Wikipedia

Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

(Redirected from Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2024)

Finland is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, with "No Rules!" performed by Windows95man, featuring uncredited live vocals from Henri Piispanen. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2024 in order to select the Finnish entry for the contest.

Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Country Finland
National selection
Selection processUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2024
Selection date(s)10 February 2024
Selected entrantWindows95man
Selected song"No Rules!"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2023 • 2024

Background edit

Main article: Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2024 contest, Finland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-six times since its first entry in 1961. Finland has won the contest once in 2006 with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" performed by Lordi. In the 2023 contest, "Cha Cha Cha" performed by Käärijä finished first in the televote and second overall.[1]

The Finnish national broadcaster, Yleisradio (Yle), broadcasts the event within Finland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest have been selected through national final competitions that have varied in format over the years. Between 1961 and 2011, a selection show that was often titled Suomen euroviisukarsinta highlighted that the purpose of the program was to select a song for Eurovision. However, since 2012, the broadcaster has organised the selection show Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), which focuses on showcasing new music with the winning song being selected as the Finnish Eurovision entry for that year. Yle confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest on 14 May 2023, announcing that the Finnish entry would again be selected through Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu.[2]

Before Eurovision edit

 
Logo of UMK 2024

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2024 edit

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2024 was the thirteenth edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the music competition that selects Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest, organised and broadcast by Yle. The competition consisted of a final to be held on 10 February 2024 at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, a larger arena than the venues used in previous editions,[3][4][5][6] and was presented by Pilvi Hämäläinen [fi], Benjamin and Viivi Pumpanen.[7]

Competing entries edit

A window was opened by Yle between 21 and 24 August 2023 for interested artists to submit the demo versions of their candidate entries.[2][8] At least one of the writers and one lead singer were required to hold Finnish citizenship or live in Finland permanently in order for the entry to qualify to compete.[8] A total of 419 applications were received,[3][4][5] from which seven competing artists were selected by a panel of experts chaired by Tapio Hakanen;[9][10] they had until 20 October 2023 to submit the full versions of their entries.[8] These were announced on 10 January 2024 and were released on each of the weekdays from 11 to 19 January 2024.[11][12]

Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Cyan Kicks "Dancing with Demons"
Jesse Markin [fi] "Glow"
  • Jesse Markin
  • Totte Rautiainen
Mikael Gabriel and Nublu "Vox populi"
Sara Siipola "Paskana"
Sexmane "Mania"
Sini Sabotage "Kuori mua"
  • Aleksanteri Hulkko
  • Sini-Maria Makkonen
  • Sonny Kylä-Liuhala
  • Veikka Erkola [fi]
  • Vilma Virintie
Windows95man[a] "No Rules!"

Final edit

 
The stage of UMK 2024 at the Nokia Arena

The final took place on 10 February 2024, where seven entries competed. The winner was selected by a combination of public votes (75%) and seven international jury groups from Armenia, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (25%).[13] The viewers had a total of 882 points to award, while the juries had a total of 294 points to award. Each jury group distributed their points as follows: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 points. The viewer vote was based on the percentage of votes each song achieved through the following voting methods: telephone, SMS and app voting. For example, if a song gains 10% of the viewer vote, then that entry would be awarded 10% of 882 points rounded to the nearest integer: 88 points.[8] A total of 224,477 votes were cast during the show;[14] no detailed figures for app voting were released due to the Yle app crashing during the voting window.[15]

In addition to the competing entries, the show was opened by Kuumaa performing "Ylivoimainen", followed by host Benjamin with "Hoida mut", while the interval acts included host Pilvi Hämäläinen performing "Mon chéri", Katri Helena performing her 1979 Eurovision entry "Katson sineen taivaan", and Käärijä performing "Ruoska" (with Erika Vikman) and his 2023 Eurovision entry "Cha Cha Cha".[16][17]

Final – 10 February 2024[18]
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
Votes Percentage Points
1 Sini Sabotage "Kuori mua" 38 6,872 3.06% 27 65 7
2 Cyan Kicks "Dancing with Demons" 48 20,392 9.08% 80 128 4
3 Jesse Markin "Glow" 34 19,381 8.63% 76 110 5
4 Mikael Gabriel and Nublu "Vox populi" 42 34,675 15.44% 136 178 3
5 Sara Siipola "Paskana" 70 51,743 23.04% 203 273 2
6 Sexmane "Mania" 34 18,864 8.40% 74 108 6
7 Windows95man "No Rules!" 28 72,651 32.35% 285 313 1
Detailed international jury votes
Draw Song               Total
1 "Kuori mua" 12 6 6 4 10 38
2 "Dancing with Demons" 6 8 10 10 2 8 4 48
3 "Glow" 2 2 4 8 6 12 34
4 "Vox populi" 4 10 12 8 4 2 2 42
5 "Paskana" 8 12 8 12 12 10 8 70
6 "Mania" 10 4 2 2 10 6 34
7 "No Rules!" 6 6 4 12 28
International jury spokespersons

Broadcasts and ratings edit

The competition was watched by an average of 1.244 million viewers in Finland (0.56 less than in 2023), with a peak viewership of 1.9 million equalling the 2022 edition and corresponding to over 35% of the Finnish population.[19][20]

Local and international broadcasters of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2024
Country Broadcaster Channel(s) Commentator(s) Refs.
  Finland Yle Yle TV1
[13]
Yle Areena [fi; sv]
YleX —
Yle Radio Suomi
Yle X3M Eva Frantz and Johan Lindroos (Swedish)
  Estonia TV3 Robin Juhkental and Anu Saagim
[13][21]
  Netherlands OutTV[b] Krista Siegfrids
[13]
  Spain Ten Luis Mesa
[13][22]

Promotion edit

As part of the promotion of his participation in the contest, Windows95man confirmed his presence at the PrePartyES in Madrid on 30 March 2024, the London Eurovision Party on 7 April 2024, the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam on 13 April 2024, the Nordic Eurovision Party in Stockholm on 14 April 2024, and the Copenhagen Eurovision Party on 4 May 2024.[23] They will also perform at the Eurovision Village in Malmö on 9 May 2024.[24] In addition, Yle organised a special "Easter egg hunt", with three eggs to be retrieved across three European cities (namely Malmö, Madrid and London) on 26 March, 30 March and 5 April 2024, respectively; each finder was awarded two tickets for the dress rehearsals of semi-final 1, where Windows95man is set to compete.[25]

Calls for boycott edit

Main article: Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 § Finland

The inclusion of Israel in the list of participants for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war sparked controversy in Finland as well as several other participating countries, with calls and petitions for broadcasters to boycott the event. In late December 2023, Yle stated that it was "closely following the situation in the Middle East" and holding discussions with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and other Nordic broadcasters;[26][27] this was followed by a petition signed by over 1,500 Finnish music professionals demanding the broadcaster to withdraw from the event or to pressure for Israel to be excluded, to which Yle's head of creative content and media Ville Vilén [fi] responded that the broadcaster would not oppose the country's participation for the time being but that it had informed the EBU about the requests it was addressed.[28][29][30]

UMK contestant Jesse Markin stated that, in case of victory, he would refuse to take part in Eurovision if Israel is permitted to compete;[31][32] Sini Sabotage, Sara Siipola and Sexmane commented that they would have to consider whether to participate or not,[33] with Sini Sabotage further saying that Israel should not compete at Eurovision. The executive producer for the competition, Anssi Autio [fi], clarified that, as UMK is independent from Eurovision, these declarations did not affect their status as participants, adding that Yle had devised a backup plan in the event that the winner did not agree to represent Finland at the contest.[31] The eventual UMK winner Windows95man stated ahead of the show that he would take part in Eurovision in case of victory, although he also expressed his opposition to Israel's participation.[34][33] However, in an interview following his victory, he expressed his uncertainty over his participation, with Autio stating that the broadcaster would resume discussions waiting for the artist's final decision; in case of refusal, runner-up Siipola was reported to be the potential second choice.[35] Windows95man and Henri Piispanen ultimately confirmed their presence in the contest on 20 February 2024.[36]

While not mentioning Israel's participation in the contest, on 29 March 2024, Windows95man released a joint statement with other Eurovision 2024 entrants – namely Bambie Thug (Ireland), Gåte (Norway), Iolanda (Portugal), Megara (San Marino), Mustii (Belgium), Nemo (Switzerland), Olly Alexander (United Kingdom), Saba (Denmark) and Silvester Belt (Lithuania) – calling for "an immediate and lasting ceasefire" in Gaza as well as the return of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.[37]

At Eurovision edit

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consist of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final will progress to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country will perform in; the EBU split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[38] Finland was scheduled for the second half of the first semi-final.[39] The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Finland was set to perform in position 10, following the entry from Slovenia and before the entry from Moldova.[40]

In Finland, all the shows will be broadcast on Yle TV1, as well as online via Yle Areena [fi; sv] with Inari Sámi commentary by Aslak Paltto [fi] and Heli Huovinen; Yle will also broadcast them in Sweden on TV Finland.[41][42][43] Ahead of the contest, Yle will organise and broadcast for the fourth year in a row the Eurovision preview show Viisukupla – Eurovisionsbubblan; hosted by Katri Norrlin [fi] and Märta Westerlund, it will consist of two shows airing on Yle TV1 and Yle Areena on 28 April and 5 May 2024, and will feature a panel composed of TV journalists Eva Frantz [fi; sv] and Mikko Silvennoinen alongisde a number of guest artists, who will discuss and evaluate the competing entries across several weeks, ultimately decreeing a favourite.[44] In addition, as part of the Eurovision programming, Yle cooperated with DR and SVT alongside other EBU member broadcasters – namely ARD/WDR, the BBC, ČT, ERR, France Télévisions, NRK, NTR, RÚV and VRT – to produce and air a documentary titled ABBA – Against the Odds, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Sweden's first victory at the contest with "Waterloo" by ABBA.[45]

Performance edit

Windows98man and Henri Piispanen will take part in technical rehearsals on 28 April and 1 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 6 and 7 May.[46] They will be accompanied by dancers Matti Myllyaho and Jesse Wijnans (the latter having danced for Finland the previous year) for their perfomance of "No Rules!" at the contest.[47]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Featuring vocals by Henri Piispanen
  2. ^ Also available in Belgium, France, Germany, Israel, Spain and Sweden

References edit

  1. ^ "Finland". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b Saulo, Sandra (14 May 2023). "UMK24-haku alkaa elokuussa – nyt valppaana, sillä hakuaika aikaistui!" [Applications for UMK 2024 open in August – be alert now, because the application period has come early!] (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b Oleander-Turja, Jaakko. "UMK fever takes Tampere's Nokia Arena by storm on 10 February 2024". Yle. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b Adams, William Lee (3 October 2023). "UMK 2024: Finland's Eurovision selection includes 'all-time best group of entries' as it moves to Tampere's Nokia Arena". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Finland's hunt for the next Käärijä begins". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  6. ^ Konstantopoulou, Rina (6 July 2023). "Finland: UMK has grown and is moving to a huge arena for 2024!". OGAE Greece. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  7. ^ Yle [@uudenmusiikinkilpailu] (11 December 2023). "Tässä he ovat: UMK:n juontajat kaudelle '24!" [Here they are: UMK's presenters for the '24 season!] (in Finnish and English). Retrieved 11 December 2023 – via Instagram.
  8. ^ a b c d "The Contest for New Music (UMK) 2024 rules". Yle. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  9. ^ Sanabria-Rangel, Alvaro (21 August 2023). "Finland: UMK 2024 kicks in!". Eurovisionfun. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  10. ^ Granger, Anthony (24 August 2023). "Finland & Switzerland Eurovision 2024 Song Submissions Window Close Shortly". Eurovoix. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Tässä he ovat: UMK-kilpailijat kaudelle 2024" [Here they are: the UMK contestants for the 2024 season] (in Finnish). Yle. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  12. ^ Beijar, Alexander (10 January 2024). "En debutant, en comeback och en estnisk rappare – här är artisterna i årets UMK" [A debutant, a comeback and an Estonian rapper – here are this year's UMK artists] (in Swedish). Yle. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e Kauranen, Reetta (5 February 2024). "Kaikki UMK:sta – näin seuraat, äänestät ja chattailet mukana!" [Everything about UMK – this is how you follow, vote and chat along!] (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  14. ^ Kauranen, Reetta; Saulo, Sandra; Remes, Henkka (11 February 2024). "Windows95man villitsi yleisön ja bailasi tiensä UMK:n voittoon – näin pisteet jakautuivat" [Windows95man drove the crowd wild and danced his way to UMK's victory - this is how the points were distributed] (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  15. ^ Määttänen, Juuso (10 February 2024). "Ylen äänestyksessä oli ongelmia" [There were problems with Yle's voting]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  16. ^ Van Waarden, Franciska (5 February 2024). "Finland: UMK 2024 Interval Acts Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  17. ^ Hakala, Salli (19 February 2024). "Jättiyllätys! Pilvi Hämäläisen katsojat villinnyt UMK-biisi julkaistaan" [A huge surprise! Pilvi Hämäläinen's UMK song that drove the viewers wild is released]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  18. ^ Van Waarden, Franciska (25 January 2024). "Finland: UMK 2024 Running Order Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  19. ^ "UMK-finaalilla huima määrä katsojia" [A huge number of spectators at the UMK final]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  20. ^ Carabaña Menéndez, Hugo (11 February 2024). "La final del UMK 2024 arrasa de nuevo en Finlandia y en TEN sube respecto a 2023 (0,34%)" [The final of UMK 2024 sweeps once again in Finland and it grows on TEN compared to 2023 (0.34%)]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Esmakordselt Eestis! TV3 toob televaatajateni suurejoonelise Soome eurolaulu võistluse" [For the first time in Estonia! TV3 brings the spectacular Finnish Eurolaul to TV viewers] (in Estonian). TV3. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  22. ^ Mancheño, José Miguel (2 February 2024). "TEN emitirá en directo la Gran Final del UMK 2024, la preselección finlandesa para Eurovisión" [TEN will broadcast live the Grand Final of UMK 2024, the Finnish preselection for Eurovision]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  23. ^ Granger, Anthony (17 March 2024). "Finland: Windows95Man Eurovision Pre-Party Appearances Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  24. ^ Andersson, Rafaell (26 April 2024). "Eurovision 2024: Competing Acts to Perform at the Eurovision Village". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  25. ^ Granger, Anthony (23 March 2024). "Finland: Windows95Man Announces Denim Egg Hunt". Eurovoix. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  26. ^ Dahan, Tal (20 December 2023). "פינלנד: ההצהרה השנויה במחלוקת בנוגע להשתתפות ישראל באירוויזיון" [Finland: the controversial statement regarding Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest]. EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  27. ^ Smith, David (20 December 2023). "Finland: UMK account suggests possible Eurovision withdrawal over Israel's participation". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  28. ^ Holmberg, Frida (10 January 2024). "Musiker kräver bojkott – 'Hamas deltar inte i ESC, det gör Israel'" [Musicians demand a boycott – "Hamas doesn't take part in ESC, Israel does"]. Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  29. ^ Chatterjee, Phelan (10 January 2024). "Eurovision: Finnish artists want Israel barred from contest over Gaza war". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  30. ^ Vanha-Majamaa, Anton (16 January 2024). "Muusikot jättivät Ylelle vetoomuksen, jossa he vaativat Euroviisuihin Israel-boikottia" [The musicians submitted a petition to Yle in which they demanded a boycott of Israel in Eurovision]. yle.fi (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  31. ^ a b "UMK finalist Jesse Markin will not represent Finland at Eurovision if Israel participates". Yle News. Yle. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  32. ^ Freddy T. (11 January 2024). "UMK finalist Jesse Markin says he won't go to Eurovision if Israel participates". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  33. ^ a b Määttänen, Juuso (10 February 2024). "Kolme kilpailijoista ei ole vieläkään päättänyt, osallistuuko Euroviisuihin, jos voittaa UMK:n" [Three of the contestants have still not decided whether they will participate in Eurovision if they win UMK]. Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  34. ^ Hakulinen, Juulia (10 February 2024). "UMK-kilpailijat paljastavat nyt, aikovatko he osallistua Euroviisuihin, mikäli Israel nähdään kisassa" [UMK contestants now reveal whether they intend to participate in Eurovision, if Israel is seen in the contest]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  35. ^ Díaz, Lorena (14 February 2024). "Windows95man sigue en duda sobre participar en Eurovisión 2024 y la televisión finlandesa le da unos días: ¿Qué pasara si no acepta?" [Windows95man is still in doubt about participating in Eurovision 2024 and the Finnish television gives him a few days: What happens if he doesn't accept?]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  36. ^ Vedenpää, Ville (20 February 2024). "Windows95man lähtee edustamaan Suomea Euroviisuihin" [Windows95man is going to represent Finland at Eurovision]. yle.fi (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  37. ^ Mancheño, José Miguel (29 March 2024). "Varios artistas de Eurovisión 2024 firman un comunicado conjunto pidiendo un alto al fuego en Gaza" [Various Eurovision 2024 artists sign a joint statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  38. ^ Van Dijk, Sem Anne (13 December 2023). "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Allocation Draw on January 30". Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  39. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  40. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed!". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  41. ^ "TV-opas | Ohjelmat ti 7. toukokuuta 2024" [TV guide | Programmes Tue 7 May 2024]. Yle Areena (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  42. ^ "TV-opas | Ohjelmat to 9. toukokuuta 2024" [TV guide | Programmes Thu 9 May 2024]. Yle Areena (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  43. ^ "TV-opas | Ohjelmat la 11. toukokuuta 2024" [TV guide | Programmes Sat 11 May 2024]. Yle Areena (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  44. ^ Granger, Anthony (27 February 2024). "Finland: Eurovisionsbubblan Returns for 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  45. ^ "Record number of EBU Members unite for new ABBA documentary". ebu.ch. EBU. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  46. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Rehearsal Schedule". Eurovisionworld. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  47. ^ Granger, Anthony (25 April 2024). "Finland: Windows95man Reveals New Details of Their Eurovision Performance". Eurovoix. Retrieved 25 April 2024.

External links edit

 
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