Late last week YLE and UMK released the names of the 7 competing artists in this years contest. With the final fast approaching on the 25th of February and after a short break over the weekend we now hear Robin Packalen’s song; ‘Girls Like You’.
Packalen is one of Finland’s most successful artists. Packalen has been performing since he was 13 years old. Now 24, and back from his hiatus to complete his mandatory military service, he has been releasing music and now wants to compete on Europe’s biggest stage.
Fans of Packalen have been wanting him to compete in UMK for many years so his participation comes with high expectations within his fans. Outside of singing, Packalen is a keen participant in wild sports and is extroverted according to UMK. He now feels ready for UMK and hopes the world will hear his song.
For each artist, UMK have released their selection board’s reasoning for selecting each artist. For Robin they said the following;
“Great to see one of Finland’s most successful pop stars of all time participating in UMK! Girls Like You is a perfect shot of the music that Robin Packalen wants to make: English, groove, catchy and feel good pop, and it fits UMK perfectly. The song is influenced by Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake, but Robin’s recognizable vocal sound gives it its own stamp. Written in Los Angeles, the song is like a day in the sun squeezed into a three-minute audio file.”
Last week the first two songs were released from Keira and Benjamin. Each weekday until the 20th of January a new song will be released. Tomorrow we expect to hear Lxandra’s song for UMK 2023.
What do #YOU think of Robin’s UMK song? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!
