The Contest for New Music, UMK, organised by Yle, determines which artist will represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest. This year, songs in both Finnish and English are in the running, featuring themes about life experience, heartbreak, brazen lust, nostalgia and even atheism. The songs were selected by an expert panel.
The UMK22 finals are being held on Saturday, 26 February at Logomo in Turku, the winner of which represents Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy in May.
You can find out how to vote at the bottom of this article!
Seven acts are competing, so it's probably best to jump right in. The official music videos for each of the songs can be found by clicking on the song names.
Isaac Sene – Kuuma jäbä
The music video for Isaac Sene's song Kuuma jäbä (or Hot Guy) starts off quickly with a roar of fat synthesiser and flashing strobe lights.
The 24-year-old is wearing an embroidered white vest, with his dark braids brushing his shoulders, as he gazes into the camera while gently caressing his carefully-crafted torso.
A fan on Reddit said he "looks like a cross between Lenny Kravitz and The Weeknd."
The song starts out with nightclub swagger: "Stepping inside through these doors / Was when I could finally see / I felt somebody looking at me / And knew you would be eyeballing me."
Sene told Yle that while he has released much more seriously themed songs, his main goal is to entertain people and help them escape daily life.
"You might blush a bit listening to this song, but we don't want to just shock people for the sake of shocking," he said.
The song has a six percent chance of winning UMK 22, at least according to the odds at five online bookmakers.
Tommi Läntinen – Elämä kantaa mua
At 62, singer-songwriter Tommi Läntinen is approaching Finland's average retirement age, and is the oldest contender in this year's UMK. Youngsters following the contest — and many of its participants, for that matter — weren't even born during the prime of his career.
After a decade's break from the music biz, Läntinen is marking his return to the limelight with a new album sharing the name of his UMK entry, Elämä kantaa mua (Life carries me on).
The track is guitar-driven rock that echoes Coldplay — rhythmically, if not lyrically — in its rousing, stadium-sized chorus: "Life carries me on, like Harley and Davidson / Like an eagle, it flies to the east / I don't feel bad anymore," he sings in his trademark gravelly voice.
The song's official English translation is not particularly eloquent, but even then, Läntinen manages to convey his message with an earnest performance. He told Yle the song is about the courage it takes to make a change in life.
One Eurovision fan on Reddit said: "Huge Dad energy from this and I’m here for it," while another said "This was… really uplifting and fun? Definitely a road trip on Road 4 to your [grandma's] summer cabin type of a song. It has NO chance of winning, but it's nostalgic and Tommi has great energy."
Bookmakers gave the veteran artist extremely slim chances of winning UMK22.
Olivera – Thank God I'm an Atheist
The 28-year-old singer-songwriter Olivera (real name Katriina Ullakko) has many followers on streaming platforms with her songs played millions of times.
Her UMK entry Thank God I'm an Atheist, which "ponders death and the chance for an eternal life," is decidedly more introspective than one might expect to hear as a Eurovision contender.
"I don't wanna be alone tonight / I'm a child full of life / Am I alone with my thoughts? / What's the point of it all / If we only keep living this life to get another one?"
She is accompanied by blockbuster movie-sounding orchestration.
"Nobody knows what happens after we die. What if all the world’s biggest religions are actually right and life never ends? I can't think of anything that causes more anxiety than the idea of eternal life," she told Yle.
Redditor Steppeporpoise19 was impressed, saying: "Oh my gosh this is easily my favourite so far, her voice gives me Amy Winehouse vibes and the instrumental has just the right amount of oomph for it to keep my attention. After reading comments it looks like she'll likely not win, but I sincerely think this would do well at Eurovision."
Eurovisionworld.com suggests Thank God I'm an Atheist has a four percent chance of winning.
Younghearted – Sun numero
The band Younghearted says its breakup song Sun numero(Your Number) represents a shift towards a bigger sound for the young pop trio that was founded when they were still in high school in 2015.
"The song really shows the direction Younghearted is heading. Before, we had a more acoustic, smaller sound. Now, we're going big right out of the gate," the group's guitarist, Emil Korkiakoski, told Yle.
Driven by gentle guitar and piano that gradually build up tension, vocalist Reeta Huotarinen sings: "I will not ask for pardoning / Or that you answer when I ring / I just have to tell you one thing / How much I regret everything / Don't want to bother you for long / One word and I'll leave you alone / And I'll delete from my phone / Your number"
Despite the translation syntax issues, Reddit UMK follower Groenboys gave the track a thumbs up.
"Honestly, my favourite of UMK so far. It is a pretty basic indie ballad, but it is a solid one with nice instrumentals and a grandiosity that feels fit for Eurovision. I am rooting for this one so far!"
However, bookmakers say the group has a projected three percent chance of winning.
Cyan Kicks – Hurricane
Another band in the running which has seen their songs streamed millions of times is the Helsinki-based Cyan Kicks. Founded in 2016, with two albums under their belt, the group describes their music as multi-styled modern rock.
Vocalist Susanna Alexandra said the band likes to change things up.
"We aren't afraid to combine different elements to make our own, distinctive sound. One song might be completely electronic, while another will be seriously heavy, but, at the end of the day, it always sounds like Cyan Kicks," Alexandra said.
Wasting no time with long-winded intros, Hurricane's first verse begins at about three-and-a-half seconds into the track, with the synth-heavy song's chorus breaking in just half a minute later.
"Just like a hurricane / We're tearing down the walls / Not gonna settle for less / We know we're powerful / Don't try to shut us off / We're not gonna shut up / We will never give up / This hurricane won't stop"
Redditor Paary said: "The song doesn't have a massive wow factor but I do like this; it really depends on how they stage the live performance and how the vocals come through. Definitely a good start and Susanna has charisma!"
The track has an 11 percent chance of winning, according to international betting houses.
BESS – Ram pam pam
Helsinki-based electronic pop artist BESS had significant success with her debut album, with her tracks streamed more than 20 million times so far. As of mid-February, the singer has more than 430,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone.
BESS, whose real name is Essi Launimo, told Yle that she has always dreamt of taking part in UMK "someday."
That day has arrived with her entry Ram pam pam, a subwoofer-thumping house number intertwined with a Suomi-Rock-nodding hook.
With a 16 percent chance of winning, her entry is one of few featuring a percentage figure in the double digits.
Redditor LiliumMoon was "positively surprised" by the song.
"I wasn’t expecting much, but it was good. Nothing mind blowing, sounds a lot like many Finnish pop songs you hear on the radio but Bess does have a great voice, enough stage charisma and I liked the sound overall."
The Rasmus – Jezebel
By far, most bets seem to be on veteran pop band The Rasmus to win with its track Jezebel, according to many media outlets as well as bookmakers, which project that the group has a 59 percent chance of heading to Eurovision.
In the early 2000s, Rasmus had one of the biggest international followings ever to come from Finland. Their biggest hit In the Shadows, released in 2003, was a top-selling single, breaking into the pop charts of many countries.
Lead singer, Lauri Ylönen, continues to adorn his hair with bird feathers and the band still seems to go for big, hook-filled choruses. However, the lineup recently changed, after a founding guitarist left the group and was replaced by Emppu Suhonen, whose music career was started in the Finnish girl group TikTak.
"I was pretty shocked when the guys asked me to join the band. And then, a week later, I heard about UMK," she told Yle.
Jezebel, according to Ylönen, is "for strong, independent women, who blaze their own trail," adding that the song is also a bit tongue-in-cheek.
"Midnight, it’s time to put your face on / Game set, a killer shark in heels / I’m just the first shot on your hit list / High kicks, a predator on wheels / Woke up with bruises on my body / Hands tied, like Jesus on the cross / Your name’s in lipstick on the mirror"
Opinions about all seven of the tracks on social media are generally mixed, but only one, Jezebel, seems to be the bookmakers' strong favourite.
Redditor ThatESC asked other fans why they think that might be.
"I heard they're really big in Finland but still none of the fans (that I have seen at least) seem to like the song, Finnish or otherwise. So why are they rated so high in the eurovisionworld posts (pretty much exclusively fans answer those) and the odds?"
Reddit user Duccnator had a theory, in any case.
"You're talking about the odds eh? Well, since we have 75 percent televote, they have the highest chance of winning. That's why people are betting on that. Many people in Finland will vote for them just because 'Ooh it's The Rasmus' without even listening to the song. The casuals if you will. Just kidding," Duccnator suggested.
UMK22 can be seen live on Saturday, 26 February from 9-11pm Finnish time on Yle's streaming platform Areena as well as on Yle TV1. In addition to Finnish and Swedish, the UMK22 show will offer commentary in English, Russian, Northern Sami and Inari Sami.
The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Turin, Italy on May 10, 12 and 14.
Here's how to vote!
Viewers can vote for their UMK favourites and, together with the international juries, select Finland's representative for Eurovision 2022. Online voting can be done by using Yle's mobile app on iOS or Android. In order to vote you need to have an Yle ID. Find out much more here. Voting by SMS is also possible, but unlike the app, it's not free.