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Finland’s hunt for the next Käärijä begins

03 October 2023 at 07:00 CEST
In 2023, Käärijä won Finland's UMK and finished as runner-up at the Eurovision Song Contest
Tampere’s Nokia Arena will be buzzing on Saturday 10 February 2024, when seven artists take to the stage to compete in Finland’s national final ‘UMK’, alongside performances from last year's UMK winner Käärijä and other top Finnish artists.

After last season’s immense popularity, UMK has become an even bigger draw for Finland’s performers, with a total of 419 song entries submitted for a spot in the final. Tickets for the ‘UMK24’ live event (and post-show ‘Eurovision disco’!) will go on sale Thursday 5 October at 08:00 CEST via the lippu.fi website.

According to organisers, the standard of these songs is ‘historically high’ and selecting the final seven was ‘more challenging than ever before’. Those artists and songs will be revealed from Wednesday 10 January, with one song a day being released between 11 - 19 January.

Artists for UMK24 will be announced Wednesday 10 January 2024 and their songs will be released one each day from 11 to 19 January 2024.

Anssi Autio, Executive Producer of UMK says: 

‘Looking back over the entire 13-year history of UMK, I can say that we’re now in a better position than ever before. In the eyes of our Finnish and international audience, UMK has become an unparalleled hit factory and source of top-tier entertainment, whose move to a bigger venue is also served by the massive increase in the Eurovision Song Contest’s popularity.’

Käärijä performed Cha Cha Cha for Finland at the Grand Final at Liverpool Arena Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

Tapio Hakanen, chair of the UMK jury which selects the final 7 artists, commented: 

‘It’s amazing to see how Finnish artists and songwriters, from newcomers to national favourites, are all jumping into the UMK fray. This year, we’re seeing what has to be the all-time best group of entries, which will end up being a truly sensational final seven.

Among the finalists we have a talented artist’s first 90s-style dance song; a power song by a true vocal talent; perhaps the best song of an indie favourite’s career; two big name performers doing a surprising duo with a serious refrain; a thunderous rock anthem by a world-touring band; a seriously intense song from one of the most listened-to artists in Finland; and a hard-hitting club banger by a well-known artist making a comeback. 

This year, viewers will be getting an extremely high-energy UMK in an even bigger arena!’