Finland: UMK 2013 launched

The televised shows of the 2013 national selection of Finland start already this year. From the 27th of December until the 31st of January, every Thursday there will be a tv programme leading up to the Final on the 9th of February, when the act that will represent Finland in Malmö will be chosen in Espoo.

The eight finalists will be decided in a mixture of televoting and expert jury votes. The expert jury consists of Aija Puurtinen, Redrama, Tomi Saarinen and Toni Wirtanen. The hosts of UMK 2013 are Anne Lainto and Ile Uusivuori.

This is the list of names and songs involved this year as confirmed by the broadcaster YLE (composers between brackets):

Participant line-up

• Arion - Lost In The Woods (Iivo Kaipainen)
• Atletico Kumpula - Paperilyhty / Paper Lantern (Kyösti Salokorpi, Atlético Kumpula)
• Diandra - Colliding Into You (Sharon Vaughn, Patrick Sarin, Leri Leskinen, Janne Oinas, Leri Leskinen)
• Elina Orkoneva - He’s Not My Man (Elina Orkoneva, Mikko Arlin, Joona Hasan, Eveliina Jämsä, Lauri Lähteenkorva, Henri Mäntylä)
• Great Wide North - Flags (Kaj Kiviniemi, Mika Kiviniemi, Great Wide North)
• Iina Salin - Last Night (Iina Salin, Tommi Gröhn)
• Ilari Hämäläinen - Sytytä Mut Vaan / Light Me Up (Ilari Hämäläinen)
• Krista Siegfrids - Marry Me (Krista Siegfrids, Erik Nyholm, Kristofer Karlsson, Jessika Lundström)
• Last Panda - Saturday Night Forever (Last Panda, Henry Tikkanen, Aapo Immonen)
• Lucy Was Driving - Dancing All Around The Universe (Lucy Was Driving, Otso Koskelo)
• Mikael Saari - We Should Be Through (Mikael Saari, Kai Poutanen, Tuomas Vertanen)
• Rautakoura - Ilmalaivalla / Board On Air (Lauri Häme, Rautakoura) 

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Meet the artists

Arion plays melodic and symphonic metal with clean vocals. These 17 and 18 year-old incredibly skillful musicians combine heavy sounds with rare soulfulness. In Atlético Kumpula indie-folk meets 1960’s nostalgia; the five-piece group has been around since 2011. Their leader Kyösti Salokorpi is one of the most prolific young songwriters and producers in Finnish pop.

The winner of the Finnish Idols in 2011, Diandra has a strong voice beyond her 18 years. Diandra has dreamt of being a professional musician since the age of 3 and it looks like her dream is no longer just a dream. Elina Orkoneva, a 23-year old singer has recently graduated from the Sibelius Academy of Music. Her music could be described as modern pop with influences from the American popular music of the 1950’s and 1960’s

Four brothers, one band, one mission – that’s Great Wide North. Hailing from the West Coast of Finland, this folk-influenced rock band was formed in 2009. Earlier this year they became the Finnish national champions in gospel music. 27-year old Iina Salin combines disco and soul with a pinch of modern pop. The strengths of this fabulous singer include versatility and the ability to hurl herself into new challenges.

He’s got the voice, the looks, the moves and the charisma! Ilari Hämäläinen is a rocker with sentimentality – a mix most certainly to break some hearts. Ilari grew up on hard rock heroes of the 1980’s. Krista Siegfrids is an energetic and beautiful bombshell you simply cannot listen to with a sour face! She’s a bubbly personality and a performer who wants her music with good moods and feelings.

Last Panda represent the northern parts of Finland in this year’s UMK. This band’s music has no boundaries: you can hear a variety of influences all the way from the golden age of disco to catchy modern punk. Lucy Was Driving took part in UMK in order to be able to perform their melodic pop-rock to bigger audiences and to play around the world. World, meet the Finnish equivalent to Fall Out Boy!

Mikael Saari is a charismatic singer-songwriter who draws inspiration from such things as English indie-folk. The music of this 24-year old has a strong emotional resonance. All-acoustic instruments and a set of influences that include bluegrass and blues from North America: the four-piece Rautakoura has released five albums to date and all of the members are also seasoned buskers!

Finland won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with monster rock band Lordi. In Baku they were about to reach the Final with Pernilla's När Jag Blundar, who was the winner of UMK 2012.