster, we should expect this uptempo song to be bumping in the clubs all summer long.
After these competitors have performed, the winner amongst them will be decided by a combined vote between a number of international juries and a public vote, which will be conducted over telephone and through the YLE app.
This year, UMK is presented with a challenge. Posted on the national selection’s official Instagram story was an acknowledgement of the concerns of Finnish people, songwriters, and music industry professionals on the country’s participation in Eurovision this year and their possible withdrawal, given that Israel is still set to participate. This came after an onslaught of messages sent to the broadcaster outlining the Finnish public’s concerns about the ever-worsening crisis in Gaza. This makes YLE the first broadcaster to date who has alluded to withdrawal because of Israel’s participation. Contestant Jesse Markin has at this point expressed that he will not be going to Eurovision if he wins UMK, because of this conflict.
Viewers and fans can look forward to this selection, due for broadcast on 10 February at 20:00 CET.