Finland: Final line-up complete

Krista Siegfrids is back, hosting the show with Roope Salminen, after her participation in the semi-final of the Swedish Melodifestivalen last week.

A total of six participants were featured in tonight's semi-final and these three qualified for the final after the online votes and those of the TV viewers:

• Barbe-Q-Barbies - Let Me Out
• Tuuli Okkonen - Don’t Wake Me Up
• Sandhja - Sing It Away

The rest of the line-up included:

• Lieminen - Pehmeiden arvojen vaalijat
• Gušani Brothers - Poom Poom
• Pietarin Spektaakkeli - Liian kuuma

This week there was a special guest as well: one of Finland's biggest pop stars, Chisu, covered one of the most successful Finnish Eurovision entries from the past!

About the artists in Semi-final 3

Lieminen - Pehmeiden arvojen vaalijat

For this guy participating in UMK was really a game of chance. Thankfully Lieminen’s record company loved his idea of representing Finland in ESC – so here we are! A ”singer-songwriter-slacker” from Helsinki, Finland, Lieminen has already released a number of well-received singles and actually releases his debut album on this day of the UMK press conference! 

Tuuli Okkonen - Don’t Wake Me Up

Here’s another familiar voice & face for those who’ve followed UMK over the past years (2012 and a band called Leola to be exact): Tuuli Okkonen may be in the early stages of her solo career but she has been singing all her life and the Finnish viewers became familiar with her in The Voice of Finland where she finished third in 2014. Her song Don’t Wake Me Up deals with the moment you realize your heart is broken and in pieces.

Gušani Brothers - Poom Poom

Ladies and gentlemen: baila baila poom poom! Melodic and sunny dance pop doesn’t really get better than this. The three Gušanis - Irfan, Sami and Meho – are originally from Croatia and formed the trio in 2010 although the guys have been making music and performing since the tender age of 6. The brothers compose, play and produce everything by themselves and will no doubt climb to the top by themselves as well.

Barbe-Q-Barbies - Let Me Out

When you hear Barbe-Q-Barbies’ music you’re instantly reminded of heyday sounds of such hard rock legends as AC/DC or Kiss. When you see them live it’s like nothing you’ve seen before - they are an amazingly tight and energetic live band and have gained reputation also outside Finland having toured with such names as Girlschool, W.A.S.P. and New York Dolls. Their third album Driven was released in 2015.

Pietarin Spektaakkeli - Liian kuuma 

This band is known to combine various styles of music, from hip hop to jazz to blues and old rock’n’roll. Their music is both playful and groovy and each of the three maestros that form Pietarin Spektaakkeli (Pietari, Mitja and Tyko) is an established and respected musician. The group released their critically acclaimed debut album in 2015.

Sandhja - Sing It Away

Sandhja is a young Finnish singer-songwriter with roots in India and Guyana. Her style is urban soul, her voice is powerful and her stage presence bursts with joy and positive attitude. Back in 2014 Sandhja released her debut album, which was loved by both critics and the audience. Now it’s time for some new music & new challenges in UMK 2016.