After the succes in previous years, Finland is back in 2023 with their biggest music show UMK (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu). On Saturday 25 February, seven acts will compete in the Finnish national final in Logomo to represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Finnish broadcaster Yle received 363 songs during the selection procedure of UMK. In a press release, chairman of the UMK board and YleX’s music manager Tapio Hakanen says:
“Expectations for this season are very high after the amazing previous year Among the seven wonderful finalists, there are both well-known artists and new rising talents. Includes e.g. The best dance song in UMK history with an insanely hard new singer, a sex-oozing song by a really well-known artist, a stunningly great ballad from one of Finland’s most significant export hopes, bands that are on the rise and very popular, and the hardest rap banger in UMK history.”
The seven hopefulls who will perform this night will be announced on Wednesday 11 January 2023. Like previous years, each artist’s songs will be announced on their own days on weekdays from 12 to 20 January 2023.
Experience UMK – The Contest for New Music – show in Turku on 25 February! Ticket available at https://t.co/3WkW3gdVCw!! 🔥💜 #UMK23 #yle #ESC2023 #eurovision pic.twitter.com/qkCFmy4ENX
— Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu – Yle (@Yle_UMK) October 25, 2022
Deciding to go to the Grand Final of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu? Finland even offers a full Eurovision experience for the fans, with an official afterparty. You can party until 04:00am at the UMK Club and Viisudisco with artists including DJ Orkidea, VJ Hellstone, Club La Persé, and Fiona Timantti. Tickets are available here.
About UMK
Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu is an annual music contest organised by the Finnish public broadcaster Yle. UMK began in 2012 as the new Finnish selection format for the Eurovision Song Contest, replacing the original Finnish Eurovision selection Suomen euroviisukarsinta which had been held since 1961. The first grand final in 2012 featured and interval performance of the 2022 winners The Rasmus.
The format of the national final changed alot over time: In 2017 they decided not to do semi-finals, but just one grand finale. Also they decided to use international juries, instead of Finnish juries to decide the winner. In 2018 and 2019 they internally already selected an act to represent the country at Eurovision (Saara Aalto and Darude). During the show, the acts performed three songs and the winning song was selected by viewers and international juries.
Since 2020, UMK invited artist again to submit their songs for the Finnish National Final. 2023 will keep the same format as these years and we will be seeing seven acts again performing their song during the final on 25 February.
Finland in Eurovision
Finland made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. However, they never made a top 5 finish until their win in 2006 with Lordi and their song Hard Rock Hallelujah. Last year, legendary rockband The Rasmus represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy with their song “Jezebel.” The band got the the rough task to open the second semi-final, however the viewers at home didn’t forget about the band and they qualified for the Grand Final. In the end, the band finished in 21st place with 38 points.
Who do #YOU want to represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023? Share your thoughts with us on our forum HERE or join the discussion below in the comments and on social media!
