Songreview - Blog Posts

UMK25 Song Review: Sekaisin

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) is back and stronger than ever! We have seven new artists ready to compete for the trophy and the ticket to Basel in May! The third song keeps the quality strike even!

Costee - Sekaisin

Costee is man of 100 million streams and three studio albums under his belt. So a very familiar name in the Finnish music scene!

He started learning music at the age of 8 and he started his career in a band called Sima. His own record deal he signed in 2017 and it's been one hit after another since that. Now days he runs his own record company.

He is known to be an emotional man who is not afraid to be open. He tends to be into darker sounds and vision but lately there has been a more hopeful tune in his music. His UMK entry Sekaisin also fits into this description.

Sekaisin holds a strong contrast to the previous UMK25 entry Nelli's Hitaammin Hautaan. This one is dark with a good elektrobeat. The start is promising, building strongly.

1st chorus works but after that it goes downhill. It doesn't deliver the beginning's promises which is a damn shame.

A lot of people compare this to Benjamin from 2023 with his Hoida Mut but this doesn't reach the same hights and catch you in the same intensity.

Personally I'm not crazy about his voice and I think he pronounces lazily. But there is love for this one as it still holds top20 spot in Spotify Finnish charts so even if he's not winning the trophy he will be fine after UMK.

What do you think of the third UMK25 track and what are the chances of Costee to advance to ESC? Talk to me in the comments below!

UMK25 Song Review: Hitaammin Hautaan

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) is back and stronger than ever! We have seven new artists ready to compete for the trophy and the ticket to Basel in May! The second song won't leave anyone cold!

Nelli Matula - Hitaammin Hautaan

Nelli Matula has been a recording artist since 2016 and since then released two albums, achieved Emma (Finnish Grammy) nominations and wide popularity in Finland with her gold-and platinium streaming singles. She's a name you should know!

The singer takes part in UMK25 with her deeply personal song Hitaammin Hautaan which is inspired by the health issues she suffered a few years back. The song fits her musical style and what people have grown to expect from her so for her most loyal fans the song is already a hit!

Hitaammin Hautaan is a pure pop track that doesn't play too many games with different genres. Again sounding in the beginning like a ballad it picks up a beat that is very difficult to resist. Chorus is strong and memorable and I do believe we have the next Ylivoimainen (UMK, 23) or Ram Pam Pam (UMK, 22) making here.

Her voice is very clear and fine and goes well with the melody. There's a beautiful harmony here with the visuals, the pink and grey color scene isn't too over the top but still princess enough like and she fits the role like a glove. This is probably the best UMK25 videoclip btw!

Structure like this is pretty close to perfection: builds up is just right and keeps the viewer / listener hooked. There's nothing life changing here but still enough that pleases you until the very end.

These types of songs are very popular in the national selections because now days many shows offer fame and opportunities for tracks to become big hits even without the trophy. However, that's where they'll stay as viewers rarely give their votes to these big radio hits.

What do you think of the second UMK25 track and what are the chances of Nelli to advance to ESC? Talk to me in the comments below!

UMK25 Song review: Nightmares

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) is back and stronger than ever! We have seven new artists ready to compete for the trophy and the ticket to Basel in May! The first song kicked off the UMK season with a banger!

Neea River - Nightmares

Neea River is a singer-songwriter who was discovered on Instagram (she sang Céline Dion's All By Myself) during her holidays in L.A. The singing sensation has since written songs for other artists (Bess, Laura Voutilainen, Blanka, K-Pop artists etc). So she has a full day job as a music professional and she's made a name for herself as one.

As a solo artist she's been pushed by her label to switch to Finnish but she's always found English as a more natural choice. Now days, she has own label. She loves dance pop genre, loud bangers and Eurovision. Her musical influencers are Britney Spears, Weekend and Rihanna.

Her UMK song Nightmares was inspired by traumatic experience and reminds the people that there's always an exit of the difficult experiences. She wrote it together with Ilkka Wirtanen and Petri Alanko. With Nightmares she wants to bring pure pop banger to Eurovision from Finland.

Nightmares is her first own song to be released as a solo artist. And so far it has been compared to Loreen (Sweden, 2023), Keiino (Norway 2019) and Saara Aalto (Finland, 2018). This defintely has a nordic sound!

The beginning starts with a dark, mysterious tone - some might be fooled to think we have a ballad in our hands. The song builds up strong to the first drop which reveals the EMD/ disco beat which is the core of the song. This could be easily taken from early 2000's house music scene.

The woman can sing even though many have been worried the layered edits on her voice during the track. Personally, I'm not one of those people. There's a debate going on whether the dancing she does in the music video is part how you do it in this type of music or if she's actually just not the best at it.

It's true that often EMD tracks it's difficult to get a real climax, a drop happening later in the song because the beat is so strong and in here the song tends to continue kind of predictably without further surprises. This bothers me a bit tbh.

A lot of people speak about "the eurovision sound" and how much this song has it. Yeah would be an easy fit to the contest and a big pleaser for a lot of people. But I don't see this pulling a lot points

However, this is an impressive defeat for someone producing her own music as independantly as Neea does and running her own label on top of it - I do hope all the best for Neea but I have a feeling this ain't our UMK25 winner.

What do you think of the first UMK25 track and what are the chances of Neea to advance to ESC? Talk to me in the comments below!

UMK 2024 Song Review - Vox Poppuli

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö ends with another rap entry!

Mikael Gabriel x Nublu - Vox Poppuli

Mikael Gabriel is one of the best known Finnish artists who started his career back in 2007 and has since released 7 studio albums and multiple smash hits. He's had more number #1s than one can count!

A big name UMK audience has been requesting to participate to the contest for years.

His mother is estonian which might explain why he is collaborating now with Nublu, highly succesful rap artist in Estonia. This is surely one of the most interesting UMK entries this year.

Vox Poppuli means in Latin the voice of the people. The song begins with eurodance entry but moves quickly to the 90's / 2000's rock-pop sound that will continue throughout the song. This reminds me of Blink 182 or similar rock band. There's a young energy here despite of its nostalgic sound for older generation.

As a rap song and as a non-rap music fan - this might be the least irritating of the rap songs in UMK24 - also even though musically this seems to be a bit tedious, one note kind of thing, I think this is delivering the crazy fun act better than Windows95man which had kind of similar idea with his performance. I like the choir a lot! Also points for Nublu's rap part in Estonian and not in English.

This has already become somewhat a domestic hit gathering views on Youtube and streams on Spotify. This is easy to listen even though not your cup of tea, it's radio friendly with a catchy memorable chorus and therefore a potential UMK winner. Also MG enjoys a loyal and young fandom so it is expected them to pick up their phones and vote on Saturday night.

Video clip keeps you hooked and we can expect a crazy staging at Nokia Arena at Tampere!

What do you think of the seventh UMK24 track and would you vote for Mikael Gabriel x Nublu to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

UMK 2024 Song Review - Sini Sabotage

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with another rap entry!

Sini Sabotage - Kuori Mua

Sini Sabotage is one of the best known Finnish artists but at the same time one of the rare female rappers in the country. She started her career with a banger Levikset Repee roughly a decade ago and has since released 3 studio albums and multiple radio hits. She has fought her way to the top.

Despite of being somewhat a dream name for UMK for years the idea of sending her new Kuori Mua song to the competition was actually proposed to her by the songwriters and producers.

Kuori Mua which means peel me in Finnish is bold even as a title. If you're familiar with her personality and music you'll notice how this instantly fits her like a glove.

Kuori Mua begins with inviting piano notes and moves quickly to the electronic beat. The song has heat, rush - it tells you how to move and focus. This screams gay anthem. All the banger elements are here and they're well produced.

The lyrics and beat are energetic and sensual - some might be irritated by the Finglish here but I'm not a Finnish rap expert enough to say if this is common for Finnish rap. Chorus is a bit flat, it doesn't bunch me as I'd wish it would. This needs several listens even though it is memorable though. Musically I especially enjoy the beginning of the second verse and the bridge here. The piano based moments give the juiciest sounds. The song improves towards the end but still doesn't meet the expectations in my opinion.

Kuori Mua is not on top of the Youtube and Spotify lists when comparing the UMK24 tracks and I think it hasn't grown to become the banger they'd hoped for even in domestic levels.

What comes to the live performance music video promises several options and it must be big since this has been chosen to start the UMK show on Saturday (Feb 10th). I have no doubt she wouldn't be able to deliver this live.

What do you think of the sixt UMK24 track and would you vote for Sini Sabotage to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

UMK 2024 Song Review - Windows95man

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with another entry!

Windows95man - No Rules!

Windows95man is a shy family man from the Finnish capital area who's made a name for himself as multitalented entertainer. The man is a visual artist and a photographer plus owns his own gallery in Helsinki but is the best known aka Windows95man. It all started from Youtube but quickly grew to become famous as a DJ who wears cut off shorts (magic shorts according to him) and Windows95 t-shirt.

He represents the same liberated crazy spirit as Käärijä last year. He does a lot of things that are not seen suitable for a Finnish man of his age in style and in music and feels no shame of doing so! Good for him!

No Rules is his first song in which he collaborates with Henri Piispanen who delivers the vocals.

No rules is a throwback from the 90's which according to Windows95man influenced his musical style the most (as born in the mid 80's). Musically this is part of the eurodance genre and reminds many of E-Type.

Musically it holds all the necessary elements that a proper 90's banger needs and Piispanen impresses with his high notes (can he deliver live?). However, what is a strong point for No Rules can be also its death.

This is a nice, funny, catchy add to UMK24 selection but doesn't really meet the high quality of the previous songs, does it. This can be seen as a joke entry especially with the music video which reminds me a sketch on TV. Musically this can be quite irritating for many. It doesn't offer anything new and some listeners might tune off before the song has reached its 3-minute run.

Last year Portion Boys delivered a similar entry but still bringing their own musical value to the table. I just don't see No Rules doing the same despite of possibly becoming a guilty pleasure for some UMK fans. In Eurovision this is something what we could have sent a decade ago but now UMK as Eurovision has topped its game since. Wiwibloggs were on point with their a Nokia reference - it's nice to down a memory lane for a moment but would someone still buy one? No.

This is still a decent first single and I hope nothing but the best and love in the future!

What do you think of the fifth UMK24 track and would you vote for Windows95man to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

UMK 2024 Song Review - Jesse Markin

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with another entry!

Jesse Markin - Glow

Jesse Markin is one of the most promising upcoming Finnish indie artists who released his debut album Folk in 2019 and was widely awarded for it for example with an Emma (Finnish Grammy) as the best newcomer in 2020. He released his follow-up album Noir in 2021. Musically he would be categorized as a rap artist but his music is greatly influenced by other genres which shows also in his UMK 2024 entry.

He is one of the rare UMK artists taking a stand announcing that in case of winning UMK he would not go to Malmö if Israel participates ESC 2024.

Glow written partly in Finnish toilets but also in the streets of Ghana, is definitely something else. A fresh summer breeze in the middle of cold January - this is a song that no one expected to receive from Finland.

This ain't a simple track, instrumentally rich, would even call it noisy - a lot is going on in here. I hear reggaeton, afro-beats, hip hop / rap, electro / house well, smoothly produced urban sounds - musically this reminds me of Black Eyed Peas a bit. Chorus is memorable and uplifting with "you're gonna make it" where the verses tend to remain a bit flat.

The song doesn't have really a proper bridge and I don't think the rap section in the halfway of the song should be considered as such. And I don't think it's giving the correct energy here but this might be a personal preference. The track seems then a little long and repetitive. Visually this is on of the weakest of UMK video clips this year. Even though the lama is kind of cute!

However, there's a lot of love for this song out there. For those into this kind of genre, the track is an instant earworm but for others it has a risk of disappearing in the background as.. well background music. When speaking about views on YT and streams on Spotify Glow is losing in both lists for its competitors (being 7th and 6th). But Glow does serve a strong feel good vibe and I'm so glad it's here! It does bring light and different perspective to the 2024 UMK line up.

What do you think of the fourth UMK24 track and would you vote for Jesse Markin to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

UMK 2024 Song Review - Sara Siipola

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with a ballad this time!

Sara Siippola - Paskana

Sara Siipola is fairly a new name in the sky of Finnish female artists. She kind of popped out of nowhere making a record deal with Sony Music in 2019 and releasing her first singles which were fairly successful. She also released her debut album "Kaunis Kun Itken" two years later and last year she was seen in popular music tv-show "Tähdet, Tähdet".

Still never heard of of her before and the artist announcement did nothing to me.

Paskana is power song that gives no hope. It's very raw lyrically and vocally.

It's a modern ballad with immediate hook. The song itself is not a traditional power ballad but does instrumentally push its boundaries. The electronic beat has 80's sound which also reminds many of the Russian girl duo t.A.T.u's sound. R'n'b beat separates it from an average ESC ballad and makes this super easy to listen.

Sara's voice can be compared to Amy Winehouse's being capable of interpreting the painful text brilliantly. The topic of being "paskana" which is translated as fucking wreck, is easily relatable. Social media quickly filled on Monday night with heartfelt comments from people around the world crying and feeling this song.

This is simply captivating - you can't pass this without stopping to listen to this and feeling what she sings. This will translate across language barriers.

ESC doesn't allow swearing so in case of winning UMK Sara would have to find another title for her song which might be a difficult task. There have been hopes of her translating this into English or pieces of it but I do hope this masterpiece remained in Finnish. Also this would differ quite a lot from our previous ESC entries. The last time we heard a female ballad from Finland was in 2017 with NormaJohn.

In a scenario where she didn't win UMK she might be the next Bess (Ram pam pam, 2022) or Kuumaa (Ylivoimainen, 2023) which either were the winning acts but made the biggest hits of their careers with the help of UMK. Reactions have been positive everywhere you go and her UMK videoclip has already been viewed over 240 000 (more than Sexmane) times. She's on her way to stardom!

What do you think of the third UMK24 track and would you vote for Sara Siipola to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

UMK 2024 Song Review - Sexmane

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues!

Sexmane - MANIA

Max Scene aka Sexmane is currently the most streamed artist in Finland and also he has a connection to UMK. His little brother Isaac Scene competed in 2022 with Kuuma Jäbä.

Since releasing his debut album Sextape in 2019 he has been Emma awarded (Finnish Grammys) and he's managed to beat his previous successes with each release. He will no doubt have a lot of loyal young voters out there!

As a background info he and his brother grew up in a religious community where hymns were in and commercial music was not. He mentions this fairly often in the interviews so I believe it had an impact on his creativity and that he even ended up in the music industry.

MANIA is a song about mental health. "It's ok not to be ok" he says.

The song slaps you right at the face with MANIA. There's a lot of autotune in here from the very beginning and many have questioned if he can pull this through live. This is no basic pop tune you can put into a box within a certain genre. This is a hip hop / rap song with a heavy rock push. Music experts can peal this like an onion because it has plenty of layers to go around for all.

The song goes on smoothly having a strong pre-chorus and the anthemic MANIA is catchy and difficult to forget. I'm not a fan of rap music but I do enjoy listening to this even though my very first reaction was fear. The guitar solo at the end of the song is impressive and much needed add. The song ends with a scream.

Musically there's a strong pull towards our last ESC entry and a lot of people are criticizing of sending MANIA right after Cha Cha Cha (can anything be better?). In contrast to Käärijä's drinking party hit, there's some real pain and seriousness here. The beat is pushy and urges you to rush to act. And him desperately screaming in his pain and getting it out of his space - we see a lot of symbolism in the videoclip.

I kind of play with the idea of this winning because of the orange theme. In 2022 we had The Rasmus with Jezebel having a yellow staging, Käärijä last year obviously with his green effect, this would be a great continuity with the orange look.

What do you think of the second UMK24 track and would you vote for Sexmane to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

UMK 2024 Song Review - Cyan Kicks

Again the hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö has officially started!

Cyan Kicks - Dancing With Demons

Cyan Kicks is a Finnish alternative rock/electric pop band established back in 2016. They had their big break in UMK 2022 when they came second with Hurricane losing to The Rasmus. I do remember for rooting for Hurricane two years ago!

Since then, they've been busy with making music and touring around Europe. This shows. They've also mentioned themselves the growth of confidence and experience, and especially the vocalist Susanna. This time around they're bolder and loader but still not losing their familiar energy and sound. But it's inevitable to compare their 2024 entry to Hurricane of UMK22 and perhaps their biggest contestant might actually be themselves from two years ago.

For many the 22 entry was instantly memorable and still is and the question is can DWD do the same?

Dancing With The Demons is the first of seven UMK24 entries to be released. And what a start it is!

The song is kicked off with a promising electronic beat and it builds up nicely towards the first chorus which I have to admit I'm slightly disappointed that it's not grabbing enough. Personally I'm liking the second verse and Susanna's interpretation of the lyrics here. I even saw somewhere a Lady Gaga comparison.

Instrumentally this is very rich and there's a lot to take in. Lots of volume which makes me worry if Susanna's vocals which are rather light in here, are strong enough to carry it through? Even though I know she can sing live obviously. As seconds turn into minutes there's more volume, more instruments and more noise coming up!

A lot of people have criticized the bridge but my musical (rock) taste is generic enough to love it actually. I'm loving the "follow me's" here. In three minutes it's tricky to get an instrumental part squeezed in but DWD manages to do just that. The whole band is clearly involved in this with 150% and musically this can be quite overwhelming. The ending is as load as the beginning. Lyrically not the best of songs but this wasn't the band's strong suit in 2022 either.

This is well and heavily produced track that can be blamed of sounding a slightly bit too mainstream and plastic lacking originality and organic sound. However, this is a question of personal taste. Live performance we don't need to worry with this entry because as we remember from UMK 22 - they'll nail it.

Visually this is impressive. Susanna and the band rocking under the rain (she was actually with fever when shooting the video!) and everything we see supports what we hear. Sexy, load, wet, explosive. It's actually difficult to listen the song without its video because that's how astonishing it is! And the pair clearly belongs together. UMK music videos have come a long way!

What do you think of the first UMK24 track and would you vote for Cyan Kicks to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

UMK 2023 Song review - Portion Boys

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with glam rock anthem!

Portion Boys - Samaa taivasta katsotaan

Portion Boys have been around for a while. They originally started from Youtube back in 2010 and by releasing regurarly singles slowly but surely made theirselves a name in Finland. Especially the few last years have been succesful for them. They’ve become known as a positive dance-pop group with a lots of personality. 

Samaa taivasta katsotaan represents quite well the band’s musical repertoire and style. It offers a great ending to UMK23 series (as it was released as the seventh and the last track) and also to UMK23 show on February 25th. This is a very rich song, we have several elements and genres mixed in this one and it is the thing that might keep the viewer hooked for the entire 3 minutes but it might also be the thing that breaks charm.

I get the feeling of the song trying too hard. It’s trying to please everyone - we have the rock rap, anthem like instrumental parts, heavy metalish screaming going on. Even the lyrics mention several countries and make references in foreign languages. It’s a mess and it’s up to one’s personal taste whether it’s a mess for your taste. 

The song reminds a bit of Eurovision Movie: Fire Saga by its vibes and with its to be honest Eurovision clichés. Even reference to Latvian Pirates in 2008 has been made in social media. There’s a certain sillyness in here but also the spirit of becoming one despite all our differences. Usually these kind of entries haven’t done very well in ESC.

However,  this might be one of the rare UMK23 entries that I do not wish to advance to ESC. On another year yes but not in 2023 when we have better options. However, I have to admit it does hold the strongest hook in UMK23. This might go against the lovers of Cha Cha Cha as it musically and spiritually stands completely on the other side of the edge. However, I can see this becoming a true Finnhit classic and bringing people together on the dancefloor.

What do you think of the seventh UMK23 track and would you vote for Portion Boys’ Samaa taivasta katsotaan to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!

UMK 2023 Song Review - Kuumaa

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with another nostalgic retro banger! 

Kuumaa - Ylivoimainen

Kuumaa had their breakthrough back in 2016 and their debut album came out three years later. They’ve also released several radio hit singles regurarly over the years and today they’re described as “most interesting pop group in Finland” Quite recently they also won Emma Award (Finnish Grammy) for being the best group so they’re surely becoming hot in the Finnish music scene (their name actually means hot!) Again another entry that has a full package and vision ready even before entering to UMK. 

Ylivoimainen is another retro entry in UMK this year and it’s being seen competing directly with Benjamin’s Hoida Mut. However, this perhaps gives more indie pop vibes and it reminds me a bit of A-ha’s Take on me actually. This sounds very Kuumaa and this kind of contemporary nostalgic tunes are what they do the best. I cannot praise the chorus enough - it’s catchy, it’s warm, irresistable, probably the strongest chorus in UMK23, 

Ylivoimainen is super easy to listen, easy to sing and dance along and it actually invites you to do so. It’s an embrace that will instantly make you feel safe. Ylivoimainen is a crowd pleaser and well produced radio hit (reached number one in Finnish Spotify already!) but it still has authentic sound without being too slick (Robin - Girls like you). BUT as we saw last year’s with Bess’s entry Ram Pam Pam, becoming a hit is not enough to get you a ticket to Liverpool - you need to get the Finns to vote also. However, they do have a solid fan base in Finland who might be showing their loyalty on February 25th. 

As a package - this might be the best UMK23 entry. The song ticks all the right boxes and we have a band that we know can deliver energetic live performance. However, if this did advance to ESC - we already have several more or less nostalgic boy band entries (Slovenia, Latvia, Ireland) which Kuumaa would go against and to be honest I’d worry if we’d stand out enough as we could do perhaps with another artist (let’s say Käärijä?) 

What do you think of the sixth UMK23 track and would you vote for Kuumaa’s Ylivoimainen to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!

UMK 2023 Song Review - Käärijä

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with ..... I don’t know what this is actually! 

Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha 

Most of Finns had never heard of Käärijä before the artist release of UMK23 a month back. Including me. So zero expectations. I didn’t know the language he was gonna perform, I maybe expected some dancy sounding tune based on the title. However, he described his song that “this track combines all three big Finnish loves together: party, pop and heavy music”. Should have known something crazy will be coming up ever since I read he’s a ESC Verka Serduschka fan (Ukraine 2007).  

Cha Cha Cha gets your attention from the first second untill the last one. You know right away that you have something in here. The song kind of starts with rap, there’s techno sounds also, the darkness reminds me of Hatari (Iceland 2019) the chorus is aggressive almost violent but catchy and memorable as hell. The music video is a perfect fit to this! Be prepared to be knocked out by some Cha Cha Cha!

There’s no one like this in UMK or in Eurovision. Then when you think you’re figured out the song everything turns upside down and the song becomes this pop-folk banger. I can hear Verka here actually! A definite late night dancefloor hit in a Finnish bar! The ending is explosive, just pure fireworks and you’re like WTF did I just hear. 

There’s a wide selection of genres here, just take your pick while trying to put this guy into one box.

Käärijä likes to confuse people and traditional sounds aren’t his thing. This is definitely clear! Cha Cha Cha will surely test boundaries, push some people away as it will cheer up and encourage others. This will surely cause a reaction and sometimes that’s all it’s needed from a decent hit and Eurovision song. In the end lovers count more than the haters. This is by far the most played and watched UMK entry this year in all the platforms. Foreigner ESC bloggers have been mostly excited about this and highlighting how Finnish language fits these hard sounds perfectly. 

I can definitely see this advancing to ESC (I don’t think even a bad UMK staging might stop people from voting for this!) and put my money on it that Europeans will this time around understand a piece of Finnish crazyness! 

What do you think of the fifth UMK23 track and would you vote for Käärijä’s Cha Cha Cha to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!