We now have the tracks that will be viying for victory in Finland UMK Eurovision selection. From former entrants Aksel and Laura, to national dance diva Pandora, to rock groups, national musical legends, and rising singer-songwriters – it is a truly varied selection. The competition will consist of one final on the 20th of February 2021. Check out our rundown on all the entries below:
OSKR “Lie”
Singer-songwriter OSKR croons against gentle piano instrumentation: “You ask me how I’m feeling, But you can see past that lie of the old fake smile that I hide behind, And I know that I can’t say I’m sorry, For all the wasted love and the broken trust that we left behind” on the emotive track. It’s an incredibly solid composition and OSKR shines as the dramatic emotional power of the track takes hold.
Teflon Brothers x Pandora “I Love You”
Dance diva Pandora combines forces with Finnish hip-hop stars Teflon Brothers for I Love You – a Finnish/English mash-up which sees the Brothers rap against rippling electronic production before Pandora delivers her soaring vocal contributions against euphoric eighties-inspired synths. This is an absolute banger.
Danny “Sinä päivänä kun kaikki rakastaa mua”
European National Selections always do a fantastic job at drawing in the classic crooners and Finland’s UMK has done just that with seventy-eight year old Danny entering with Sinä päivänä kun kaikki rakastaa mua (‘The Day Everyone Loves Me’) a track which ponders his own funeral. Danny’s track has a well-pitched self-awareness and impressive sentiment.
Laura “Play”
We were slightly expecting more of a banger from Laura with Play. The two time Eurovision entrant – once with the wonderfully underrated Verona for Estonia in 2017 and the second as part of girlgroup Suntribe with track Moonwalk. Her latest track vying for Eurovision success is Play, a country-flavoured pop number which sees her deliver an impressive vocal performance – but not quite the production style we were hoping for.
Aksel “Hurt”
Our heads say that Aksel deserves this. His entry Looking Back fairly qualified last year and he never got the chance to represent Finland in 2020 – despite Erika Vikman being our preferred choice. His new submission Hurt is an emotional pop number that sees his heartfelt vocals grace simplistic guitar and piano production.
Blind Channel “Dark Side”
No ma’am. We know Finland has a connection with rock music thanks to their win with Lordi in 2006 – but this one is not for us. After 2020, Eurovision 2021 should be an optimistic celebration and we do not get these vibes through rock outfit Blind Channel’s Dark Side. Regardless of our thoughts, this does seem to be gaining some traction as an early favourite.
ILTA “Kelle mä soitan”
This gorgeous Finnish language pop ballad translates as Who Am I Calling? and sees Itla sing about heartbreak and loneliness. The singer discusses who does she call when you don’t have that significant other to share the important and mundane things with. The lyrics are poignant and Itla’s gentle tones impress against the dramatic multi-instrumental production.
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