Yle, the Finnish national broadcaster, will reveal the seven finalists of UMK 2021 on January 19.
The seven finalists were selected from a total of 278 submissions. The songs were again selected by the UMK professional jury led by Tapio Hakanen, Head of Music at YleX.
“The level of the songs and artists was incredibly strong and I am confident that UMK 2021 will be the toughest of all time. I’m really happy and grateful to each and every song that sent to Yle.”
A large number of Finland’s most talented and successful songwriters and producers had submitted songs for UMK 2021. The artists involved featured a mixture of established and well-known artists, and rising artists.
Among the applicants were several Eurovision representatives from previous years, recipients of Emma Awards (Finland’s most prestigious music award) , Finland’s most potential music export hopes at the moment, artists seen on Vain elämää (Finnish version of The Best Singers), energetic rock bands and alternative artists who have received critical acclaim. The versatility of the songs sent is also reflected in the final table setting of seven songs, says Hakanen.
The finalists will be revealed on January 19. Like last year, the entries will be released one at a time on consecutive weekdays. UMK 2021 will take place in the Mediapolis Studios in Tampere on February 20.
Aksel Kankaanranta was set to represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam. He won UMK 2020 with the song “Looking Back” and had been due to compete in the second half of the second semi-final.
Image Source: Yle / Source: Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Finland first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961, they debuted alongside Spain and Yugoslavia. Finland has finished last in the contest on 10 occasions and has received ‘nul points’ three times. It wasn’t until 2006 that Finland won the Eurovision Song Contest. Lordi represented the country in Athens with the song “Hard Rock Hallelujah” scoring 292 points, a record total at the time.
