Last Wednesday, Finnish broadcaster YLE announced the 7 hopefuls who are in the running to fly the Finnish flag in Turin. To keep the hype alive among the Eurovision fans, the broadcaster decided to release the songs on a daily base. You can expect a new song from the national final every weekday at midnight. Our fifth stop: indie-pop artist Olivera with her song “Thank God I’m an Atheist”
About Olivera
Olivera, a.k.a. Katriina Ullakko, is still relatively unknown to the wider public, even though she has had millions of Spotify streams and impressive international releases. Olivera is an indie-pop artist with 4 EPs. With over 10 million listens, No more is Olivera’s biggest song, but she also writes music for other artists. Perhaps the most famous of these is world-renowned DJ-producer Tiësto, whose song Affliction was written by Olivera, who also did the vocals on it.
As a self-described thinker, the artist enjoys telling stories and playing with different kinds of scenarios, both of which are at the core of her Eurovision entry. Olivera has a personal connection with her UMK entry, whose theme had been subconsciously developing since childhood. It is an exploration of death and the possibility of eternal life – not exactly the lightest of topics.
“Nobody knows what happens after we die. What if all the world’s biggest religions are actually right and life never ends? I can’t think of anything that causes more anxiety than the idea of eternal life.”
After finishing a raw, first version, Olivera presented the song to her producer and spouse Lenno Linjama, and ultimately to musician-producer Alpo Nummelin from the band Ruusut. Nummelin’s contribution gave the song the edge it desired. For Olivera, who has been making her own music since the age of 11, her UMK entry Thank God I’m an Atheist is so close to her heart that she considers it to be one of the most important pieces of music she has written in her career thus far.
In the coming days, Finnish broadcaster YLE will reveal the other songs that are competing in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu to represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022. You can see the schedule here below:
- Tommi Läntinen – “Elämä kantaa mua” (Life carries me) (Thursday 20 January)
- Isaac Sene – “Kuuma jäbä” (Hot ice) (Friday 21 January)
Tomorrow, Tommi Läntinen with his song “Elämä kantaa mua” will be the next release. The premiere of the song will be wednesday at 23:00 CET on the official YouTube channel of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu and will be released shortly after it on all streaming services.
What do #YOU think of “Thank God I’m an Atheist ?” Share your thoughts with us on our forum HERE or join the discussion below and on social media!
Source: yle.fi
