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Finland: Samu Haber to host UMK 2023!

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Today the Finnish broadcaster announced that Samu Haber, known from the group Sunrise Avenue, will be the host of UMK23.

Samu Haber is not only known for Sunrise Avenue and their biggest hit “Fairytale Gone Bad” , but also for many side jumps in his music career, for example as a judge on the Voice of Germany.

Samu is ready to host UMK and is doing everything to ensure that the artists will enjoy this experience:

“I’m working for UMK and I’m part of the machinery that serves the artists. They’re very nervous, so a big part of the job is getting everything we can out of the performers together with the directors, lighting techs, costumers, and other staff.

This UMK gig is the cherry on top to an unbelievably good year, which has included the Sunrise Avenue farewell tour, my new album in Finnish, and the sold-out tour that followed it.”

Samu has previous experience at Eurovision and UMK. He attended Eurovision in 2016 and 2019 and worked behind the scenes at UMK 2022, serving in a management capacity for runner-up Cyan Kicks.

“There can never be too many carnivals in the world, which is why I have always enjoyed Eurovision and the national finals. Finland has entered some really wonderful songs to Eurovision and there’s a genuine dedication to putting on the best possible show. Especially over the past few years, UMK has grown into something that’s truly spectacular. There’s a sense of pride and real showmanship. We’re so over the Eurovision traumas of the past.”

Samu is currently planning his UMK 2023 performance and he promises that it will be memorable.

“A guy with a white t-shirt and guitar might be a bit too run-of-the-mill for the Logomo stage. At UMK, I can definitely go a bit bigger with the sunglasses and a bit heavier on the glitter.”

The Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu  will take place on February 25, in Logomo, Turku for the second year in a row. Seven songs will participate in the final, which will be announced on January 11 and will begin to be released on different days, from January 12 to 20. The seven songs were selected from 363 entries submitted to Yle.

 

Source: Yle

Finland: UMK23 Final announced!

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The search for The Rasmus’ successor in Eurovision has just started!  Today Yle announced the dates for Finland’s biggest music competition: Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK).

The Grand Final will take place on February 25, 2023 in the city of Turku.  Seven artists will fight to wave the Finnish flag in Eurovision next year in Liverpool.  Although we will not get to know the name of the contestants until January, Yle has already anticipated that we will see both familiar and new artists in the competition.  Moreover, we will have “world-class opening numbers” and intermission acts by top Finnish artists during the night of the final.

363 songs were submitted for next year’s UMK.  However only seven songs will make it to the final.  A jury of music professionals was behind this important decision.

“The seven finalists include familiar faces and new, up-and-coming talents. We have, among others, the best dance song in the UMK history sung by an unbelievably strong new singer, a song that just oozes sexuality by a well-known artist, a heartbreakingly beautiful ballad by one of Finland’s biggest export hopefuls, well-known and up-and-coming bands, and one of the hardest rap bangers in UMK history.”

UMK 2023 dates

These are the dates so far for UMK2023:

January 11, 2023 Announcement of the competing acts

January 12-20, 2023 Each song will be announced everyday on UMK’s official channels

UMK 2022 proof to be a success for all competing artists.  Nevertheless, it was the participation of The Rasmus, one of the biggest highlights of the final.   Every song in UMK22 rose to the Top 50 on Finland’s Spotify charts, with the most popular songs taking the top spots of nearly every chart. To date, these songs have racked up over 31 million streams. BESS’s Ram pam pam was the year’s most played song on Finnish radio and the most streamed song online.

However, The Rasmus ended up winning UMK by a landslide ending in first place both by the jury and the public vote.  The Rasmus represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.  They ended in 21st place in the final.