Finland: Watch exclusive footage from Windows95man’s First Rehearsal!
A few hours ago, Windows95man, the Finnish representative in Eurovision 2024, stepped on the stage of Malmö Arena for the first time, for his first technical rehearsal.
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Finland: The public broadcaster does not think Windows95man needs to change his name!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Spyros KoronakisA few days ago, the national final of Finland took place, and the country has its representative for Eurovision 2024. The winner of UMK, was Windows95man with the song, “No Rules”.
Despite the Finnish people being happy with this choice, right after his win, many thought that the singer might needs to change his name and his clothing style for Eurovision, as product names and trademarks are not allowed on Eurovision stage. It is also strictly forbidden to mention an established brand name in your entry. In Finland’s case, the duo’s name is “Windows95Man” and their attire consists of a large “Windows” logo, Microsoft’s operating system.
However earlier today, Yle, the public broadcaster of the country, states in an article that there is a chance Windows95man, won’t need to change his name, and the explain why. In detail, Ansii Autio, one of UMK’s chief producers, states:
“Keister’s clothes don’t have the logo of Windows, but specifically the more than 28-year-old Windows 95 logo. Technical support for the operating system in question was discontinued in 2001.”
He also says that this was the reason he was accepted in UMK in the first place, because “Windows 95” has not been a protected trademark for a long time. In anh case, the EBU, may be more strict on this matter
The UMK team, new right from the start that the EBU, might not accept Windows95man, and they have already gone ahead and found many different ways to solve this problem, with the help of lawyers, so that they can be in accordance with the rules.
“There are so many alternatives that it is pointless to go through them at this point. We’re going to Eurovision as we are now, and if it’s not necessary, we will not change anything.”
One thing that’s for sure, is that in the coming month, we will know whether Windows95man will represent Finland in Eurovision 2024, or if it will be under a new name.
We reminf you that Finland, takes part in the second half, of the first semi-final of Eurovision 2024, in May 7:
https://youtu.be/Tf1NS1vEhSg
Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Finnish participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!
Source: yle.fi
Finland: A sneak peak of UMK 2024 finalists rehearsals!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Fotios NtinosUMK will serve as the Finnish national selection format for Eurovision 2024. While, the final of the selection is scheduled to take place this Saturday, the seven finalists are already in Nokia Arena in Tampere, rehearsing for their performances.
Yle, just shared some short clips of the seven finalists’ rehearsals, giving us a small taste of what to expect from their performances on Saturday.
@uudenmusiikinkilpailu Jjjjaiks tässä ensimmäiset sneak peakit UMK-esityksistä torstain treeneistä! Tampereen Nokia Areenalla hiotaan & harjoitellaan esityksiä täyttä häkää. It’s a work in progress.🤩 First sneak peak from the UMK rehearsals! Excited much? UMK-show nyt lauantaina klo 21! TV1 ja Yle Areena! Tune in on Saturday evribadi! #UMK24 #UMK #yle ♬ alkuperäinen ääni – yle_umk
UMK 2024
Seven artists will participate in UMK, claiming the Finnish representation in Malmö and those are the following (in the official running order):
- Sini Sabotage – “Kuori Mua”
- Cyan Kicks – “Dancing withe demons”
- Jesse Markin – “Glow”
- Mikael Gabriel x nublu – “Vox Populi”
- Sara Siipola – “Paskana”
- SexMane – “Mania”
- Windows95man – “No Rules!”
The winner will be decided on 25% by an international jury and on 75% by the public vote. Pilvi Hämäläinen, Benjamin and Viivi Pumpanen will serve as the hosts of this year’s UMK.
Last year’s UMK winner and hence the Finnish representative in Liverpool was Käärijä with his song “Cha Cha Cha“, who finished in second place, the country’s best result since winning the contest in 2006.
Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!
Source: Yle
Finland: Listen to the seventh song for UMK 2024!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Konstantinos ChalkosThe finnish broadcaster has released the seventh and last song competing in UMK 2024, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2024.
The song is “Vox Populi” by Mikael Gabriel x nublu and you can listen to it here:
Mikael Gabriel and Estonian rapper nublu are among the most successful rap artists in their respective countries. Released in 2010, Mikael Gabriel’s debut album Pohjosen poika was well received, and the singles on his 2015 album Versus broke streaming records even before the album was officially released.
Nublu rose to become Estonia’s biggest artist and rap phenomenon when he was voted Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B Artist of the Year in 2020. A collaboration by Gabriel and nublu, Universum, was released that same year, quickly rising to become one of the most listened-to singles in both countries on Spotify.
Mikael Gabriel x nublu’s UMK entry is called Vox Populi. The song talks about how it is sometimes hard to know what’s true and what isn’t in such polarised public forums.
“The song deals with political and cultural divides, saying that even though we’re all entitled to our own opinions, it doesn’t necessarily make them true. Everyone should use their voice, but at the same time you should also keep in mind that you will be judged no matter what,” says Gabriel.
We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:
Thu, 11 January Cyan Kicks – “Dancing With Demons”Fri, 12 January Sexmane – “Mania”Mon, 15 January Sara Siipola – “Paskana”Tue, 16 January Jesse Markin – “Glow”Wed, 17 January Windows95Man – “No Rules!”Thu, 18 January Sini Sabotage – “Kuori Mua”Fri, 19 January Mikael Gabriel x NUBLU – “Vox Populi”
The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2024!
Finland: Listen to the sixth song for UMK 2024!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Konstantinos ChalkosThe finnish broadcaster has released the sixth song competing in UMK 2024, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2024.
The song is “Kuori Mua” by Sini Sabotage and you can listen to it here:
Having sung and played music since childhood, Sini Sabotage rose to fame with her 2013 hit Levikset repee. The song shot up the Official Finnish Charts to number one for singles and downloads, and it went gold in 2013. Sabotage’s accomplishments since then have truly blazed a trail for female rap artists in Finland.
UMK marks a new chapter for Sabotage, or in her own words, a completely new book. According to Sabotage, the colourful contest entry Kuori mua (‘Peel Me’) was inspired by “a few fireball shots” and a collaborative brainstorming session. The song’s co-creator Vilma Virintie described how Sabotage is like an onion, with its many layers.
“We’re never just what we appear to be on the outside at any given moment. We all have many sides and so much more to give than just one picture, song or moment,” says Virintie.
We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:
Thu, 11 January Cyan Kicks – “Dancing With Demons”Fri, 12 January Sexmane – “Mania”Mon, 15 January Sara Siipola – “Paskana”Tue, 16 January Jesse Markin – “Glow”Wed, 17 January Windows95Man – “No Rules!”Thu, 18 January Sini Sabotage – “Kuori Mua”- Fri, 19 January Mikael Gabriel x NUBLU – “Vox Populi”
The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2024!
Finland: Listen to the fifth song for UMK 2024!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Konstantinos ChalkosThe finnish broadcaster has released the fifth song competing in UMK 2024, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2024.
The song is “No Rules!” by Windows95Man and you can listen to it here:
Windows95man is an embodiment of the ’90s, who frees a once timid family man from his everyday life. It all started when Teemu Keisteri’s home videos on YouTube began to circulate all over the world. One of the videos even ended up in a commercial aired during an NHL game.
In 2013, a DJ gig at the Flow Festival brought the character known as Windows95man to life. His artist costume consists of a pair of very cut-off shorts made by Keisteri’s friend, and a Windows95 t-shirt ordered online. Since then, Windows95man has performed at Helsinki’s New Year’s celebration in 2022, as an opening act for Käärijä at the Helsinki Ice Hall and at numerous smaller events.
At UMK, Windows95man will be releasing his very first single, No Rules. The song title refers to the artist’s motto, which appears in both his music and other artistic productions. Henri Piispanen is the singer in No Rules. Keisteri explains that the chorus of the song was so challenging that he had trouble finding a singer with enough technical skill to pull it off. Piispanen was the only one whose voice could go high enough.
“In my opinion, all Finns are a bit looney-tunes deep inside, and I wanted to bring that out more. Now I can share my music with an even bigger audience as well as spread the joyous message of No Rules,” says Keisteri.
We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:
Thu, 11 January Cyan Kicks – “Dancing With Demons”Fri, 12 January Sexmane – “Mania”Mon, 15 January Sara Siipola – “Paskana”Tue, 16 January Jesse Markin – “Glow”Wed, 17 January Windows95Man – “No Rules!”- Thu, 18 January Sini Sabotage – “Kuori Mua”
- Fri, 19 January Mikael Gabriel x NUBLU – “Vox Populi”
The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2024!
Finland: Listen to the fourth song for UMK 2024!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Konstantinos ChalkosThe finnish broadcaster has released the fourth song competing in UMK 2024, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2024.
The song is “Glow” by Jesse Markin and you can listen to it here:
With his debut album Folk in 2019, Jesse Markin became one of Finland’s most captivating new artists overnight. Markin was voted Newcomer of the Year and his album won the Critics Choice award in the annual Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammys).
He found inspiration for his music in movies, literature and his own life. Where Folk focused on social perspectives, his 2021 album Noir explored Markin’s personal life. In addition to everything else, Markin has also made music for the second season of the Moominvalley series.
Markin decided to enter UMK because his entry Glow felt right. The song is an excellent example of how Markin combines genres and styles that are important to him right now in one single.
“One of the main points of the song is ‘don’t give up’. Even the smallest spark can get things going if you just try. Musically speaking, the song contains afro-vibes, cosmic soundscapes and so much more,” describes Markin.
We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:
Thu, 11 January Cyan Kicks – “Dancing With Demons”Fri, 12 January Sexmane – “Mania”Mon, 15 January Sara Siipola – “Paskana”Tue, 16 January Jesse Markin – “Glow”- Wed, 17 January Windows95Man – “No Rules!”
- Thu, 18 January Sini Sabotage – “Kuori Mua”
- Fri, 19 January Mikael Gabriel x NUBLU – “Vox Populi”
The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2024!
Finland: Listen to the third song for UMK 2024!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Konstantinos ChalkosThe finnish broadcaster has released the third song competing in UMK 2024, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2024.
The song is “Paskana” by Sara Siipola and you can listen to it here:
Sara Siipola’s dark and soulful voice has enchanted Finns with such songs as Rohkee sydän, Susta tulee tähti and one of her latest, Uusi musta.
Siipola grew up in the Ostrobothnian town of Laihia. In 2016, she graduated with a vocational qualification in business in Vaasa. Shortly thereafter, she began her singing career. Within five years, she had a raft of singles, a debut album and the music programme Tähdet Tähdet under her belt.
“I love writing songs on big topics. I really want people to be able to listen to my songs whenever they want to feel self-confident and connect with others,” says Siipola.
Her UMK entry Paskana (‘I’m a f***ing wreck’) is about a friend who loses their father and the feelings that the loss stirs up. During one evening, Siipola watched how her friend tried to be present at a dinner party after experiencing such a loss. Paskana deals with grief and lets the listener feel heartbroken: why do others go grocery shopping and go on with their lives when my own world has stopped cold? According to Siipola, the power of the song stems from the fact that it doesn’t romanticise the idea of grief, that there will be a happy ending.
We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:
Thu, 11 January Cyan Kicks – “Dancing With Demons”Fri, 12 January Sexmane – “Mania”Mon, 15 January Sara Siipola – “Paskana”- Tue, 16 January Jesse Markin – “Glow”
- Wed, 17 January Windows95Man – “No Rules!”
- Thu, 18 January Sini Sabotage – “Kuori Mua”
- Fri, 19 January Mikael Gabriel x NUBLU – “Vox Populi”
The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2024!
Finland: Listen to the second song for UMK 2024!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Konstantinos ChalkosThe finnish broadcaster has released the second song competing in UMK 2024, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2024.
The song is “Mania” by Sexmane and you can listen to it here:
Sexmane, a.k.a. Max Sene, is currently one of the most listened-to artists in Finland. His 2019 debut album Sextape was a roaring success, sitting on the Official Finnish Albums Chart for over 100 weeks. His second album Väärinymmärretty earned the artist four Emma nominations (Finnish Grammys).
His 2023 album Sextape II sealed his success. After the album’s release, 18 of its 20 songs made the Finnish Top 50 chart. Sene was nominated for four Emmas in two consecutive years and won the title of Finnish Artist of the Year.
His UMK entry Mania was formed slowly from different pieces. Sene wrote the song at different times and in different moods, which is also apparent in the song lyrics.
“The words in the chorus crystallise my thoughts: it’s quite all right to be a bit ‘crazy’. I know that a lot of young people are struggling with mental health challenges. I want to give them the strength and courage to hang in there.”
We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:
Thu, 11 January Cyan Kicks – “Dancing With Demons”Fri, 12 January Sexmane – “Mania”- Mon, 15 January Sara Siipola – “Paskana”
- Tue, 16 January Jesse Markin – “Glow”
- Wed, 17 January Windows95Man – “No Rules!”
- Thu, 18 January Sini Sabotage – “Kuori Mua”
- Fri, 19 January Mikael Gabriel x NUBLU – “Vox Populi”
The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2024!
Finland: UMK 2024 artists threaten to withdraw from Eurovision if Israel competes!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovision 2024, Finland/by Fotios NtinosFollowing the petition signed by more than a thousand Finnish musicians claiming Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision 2024, it now appears that even UMK 2024 artists are up to the same direction.
Some of the participants of UMK 2024, the Finnish national preselection for Eurovision 2024, have already spoken out against Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
Specifically, two artists have publicly expressed their opposition with Israel’s participation and most importantly threaten to withdraw from the competition in case Israel finally competes.
Who is ready to withdraw if Israel competes?
Jesse Markin, who will claim the Finnish representation in Malmö with his song “Glow“, has stated that he is ready to turn down his Eurovision participation -if he wins UMK 2024- and not go to Eurovision if Israel is still in.
I feel at this stage that it is more important to make human rights issues visible. At the same time, I think that whoever ends up representing Finland should represent Finland specifically and listen to the voice of the Finnish people as well as their own voice. I feel that in this situation, many Finns agree on this issue.
But for now, let’s hope that the EBU will make some kind of decision about Israel, and that Finland will get to Malmö.
Sini Sabotage, who participates in UMK 2024 with her song “Kuori Mua“, has also criticized Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision 2024’s participating countries list and mentions that if she wins, she will then consider her Eurovision participation.
I’m of the opinion that Israel should not take part in Eurovision, but unfortunately I can’t make that decision myself. I’ve granted myself a grace period, as I’m just about to take part in the UMK contest. If I win, I will have to think about it. Under no circumstances do I want to support war.
YLE’s response
As UMK artists are publicly speaking out against Israel and while their is no sign that EBU is anywhere close in disqualifying Israel from the competition, YLE has a back-up plan in case the winner of the pre-selection refuses to go to Eurovision.
According to UMK’s executive producer Anssi Autio, there is nothing to worry about since:
[…] UMK is a separate competition. I want to emphasise that, as Jesse said in his post, he is still 110 percent involved in UMK.
Only one [UMK] act will go to Eurovision — the winner. UMK’s final takes place in a month, and the situation might be very different and at that time the EBU might have already arranged things differently.
About Jesse Markin’s statements, he mentioned that:
I don’t think that Jesse Markin is somehow unique with this opinion.
Hence, bearing in mind that voices speaking out against Israel are becoming stronger, YLE has a back-up plan for Eurovision, without disclosing any information about what the plan includes.
UMK 2024
The seven artists who will compete for the Finnish representation in Malmö are the following:
- Cyan Kicks – “Dancing With Demons”
- Sexmane – “Mania”
- Sara Siipola – “Paskana”
- Jesse Markin – “Glow”
- Windows95Man – “No Rules!”
- Sini Sabotage – “Kuori Mua”
- Mikael Gabriel x NUBLU – “Vox Populi”
The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.
Finland’s second place in last year’s competition with Käärijä and “Cha Cha Cha”, raised the bar high for the Finns, as the promise us a more exciting show.
Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!
