Meet the first Finnish finalists

You can check the shorter list of the qualifiers in our article about the first twelve Finnish finalists. Below you can have a sneak-peak about the artists which are already qualified for the final of the Finnish national selection for the 2010 edition of Europe's favourite TV-show. More are to follow them after a public vote, who'll take part in that, you can check out in the list of the Finnish open competition qualifiers.

Meet the artists

Amadeus is the artist name of Amadeus Lundberg, who won the widely popular tango competition this summer. He's become the most successful ruling King of Tango. He has three years of touring experience, including with his father's band. According to YLE he's ready to conquer Finland with his music.

Boys Of The Band or BOB among friends, is a new band, which has actually twenty years of history behind it. BOB makes upbeat, real and energetic rock'n'roll music. The band is also linked to the Eurovision Song Contest -  bassist Janne Antikainen's parents Jarkko and Laura represented Finland in 1969, and the drummer Iason Ostrava took the stage at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest Final in Kiev, with the Russian representative Natalia Podolskaya.

Eläkeläiset was supposed to be a summer joke but that proved to be wrong. They even announced retiring before their first album. But by now the band has toured for 15 years and has a recording contract in central Europe and Russia.

Pentti Hietanen is one of Finland's best-known male singers. He is known for brilliant interpretation of emotions. Pentti has had three of his albums gone gold and one platinum by selling over 150,000 copies. Last year he celebrated 25 years on stage with a tour.

Osmo Ikonen comes from a musical family and due to that music was the only option for him, in a good way. Osmo appeared at the 2009 Finnish national selection for Europe's favourite TV-show with the song Speakerbox. He was the producer of the song, composer, arranger and lyricist. He's also released many popular singles and and an album.

Heli Kajo a 25-year-old singer-songwriter from Helsinki. He is a former flutist and music teacher now, who loves high heels, champagne, Tove Jansson (the author of the popular Moomin book series), wisdom, and pedagogical discussions.

Veeti Kallio is an experienced actor and singer, performing a cappella. His style is, interestingly enough, influenced by Leningrad Cowboys. He's currently working on his new album, to be released next year.

Antti Kleemola was eight years old when he discovered the piano. This combination has brought many wonderful songs to life. He's among the top 50 Finnish artists, according to the media.

The world of Kuunkuiskaajien the stars and the moon illuminate the small miracles of life. According to them, life is full of beauty, which you can see and feel if you keep your mind and senses open. They love the so-called older schlager music.

Nina Lassander is 22-year-old singer and music student. Nina's past includes studies in the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, USA from where she graduated this year. She performs pop-rock music with her band Iris Mae and has been an active music the last five years.

Maria Lund sang himself into the hearts of the Finns in late 2008 when she produced the album Ajan Sävel. Over 20,000 copies were sold of the album where she interprets a number of classic Finnish rock songs in swing arrangements, including the music of Nightwish.

Monday's music is straightforward pop-rock, whose strength is mighty and bombastic melodies. Monday is from Helsinki, but the roots are almost all members of the band's deeply in Ostrobothnia. They released their first album this spring. They've already had success in rest of Europe and even in Japan.

The national selection for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Finland will be held in January, with three heats on consecutive Fridays. From every show three winners will qualify for the final and one will be selected by a jury, possibly an international one. The Finnish representative for Europe's favourite TV-show in 2010 will be chosen on the 30th of January.