Over the last week the artists, song and details of the Finnish 2024 national final, 'Uuden musiikin kilpailu 2024’ (UMK24) were revealed.
14 members of the Aussievision team have been busy going through all seven entries and we now have the complete rankings from the team.
Each song was ranked 1st to 7th with the amount of points given for each position below:
1st - 12 points
2nd - 10 points
3rd - 8 points
4th - 6 points
5th - 4 points
6th - 2 points
7th - 1 point
The team's Top 7 songs in reverse order are, with some comments from the team:
7. Sexmane - 'Mania' (49 points)
Highs: 8 points from Steven and Fleur, 6 points from Mark
Lows: 1 point from Hayley, Laura and Kyriakos
6. Jesse Markin - 'Glow' (60 points)
Highs: 8 points from Laura, Liv 🐎 and Craig, 6 points from Hugo, Emma and Dale
Lows: 1 point from Sam and Steven
5. Mikael Gabriel X Nublu - 'Vox Populi' (64 points)
Highs: 12 points from Mark, 8 points from Hayley and Kiel
Lows: 1 point from John Christian, Emma, Hugo and Fleur
"The chorus we’ve been waiting for! The “Vox Populi” refrain could well be this year’s “Cha Cha, Cha Cha Cha Cha”. There’s a punk sensibility to this I gravitate towards: they’ve got something to say, and they say it well - the lyrics are cutting and clever. Let’s hope the spacesuits from the music video are retired for the live performance, because they threaten to take this excellent entry into the dreaded Land of Gimmickry." ~ Mark
4. Windows95man - 'No Rules' (70 points)
Highs: 10 points from Liv 🐎 and Fleur, 8 points from John Christian, Kyriakos and Dale
Lows: 1 point from Craig and Mark
"The ape part of my brain is banging my chest with nostalgia. First listen transported me to being a little kid playing DOS games on my own Windows95 computer. It's utter rubbish and I bloody adore it." ~ Liv 🐎
"Okay, I was expecting this to be awful but it's a fun banger. Granted his vocals are not the greatest but Eurovision is a crazy party, right?" ~ Fleur
3. Cyan Kicks - 'Dancing With Demons' (107 points)
Highs: 12 points from John Christian, Kiel, Sam, Hayley and Steven, 10 points from Hugo
Lows: 2 points from Mark, 1 point from Dale
"In this super-stacked field, my heavy-rock-loving heart has given these guys the slight nod as Käärijä's successor to wave the Finnish flag at Eurovision. 'Dancing With Demons' is a punchy track with a brilliantly catchy chorus, and judging by the video, you can only imagine what they might be able to whip up staging wise in Malmo. While acts like Sara and Sexmane could be a better choice for the Finns to send if they want to go one better this year, Cyan Kicks tick the box for giving EV fans what they traditionally expect from Finland - a solid rock number." ~ Kiel
"A fantastic Finnish tune that sensationally combines rock and electro-pop. Whilst too many songs in this UMK line up feel loud the whole way just for the sake it, there is nuance and variation in intensity to this track. Overall this creates a sophisticated piece that also pays homage to Finland’s Eurovision rock tradition. The fiery musical interlude almost points to a spectacular dance-off Noa Kirel style! Given my evangelical childhood I feel a bit sinful for loving a song title ‘Dancing With Demons’, but honestly who cares? It is freaking brilliant. Really rooting for this to represent Finland, and this would be a worthy successor to ‘Cha Cha Cha’." ~ Sam
"I actually, really really like this. A rock band led by a girl is right up my alley. I loved 'Hurricane' and this band in general, and I enjoy the great wall of rock sound and this is so well produced and really slick for rock. The video clip gives a great a glimpse into potential staging and I can see this winning UMK and going to the big stage in May." ~ Hayley
"This is really good pop rock; catchy chorus, strong rock instrumentation and the lead singer has plenty of charisma. We saw at UMK a few years back they can perform live, so I’m excited to see what they can do on stage with this. Probably the safe pick out of the ones vying for the title." ~ Hugo
2. Sini Sabotage - 'Kuori mua' (112 points)
Highs: 12 points from Emma, Fleur and Laura, 10 points from Kyriakos, Craig, Mark, Hayley and Dale
Lows: 2 points from Steven, 1 point from Kiel and Liv 🐎
"I have been listening to this on repeat since its release...it's catchy and cheeky and you could do a lot with the staging and choreography. The trick will be if she can pull it off live and how the concept would translate on stage. But this is definitely one for the Spotify playlist." ~ Emma
"For me this was easily the pick of the bunch. I love the bass, the piano, the whole vibe really. It sounds like something straight out of RuPaul's Drag Race. It's fantastic but I wonder how it would sound live. Definitely will be on Eurovision party playlists for sure." ~ Fleur
"A four-to-the-floor dance anthem that harkens back to the club tracks of the mid 2000s. I love the piano solo parts - it makes the song feel very unique! My personal favourite in a very strong selection this year." ~ Laura
"Something about this is more than a little Rupaul's Drag Race - but whereas most Drag Race songs at Eurovision have tended to sound a bit like knock-offs, this sounds like the sort of thing Rupaul would have actually produced back in her peak period. The piano breaks, the beat, the music video... it all gets me yassing, what can I say. Love it." ~ Craig
"Sexy and cool, this song sits in the same successful lane as the likes of Doja Cat. The piano of the intro and bridge adds welcome light and shade, and theatricality and warmth, to a quality club track with very fashionable 90s nods (you can almost sing Madison Avenue’s Don’t Call Me Baby over the chorus). Sini exudes star quality too, which won’t hurt one bit." ~ Mark
1. Sara Siipola - 'Paskana' (140 points)
Highs: 12 points from Kyriakos, Craig, Hugo, Liv 🐎 and Dale, 10 points from John Christian, Kiel, Sam, Emma, Steven and Laura
Lows: 6 points from Fleur and Hayley
"This is great. After a couple of years where the trend has been towards quite stripped-back, minimalist ballads at Eurovision, Paskana gives us a full-bodied power ballad that brings just the right level of campy emotion. The Finnish language sounds so good in this context, and I have no doubt Sara will present this well. Expecting this to lift further live, hopefully win the ticket to Malmö and probably deliver another great result for Finland!" ~ Craig
"This is high impact, catchy and a bit “All The Things She Said” sounding so I love it! I think it would be very unique at Eurovision. Would love to see Finland take a risk with this. Nothing will ever follow Cha Cha Cha but this is still really good!" ~ Hugo
"Five, six, seven, ATE. Category 5 gagging. Pop OFF queen. The way she says serious stuff AND looks good whilst doing it WITH a banging tune. Killer combo. Bloody love it." ~ Liv
"We haven't send a woman to represent Finland since 2018, and if Cyan Kicks does not win, this would be the likely path Finland will go. Its messaging is raw and relates to the current state of love life that we are living in." ~ John Christian
"This is a great contemporary pop song with a bit of Euro magic dust sprinkled on it. She seems great, I love the Finnish language use and it just ticks all my boxes." ~ Dale
"I enjoy this more each time I listen to it. Sara has a great vocal range. And she really conveys the emotion of the song so beautifully. This would be a worthy choice for Finland to send to Eurovision." ~ Emma
"A well-constructed package that is ESC ready. If the live vocal is as strong as the recorded one, then this classy entry could well take the UMK crown. To me, there’s something rather Loreen-esque about this." ~ Steven
What do you think of the team's rankings? How do you rank the entries this? Let us know on our socials.
UMK24 will take part on February 10 (the morning of the 11th Australian time). The winner will be decided by a combination of public and jury votes.
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