Finland: 'UMK' set to choose a song for Liverpool
23 February 2023 at 19:00 CETHOW TO WATCH: Finnish broadcaster YLE will be airing the 2-hour gala from 20:00 CET on Saturday 25 February. International viewers can tune in online via the broadcaster's online player. There is also the option to watch it with English commentary.
Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, or UMK for short, is back for its 2023 edition with 7 songs in the running to represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in May.
Released at the beginning of January, the 7 songs have already racked up more than 13 million streams between them on Spotify alone, with 2 of them having occupied the number 1 position in Finland, and 6 of them having graced the Top 5.
Excitement levels are therefore quite high in Finland going into Saturday night; not least because the Finnish broadcaster is turning the event into a massive party for all - quite literally!
It won't just be UMK that's happening at the enormous Logomo venue in Turku on Saturday night: A warm-up party is taking place between 18:00 and the show's start-time of 20:00, and an extended after-party is planned between 22:00 and 03:00 the next morning, with a start-studded roster of performers and DJs all lined up to entertain those in attendance.
For the main event, the UMK final, Samu Haber is on hosting duties, and will be presenting the songs to viewers at home, as well as the voting.
Voting on the night will be done by both viewers and an international jury. The Finnish public will have a 75% say, while the international jury will account for 25% of the scores.
As well as the 7 songs in contention, and the no doubt nail-biting voting sequence that will subsequently unfold, YLE also has an impressive lineup of interval acts for us.
Last year's winners The Rasmus will be back to perform for UMK viewers again, as will BESS - who finished in 3rd-place last year, but ended up having the biggest hit of the year in Finland on both radio and streaming, with her UMK song Ram Pam Pam. Host Samu has also promised us an electrifying number courtesy of the man himself!
The Songs
These are the 7 entries that will be competing on the night, in the order that they'll be performed in. You can learn more about each of the artists performing them, right here.
Robin Packalen – Girls Like You
KUUMMA – Ylivoimainen
Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
Keira – No Business On The Dancefloor
Benjamin – Hoida Mut
Lxandra – Something To Lose
Portion Boys – Samaa Taivasta Katsotaan
Finland will perform in the First Semi-Final at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.