Seven artists will compete to represent Finland in one of the most exciting UMK shows ever!
The announced artists are Keira, Benjamin, Robin Packalen, Lxandra, Käärijä, KUUMAA, and Portion Boys and each of their songs will be revealed over the course of the next week. At the stroke of midnight (Eastern European Time) the entries and videos will be available on YLE's streaming service Yle Areena, as well as on Youtube, Spotify, and other music streaming services. The release dates are as follows:
Thursday 12 January: Keira - No Business On The Dancefloor
Friday 13 January: Benjamin - Hoida Mut
Monday 16 January: Robin Packalen - Girls Like You
Tuesday 17 January: Lxandra - Something To Lose
Wednesday 18 January: Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha
Thursday 19 January: KUUMAA - Ylivoimainen
Friday 20 January: Portion Boys - Samaa Taivasta Katsotaan
UMK23 will take place on Saturday, 25th February and will be broadcast for international audiences on YLE Areena (the national broadcasters streaming service) starting at 20:00 CET. The broadcast will also include English-language commentary.
Speaking to the press, Tapio Hakanen, chair of the UMK said:
Thanks to increased interest in UMK, more extremely high-quality entries were submitted this year than ever before, and the judges’ job was anything but easy.
This year’s crop of finalists offers an amazing line-up of new songs performed by both long-time favourite artists and total newcomers. The UMK23 final promises to be a spectacular show, and choosing the winner will certainly be a challenge for both the international jury and Finnish audience.’
Keira - No Business On The Dancefloor
Keira is the youngest contestant to ever take part in UMK. She recently won over the audience on The Voice of Finland with her vocals. This entry will be the first single of her career at UMK. Her song, No Business On The Dancefloor, was co-produced by Teemu Brunila and Axel Ehnström, major names in the Finnish music industry, and German producer Jason Ok.
UMK states:
With her charming and convincing performance on the Voice of Finland, Keira has perhaps one of the most outstanding dance songs in the history of UMK. The song’s elements include a true groove bassline, a catchy refrain, a trippy flute drop and Keira’s unbelievable vocals, which could all conspire to make the song a radio hit, even at the European level. Two of Finland’s most internationally successful songwriters, Teemu Brunila and Axel Ehnström, contributed to the song. No Business On The Dancefloor is surely one of the most impressive debut singles in Finland for quite some time.
Benjamin - Hoida Mut
Benjamin was born for Eurovision as UMK states. With a charismatic charm, he made a name for himself on social media platforms back in 2012, His international music career was began in 2014, when his English-language single Underdogs debuted at the top of the single and radio charts in Spain and across other nations. UMK states:
Fast-riser Benjamin’s UMK song entry Hoida Mut brings an explosive energy, a contemporary sound that draws from 80s pop, not to mention a truly hit-making chorus. The production brings to mind the driving 80s-style beat used by Ava Max, The Weeknd and Dua Lipa in recent years. The song has a hot and sexy feel from start to finish, and we’re really looking forward to seeing how Benjamin, with his charisma and stunning dance moves, will bring it to life in the music video and stage performance.
Robin Packalen - Girls Like You
He's one of Finland's most popular pop artists, starting his career as a child star when he was just 13 years old releasing his first single in 2012, In recent years, Packalen has released songs in English. When making music, he relies on his instincts. Outside his music career, the extroverted Packalen enjoys extreme sports and socialising as much as he can.
UMK states:
It’s so good to have one of Finland’s most successful pop stars of all time competing in the Contest for New Music UMK! Girls Like You is precisely the kind of music Robin Packalen wants to make: groovy, catchy and feelgood pop performed in English, which suits UMK to a T. Even though the song has clear Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake influences, Robin makes his own mark with his familiar vocal style. Written in Los Angeles, the song is like a sunny day squeezed into a three-minute audio file.
Lxandra - Something To Lose
Lxandra (aka Alexandra Lehti) is a successful artist, who won the prestigious Music Moves Europe Talent Award in 2019. Shortly after that, she released her debut album Careful What I Dream Of in 2021. At the age of 19, she moved to Berlin to work with top music industry players, gaining quite a global following. Some of her music has also been used in American films and television shows.
UMK states:
For years Lxandra has been one of Finland’s most promising export talents, making a career for herself out in the world. Now, she brings her exquisite ballad Something To Lose to UMK. The song is all at once tender and personal, dramatic and epic. Lxandra is a top-notch live performer, who has touched audiences in Finland and abroad, even bringing them to tears. The song will definitely rise to new heights when performed live. Lxandra is also known as a versatile audio-visual artist, so we are very interested to see what kind of world she will build around the song.
Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha
Described as an artist who is almost impossible to define, Käärijä loves to break boundaries, follow his own beat and explore new things. Käärijä’s debut single was released in 2016 and his debut album Fantastista followed in 2020. He likes to combine musical elements from 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.
UMK states:
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.’
KUUMAA - Ylivoimainen
KUUMAA is formed of singer Johannes Brotherus, drummer Jonttu Luhtavaara and bassist Aarni Soivio. The band began in 2016 and the worldwide pandemic only brought them closer to each other. A rising trio, whose catchy tunes will for sure have everyone on the dancefloor. The band’s UMK song Ylivoimainen is a hard-charging pop tune that brings a universal, infectious energy.
UMK states:
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.’
Portion Boys - Samaa Taivasta Katsotaan
Their UMK entry is described as a song that is meaningful to each of us and as one of Finland’s most popular bands, Portion Boys, will no doubt bring energy to the contest. They have never released an album, but continue to release hit after hit singles since they formed in 2010. The band is made up of Kenraali Vahva, El Meissel, A.P. Vuori (who joined the group in 2021 as a singer), JaloTiina and Taitelija Nieminen. Interacting with their audience is one of their most notable traits and now they feel is the time to enter UMK in a bid to win and represent their nation in Liverpool this May.
UMK states:
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.
Again, the winner of UMK will be chosen by both Finnish television viewers and international juries. The public will account for 75 % of the vote and the juries for the remaining 25 %. The finalists were chosen from 362 applicants by a jury of music industry professionals led by Tapio Hakanen, YleX’s Head of Music.
Source: YLE / Eurovision.tv
Image Source: Nelli Kenttä / Miska Voinoff
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