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Finland: The rules of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2024 | National final to take place in February!

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A few hours ago, the Finnish public Broadcaster, Yle, announced Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2024 as their national selection for yet another year.

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu will be held live next February, and the winner will represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Yle announced the rules by which the competition will be conducted, just a few hours ago.

  1. Artists must submit a demo of their track from August 21 to 24, 2023. If their song is selected, they have until October 20, 2023, to submit the final version.
  2. Singers from a group can submit up to three songs, however only one will advance to the competition. Members of a band can participate in more than one song, while composers and lyricists can participate in several songs.
  3. Finally, at least one of the composers and one of the singers must have Finnish citizenship or permanent residence in Finland.

The previous edition of UMK was a huge success, with Käärijä being crowned the winner with the song “Cha Cha Cha” and bringing Finland Second place in the Final, the country’s best placing since its win in 2006:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Finnish participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Sweden!

Source: YLE

Finland: UMK to be the selection process for the Eurovision 2024 Finnish entry!

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Shortly after the completion of the Eurovision 2023 Grand Final,the Finnish broadcaster YLE confirms “UMK” as the national selection process for the Eurovision 2024 entry,with submissions opening from 21 to 24 August.

https://twitter.com/ESCdiscord/status/1657568322529918979?cxt=HHwWhoCw9e3m7oAuAAAA

Finland was represented by the 30-year old Kaarija.His song “Cha Cha Cha” won him 526 points,376 of which came from the televote.He reached the second place,only behind Sweden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6rS8Dv5g-8

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Finland: Watch footage of Käärijä’s rehearsals for “Cha Cha Cha”!

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A few days ago, we had the first details for the staging of  Käärijä’s Finnish entry “Cha Cha Cha“, but now YLE, the Finnish national broadcaster had published a short clip of the rehearsals at the official account of UMK, on Instagram!

As we can witness, all the details that had been revealed are indeed there!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by UMK23 (@uudenmusiikinkilpailu)

At the end of the Reel, a cardboard cut-out of Käärijä is shown, maybe this will be part of their Liverpool promotion? That remains to be seen, when Eurovisionfun will travel to Liverpool accredited on-site, to inform you for all the latest news with regards to the contest!

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the latest news regarding the Finnish entry in Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

Source: UMK

Finland: YLE in talks to move UMK 2024 to a bigger stadium!

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The Finnish national final for the selection of the country’s participation in Eurovision, UMK, was undoubtedly one of the most successful and talked about national finals this year, both within Finland (where 2.1 million viewers tuned in) and among fans of the contest.

UMK’s success in recent years has led Finnish broadcaster YLE to decide to move the show to a bigger stadium from 2024 onwards. As Ville Vilén, Head of Creative Content at Yle, explained:

“The popularity has grown to such proportions that moving it [the final] to a larger space has become topical.”

YLE is in talks to find a stadium, the capacity of which will allow it to sell four to six times more tickets than Logomo, its current venue, which has a capacity of just 1500 spectators. YLE is therefore looking for a suitable stadium in the Turku, Tampere and Helsinki areas.

Finland will be represented in the contest this year by Käärijä, the artist who brought the country to the 3rd place in the betting odds and who has been met with huge support from fans of the contest, with the song Cha Cha Cha. You can enjoy it below:

https://youtu.be/rJHe-iZ5HSI

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all developments!

Source: Eurovoix

Finland: Watch snippets from the performances of the UMK 2023 participants!

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A few minutes ago, the official Instagram account of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), posted a video, consisting of mere seconds of tommorow’s performances.

You can watch the performances of the artists here:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by UMK23 (@uudenmusiikinkilpailu)

The running order of the seven artists competing in the final of UMK is as follows:

  1. Robin Packalen – “Girls Like You“
  2. KUUMMA – “Ylivoimainen” (Overpowered)
  3. Käärijä  – “Cha Cha Cha“
  4. Keira – “No Business on the Dancefloor“
  5. Benjamin – “Hoida mut” (Take care of me)
  6. Lxandra – “Something to Lose“
  7. Portion Boys – “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” (We look at the same sky)

On an announcement made yesterday, the public broadcaster of Finland, revealed the seven countries that the international jury will be consisted of. These are:

  • Australia 
  • Germany
  • Poland
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom 

The national final will take place in February 25. UMK 2023 will be broadcasted live from Turku with Samu Haber as the host, while the winner and Finland’s representative in Eurovision 2023 will be determined by 25% internationla jury vote and 75% public vote.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Finnish participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Finland: The running order of UMK 2023!

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A few minutes ago Finland‘s national broadcaster Yle announced the line-up of artists who will compete for the ticket to Liverpool and Finland’s representation at Eurovision 2023.

The running order of the 7 artists who will compete in the UMK 2023 final is as follows:

  1. Robin Packalen – “Girls Like You“
  2. KUUMMA – “Ylivoimainen” (Overpowered)
  3. Käärijä  – “Cha Cha Cha“
  4. Keira – “No Business on the Dancefloor“
  5. Benjamin – “Hoida mut” (Take care of me)
  6. Lxandra – “Something to Lose“
  7. Portion Boys – “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” (We look at the same sky)

Yle also revealed some information about the commentary of UMK 2023. There will be commentary in eight different languages (Finnish, Swedish, English, English, Russian, Northern Sami and Inari Sami), sign language commentary provided by Miguel Peltomaa and for the first time there will be commentary in Ukrainian provided by Galyna Sergeyeva.

UMK executive producer Anssi Autio confirmed that two international broadcasts of UMK 2023 will be available, one from Spanish Ten TV and one from Dutch OUTtv.

The national final is scheduled to take place on February 25th. UMK 2023 will be held in Turku with Samu Haber as the host, while the winner and Finland’s representative at Eurovision 2023 will be determined 25% by the international jury voting and 75% by the public vote.

Source: Yle, Yle

Finland: Käärijä’s song accused of plagiarism!

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A few days ago, Käärijä’s song titled “Cha Cha Cha”, was released in order to compete in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2023, the Finnish national final for Eurovision 2023.

From the moment it was released, it quickly became one of the fan favourites and rised to the first place of the betting odds for winning the national final, by a great margin.

However, some of the comments in the Finnish press came in to change everything and even disqualify Käärijä  from the contest. The journalists accused Käärijä of plagiarism and that his song is a copy of another song, something that is prohibited by EBU’s rules for the contest.

In detail, the accusations want “Cha Cha Cha” to be a copy of the song “We Got the Moves” by Electric Callboys a German electronicore group:

What do you think about all of the above? Do you think that “Cha Cha Cha” is indeed a copy and that Käärijä should be disqualified from UMK?

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Finnish participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Finland: Listen to the seventh and last song of UMK 2023!

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The finnish broadcaster YLE has released the seventh and last song competing in UMK 2023, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2023.

The song is titled “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” by Portion Boys and you can listen to it below:

The official Eurovision site presents Portion Boys as follows:

One of Finland’s most popular party bands, Portion Boys, have been doing their thing for over a decade. With its positivity and sincerity, the band has blazed a trail to become one of the currently most listened-to bands in Finland. The 2021 megahit Vauhti kiihtyy was a turning point, bringing the group to a whole new level. Even though the group has never released a single album, Portion Boys have put out hit after hit, such as Kyläbaari, Karjala takas and, together with former UMK runner-up Teflon Brothers, Nautin elämästä.

Portion Boys are Kenraali Vahva, El Meissel, A.P. Vuori (who joined the group in 2021 as a singer), JaloTiina and Taitelija Nieminen. The band was formed in 2010 during a ‘legendary night in Tampere’. Within a day, they came up with the idea, the first song, the first music video and the band name, which has a reference to Swedish foods. Since 2010, Portion Boys has written and released songs and built a fanbase through hard, grassroots work. And, interacting with the audience as equals is one of their biggest strengths.

The idea to enter UMK has been on the Portion Boys’ radar for several years, and now was the right time to do it. The band feels like they have everything in place and nothing to lose – just a lot to give.

The message behind their UMK entry Samaa Taivasta Katsotaan is meaningful to the band: each and every one of us matters.

The UMK jury had the following to say about Portion Boys and their song: 

“With a career spanning over a decade under its belt, Portion Boys is currently one of Finland’s hottest groups. It’s great to see the band in UMK, bringing its own, unique style to the contest. Samaa taivasta katsotaan celebrates Europe’s diversity in its own playful way and it represents the value of tolerance that Eurovision promotes, something we all need more of in this day and age. The song is an unforgettable earworm, positively brimming with laser drums, energy and musical hooks. The band’s incredible live energy really comes out in the song – underneath its hard-charging beat is a beautiful composition. This could be one of Finland’s most-streamed songs in 2023.”

The competing artists/songs of UMK 2023 have now all been officially released. We remind you that they were all released in different dates, in the following order:

  • Thu, 12 January Keira – No Business On The Dancefloor
  • Fri, 13 January Benjamin – Hoida mut
  • Mon, 16 January Robin Packalen – Girls Like You
  • Tue, 17 January Lxandra – Something To Lose
  • Wed, 18 January Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
  • Thu, 19 January KUUMAA – Ylivoimainen
  • Fri, 20 January Portion Boys – Samaa taivasta katsotaan

The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 25 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 2023!

Finland: Listen to the sixth and penultimate song of UMK 2023!

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The finnish broadcaster YLE has released the sixth and penultimate song competing in UMK 2023, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2023.

The song is titled “Ylivoimainen” by KUUMAA and you can listen to it below:

The official Eurovision site presents KUUMAA as follows:

KUUMAA is a fast-rising trio, whose core is catchy tunes and emotions on a grand scale, not to mention the steadfast friendship between the band members. The band’s self-titled debut album KUUMAA was released in 2019. 2022 turned out to be a turning point for the band, whose popularity grew when it took streaming services, radio waves and stages by storm with its hits, including Tulipalo and Oo vielä sekunnin mun.

KUUMAA is formed of singer Johannes Brotherus, drummer Jonttu Luhtavaara and bassist Aarni Soivio. The band got its start in 2016, when the friends wanted to form their own Finnish pop group. Since then, the band has built their career for the long haul. The pandemic years brought them closer to each other, with the members starting to produce even more music together.

‘For us, the band is, above all, a group of friends. We’re united by our ambition. This should be taken seriously, but not too seriously’, says Johannes.

The band’s UMK song Ylivoimainen is a hard-charging pop tune that brings a universal, infectious energy.

The UMK jury had the following to say about the trio and their song:

“KUUMAA sets the tone for how a Finnish band should sound in 2023: it is charismatic, cutting edge and has the ability to make big songs for streaming services and radio, alike. The band’s frontman Johannes Brotherus is charming and the band’s performance at UMK will bring it to a whole new level on its already skyrocketing trajectory. Ylivoimainen is a harder-charging version of KUUMAA that is sure to rock the stage at Logomo and on Finnish television come February.”

We remind you that the competing artists/songs of UMK 2023 are being revealed in different dates in the following order:

  • Thu, 12 January Keira – No Business On The Dancefloor
  • Fri, 13 January Benjamin – Hoida mut
  • Mon, 16 January Robin Packalen – Girls Like You
  • Tue, 17 January Lxandra – Something To Lose
  • Wed, 18 January Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
  • Thu, 19 January KUUMAA – Ylivoimainen
  • Fri, 20 January Portion Boys – Samaa taivasta katsotaan

The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 25 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 2023!

Finland: Listen to the fifth song of UMK 2023!

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The finnish broadcaster YLE has released the fifth song competing in UMK 2023, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2023.

The song is titled “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä and you can listen to it below:

The official Eurovision site presents Käärijä as follows:

Käärijä is an artist who is almost impossible to define. Unabashed and unpredictable, Käärijä loves to break boundaries, follow his own beat and explore new things. Käärijä’s debut album Fantastista was released in 2020. The artist’s music takes on a whole new dimension live – indeed, Käärijä’s unfettered live performances are what he’s known for.

Käärijä’s passion for music started with drumming. In grade school he began taking drum lessons, but when he started middle school his interest turned to rap: Käärijä started to practice his freestyling during English classes.

His debut single Urheilujätkä was released in 2016 and since that time Käärijä has done his own thing. Käärijä hates being confined to a specific genre, preferring to combine elements from, among others, rap, metal and electronic music. His lyrics deal with everyday things, the passage from youth to the threshold of adulthood, from house parties to after-parties.

Käärijä has watched Eurovision since he was a little boy, with Verka Serduchka’s Dancing Lasha Tumbai being an especially memorable performance. He has also been interested in UMK for several years. This year, he was 150% sure that he would be submitting an entry, because when Cha Cha Cha came along, Käärijä knew the time was right.

‘Finland is a party country, a heavy metal country and a pop country – this song brings all of those together,’ he says.

The UMK jury had the following to say about Käärijä and his song: 

“Will this become the afterski hit of Finland for the spring of 2023? In his song Cha Cha Cha, Käärijä combines rap, electronic, rock and pop in a unique way. The end result is truly one-of-a-kind, but also very approachable, like the artist himself. The song’s hook is one that grabs you on the very first listen, and we can say with confidence that this is the hardest rap banger in the history of UMK. At UMK and Eurovision, there is always room for something off the wall, which this song so perfectly offers.”

We remind you that the competing artists/songs of UMK 2023 are being revealed in different dates in the following order:

  • Thu, 12 January Keira – No Business On The Dancefloor
  • Fri, 13 January Benjamin – Hoida mut
  • Mon, 16 January Robin Packalen – Girls Like You
  • Tue, 17 January Lxandra – Something To Lose
  • Wed, 18 January Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
  • Thu, 19 January KUUMAA – Ylivoimainen
  • Fri, 20 January Portion Boys – Samaa taivasta katsotaan

The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 25 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 2023!