Finland: Meet the UMK participants

On the 1st of February 2014, the act that will represent Finland in Malmö will be chosen in Espoo. The televised shows of the 2014 national selection of Finland start already this year: from the 28th of December until the 25th of January, every Saturday there will be a TV programme leading up to the final.

The finalists will be decided in a mixture of televoting and expert jury votes. The jury will once again consist of the prestigious and prominent foursome from last season: Aija Puurtinen, Redrama, Tomi Saarinen and Toni Wirtanen. All UMK shows will be hosted by Anne Lainto and Ile Uusivuori, both renowned radio personalities and both also returning from the 2013 UMK.

The UMK ticket sales starts on Wednesday the 11th of December. The tickets to all the shows can be
purchased online. This is the list of acts and songs involved this year as announced by the broadcaster YLE (composers & authors between brackets):

Participant line-up

• Clarissa feat. Josh Standing - Top Of The World (Paul Oxley, David Neisser, Christian Rabb, Annette Lundell, Joshua Standing)
• Dennis Fagerström - My Little Honey Bee (Dennis Fagerström, Michael James Down, Niklas Hast, Andreas Anastasiou, Primoz Poglajen)
• Hanna Sky - Hope (Hanna Sky)
• Hukka Ja Mama - Selja (Lasse Hukka)
• Jasmin Michaela - Kertakäyttösydän (Mikko Kierikki, Jasmin Michaela, Jutta Annala, Johanna Viksten)
• Lili Lambert - Let Me Take You There (Lili Lambert, Joonas Kaikko, Lasse Piirainen)
• Lauri Mikkola - Going Down (Lauri Mikkola)
• Madcraft - Shining Bright (Tom Nuorivaara, Juho Rinne, Jesse Mäläskä, Otto Uotila)
• Makea - Painovoima (Makea)
• Miau - God/Drug (Anu Kaukola, Henna Juvonen)
• Mikko Pohjola - Sängyn Reunalla (Mikko Pohjola)
• Softengine - Something Better (Topi Latukka, Henri Oskár)

You can listen to 30 second clips of the songs in the official UMK site.

This content is unfortunately no longer available

Meet the artists

CLARISSA FEAT. JOSH STANDING: TOP OF THE WORLD

She can sing, she can dance and she’s quite pretty too. 23-year old newcomer Clarissa has released two singles and is heading for the top of the world with this energetic pop gem – featuring Josh Standing, a young talent from the UK.

DENNIS FAGERSTRÖM: MY LITTLE HONEY BEE

Dennis Fagerström first entered the spotlight in The Voice of Finland in the spring of 2013. This young charmer loves music and is a huge fan of Robbie Williams and Michael Bublé. Dennis also has a sense of humor not unlike that of his idols and likes to stay fit by jogging and going to gym.

HANNA SKY: HOPE

Hanna Sky has written music for as long as she can remember but only now is she ready to release her music for the world to hear. Her song Hope combines electronic pop with ethnic elements and is about – well, the meaning of hope in our everyday lives.

HUKKA JA MAMA: SELJA

Hukka ja Mama is a Helsinki based duo comprising two childhood friends, Lasse and Martina. Their music combines elements of pop and folk with Finnish melancholy and their goal is to write songs that are like a good candy: both sweet and sour.

JASMIN MICHAELA: KERTAKÄYTTÖSYDÄN

Jasmin Michaela just loves latin beats and thinks that Finns should get their daily dose of vitamin D from her song Kertakäyttösydän (Disposable Heart). This colorful and sparkly lady comes from a musical family and will certainly win over some hearts during UMK 2014.

LILI LAMBERT: LET ME TAKE YOU THERE

A self-proclaimed ”church girl”, Lili Lambert grew up listening to a lot of gospel music. Also a fan of r’n’b, she’s been singing and performing since the age of 6. Lili is currently working on her debut album which will no doubt take her there – high up in the charts, that is.

LAURI MIKKOLA: GOING DOWN

Lauri Mikkola has high hopes that his self-written and soulful song Going Down will win him fame both in Finland and abroad. If it all comes down to the combination of great voice and the handsome looks, this Voice of Finland -semifinalist from 2012 has nothing to worry about.

MADCRAFT: SHINING BRIGHT

Pop-punk never goes out of style – that’s what these four young lads from Helsinki seem to think anyway. Madcraft is a band to check out live since their shows are usually full of positive energy and fast, melodic songs. And probably some chaos too.

MAKEA: PAINOVOIMA

Makea consists of five seasoned musicians who, for the first time in their careers, are collectively fulfilling their dream and creating music together. The song Painovoima (Gravity) is the very first song they’ve created and a it’s a fascinating mix of catchy pop and fierce hip hop.

MIAU: GOD/DRUG

This all-girl group from Helsinki has already created a buzz within the vibrant Finnish indie scene. Watch out mainstream, since MIAU is ready to leave the underground! Their song God/Drug bridges the gaps between grunge and dark, melodic electro-pop in a twisted yet cute way.

MIKKO POHJOLA: SÄNGYN REUNALLA

Mikko Pohjola is a young, charismatic singer-songwriter from the city of Oulu (in the northern parts of Finland). He released his first solo album in 2011. Mikko likes his pop music with humane, deep lyrics and wishes to gain an even larger audience through UMK.

SOFTENGINE: SOMETHING BETTER

Big sounds and epic melodies – that’s what Softengine is about. The members of this 5-piece band look up to such bands as Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars. If there’s any justice in this world, Softengine will be as huge as their idols very soon. They’re not in any hurry though; the guys are only between 16 and 19 years of age!