Over the last week the artists, song and details of the Finnish 2021 national final, 'Uuden musiikin kilpailu 2021’ (UMK21) were revealed.
The Aussievision team have been busy going through all seven entries and we now have the complete rankings from the team.
The team's Top 7 songs in reverse order are:
7. Danny - 'Sinä päivänä kun kaikki rakastaa mua’ (32 points)
Highs: 6 points from Ruby
Lows: 1 point from Steven, Cooper, Josh, Emma, Hugo and Guy
There’s something charming about the humour Danny displays in this heartwarming song. A song where lyrical content makes all the difference. ~ Mike
This song reminds me of my Great-Uncle George (who’s 95), and the way he talks... it’s somewhat morose, but calm and consistent, much like Danny’s song. ~ Ruby
Danny's song is not my vibe at all. It doesn't have any spark at all for me and was a struggle to make it through the entire song. It's definitely not what Finland needs at Eurovision. ~ Cooper
I’ve tried and tried but can never make it to the end of the song. Not for me. This sounds like I’m being read a bed time story from Grandpa, in Finnish, with background music. It sounds harsh, but I can’t see this doing any damage. ~ Hugo
I'm usually a fan of local legends doing a traditional sounding song, but I find this song a little flat. The instrumentation eventually kicks in and gives it a lift, but I think it comes a little late. ~ Guy
6. Laura - ‘Play' (46 points)
Highs: 10 points from Guy
Lows: 1 point from Wade, Fleur, Mike and Ruby
A solid effort from the Eurovision veteran but I can't help but feel like it is missing a certain wow factor. Play is a song that I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to again, but I don't dislike it enough to skip the song either. There is an opportunity for a revamp to give the song that extra 'oomph' that it needs if it was to win UMK this year, but I don't think it will get that chance. ~ Josh
I feel like every song in the Finnish selection is strong apart from this. To me the song lacks a message and a memorable hook. ~ Wade
B-grade Miley Cyrus vibes from this one. I love the verses but fair to say I’m disappointed with the chorus; it just doesn’t deliver on the potential and goes nowhere. I really want to like this, but it falls a bit flat. I do like Laura, but this is easy listening and nothing more; very pedestrian for Eurovision. ~ Hugo
It's nice to see my namesake back in UMK with another country pop song! The rasp in her voice adds rawness to the song. I think there are parts in the chorus which could be enunciated more clearly but it's a solid tune. However, the song could do with more of a buildup towards the end to maximise its impact. ~ Laura
Unfortunately, this is the one song of the selection that I forget as soon as it’s over, despite the improved vocal performance from Laura. ~ Ruby
5. Ilta - 'Kelle mä soitan’ (73 points)
Highs: 12 points from Steven, 10 points from Kyriakos
Lows: 1 point from Dale, 2 points from Wade, Cooper, Hugo and Mike
Beautiful voice, good build and I love that it’s in Finnish. It certainly “calls” to me. ~ Steven
It is great to hear a song in Finnish, honestly I wouldn't mind if this entry went to Rotterdam. ~ Kyriakos
Beautiful voice that is pleasing to the ear even if I can't understand a word she is singing. Shows off her range well. ~ Emma
I just have nothing to hold on to here. It floats by with a lovely little vocal, I like the Finnish language use. I just struggle to remember it once it's done. Nice song just not sure it's a competition song. ~ Dale
4. Aksel - ‘Hurt' (95 points)
Highs: 12 points from Hugo and Guy, 10 points from Ruby
Lows: 1 point from Laura
Aksel's song is heart-felt and personal and he sings it beautifully. I would love to see him represent Finland with this song. ~ Guy
This is my type of music to a tee and I adore this from Aksel; the more I listen to it the more I get into it. The whole song is paired back but it really does build with the harmonies in the chorus. Similar vibes to ‘Looking Back’, and hopefully a similar result. ~ Hugo
This is perfectly pleasant and I like Aksel’s voice but it’s lacking some “oomph” or “x factor” for me. ~ Steven
I feel like he is the one to beat. I know his live vocals will deliver. The chorus is familiar and catchy. I don't think people will forget this emotional song. ~ Kyriakos
This is not a terrible song by any means - I think the whole lineup is wonderful and diverse. While the chorus sticks in my head, I struggle to remember the verses and I fear it will be cancelled out by Oskr's song. ~ Laura
3. Teflon Brothers X Pandora - 'I Love You’ (97 points)
Highs: 12 points from Cooper, Josh, Mike, Dale and Laura
Lows: 1 point from Kyriakos, 2 points from Emma and Ruby
The Cicciolina of 2021 has arrived. With my undying love and obsession with last years UMK 2nd place finisher, I feel like this song brings the same fun energy and synth-pop sound. Hopefully this song can triumph and bring some upbeat, cheerful sounds to the 2021 contest amongst what could be a year of sad ballads based on what a terrible year 2020 was for everybody. ~ Josh
This song is super fun, I love its high energy! The chorus is very simple but super catchy. It feels like a timeless classic already, probably because the lyrics are mostly in Finnish and the English parts of the song are straightforward, constructed similarly to a lot of K-pop songs. I love the arcade theme in the music video, I hope there will be a Dance Dance Revolution-style staging for the live performance! ~ Laura
It's just a careless fun electro-pop song. From first listen, it was really good. The chorus is immediately catchy and easy to sing along too. I would love to see this represent Finland at Eurovision in Rotterdam. ~ Cooper
Dead catchy and capturing the 80’s synth style that is so prevalent so far this National Final season. This looks like Finland’s best bet for Rotterdam ~ Mike
This is the definition of infectious. As soon as I heard this I could not stop singing that chorus. Love the mix of language with English chorus and Finnish hip hop lyrics. This will stick with people whether they like it or not. Easily my winner, love it! ~ Dale
A chorus of just repeated “I Love You” prevents me from ranking Teflon Brothers X Pandora any higher. I LOVE the beat and retro video game look and I don’t mind the Finnish-sung verses, but that chorus is BAY-SIC. And I reckon any reasonable jury member would agree. ~ Steven
I can't believe I placed this song last, it goes to show how good the songs for UMK 2021 are. This entry is different yet fun and refreshing. It's retro, it's 80's. It will fit in well with Eurovision. ~ Kyriakos
2. Oskr - ‘Lie' (102 points)
Highs: 10 points from Emma, Fleur, Hugo, Laura, Steven and Wade
Lows: 2 points from Josh
I'm not usually a fan of acoustic ballads but this one cuts right through. The storytelling in the lyrics is fantastic and the harmonies in the chorus add to the raw emotion of the song. It's very radio-friendly yet there's also a very genuine quality about it. I don't think anyone should count this out; if it does go to Rotterdam, I think it could get Finland a great result! ~ Laura
Lie was a close second for me, and will probably be my top if Blind Channel's live performance falls flat. ~ Wade
It is a beautiful song that carries the listener all the way through. Lie is more about quality than quantity in terms of production. It will be interesting to see how this fairs against returnee Aksel. ~ Cooper
Really solid entry here from Oskr, it is a little paint by numbers Lewis Capaldi, but it's current, it's jury friendly and I have no issues with it. Enjoyable. ~ Dale
This song didn't jump out at me on the first listen, but has grown on me a little since. It's about middle of the road for me on this year's UMK line up. ~ Guy
1. Blind Channel - 'Dark Side’ (114 points)
Highs: 12 points from Emma, Fleur, Kyriakos, Ruby and Wade
Lows: 2 points from Guy, 4 points from Laura and Steve
This studio version is an instant mood setter, sounding like a blend of Linkin Park and Bring Me The Horizon. I really hope they can recreate the sound live. ~ Wade
For me this was the easy choice. I love the Linkin Park vibes here. Finland does hard rock well and I am here for that. It would be quite refreshing to hear something like this at Eurovision again. ~ Fleur
A darkness that hits you in the face! I actually love this song, though the lyrics are bleak and I don't know how lyrics like "put your middle fingers up" would translate at Eurovision. But I hope Finland bring us the rock again! ~ Kyriakos
Sounds like it is straight from the late 2000's with that nostalgic pop rock/ pop punk sound which I miss! Gives me vibes of 'We Could Be The Same' which is one of my favourite runner-ups in Eurovision history. I would not be mad if this won UMK 2021 and gave us the diversity of genres that we rarely get in Eurovision nowadays. ~ Josh
I love a rock song with a strong melody and a chorus you actually want to sing (or shout) along to. This is top quality...it reminds me of something Linkin Park might have released. And I love that it's not too shouty (except for the last note) and I think we can forgive them for that! Will definitely appeal to the younger vote and I imagine would do very well in the televote at Eurovision. ~ Emma
Not a rock and roll guy at all, but this certainly catches my attention. Just enough of a melody in the chorus for me to enjoy it, but the verses get a bit screamy for my liking. Getting real Linkin Park vibes here. ~ Hugo
In a sea of slower, and somewhat dated songs, ‘Dark Side’ comes screaming out in its rock glory. Lyrically this song may be a little polarising, but otherwise does a great job at angsty Finnish rock. ~ Ruby
UMK21 will take part on February 20 (the morning of the 21st Australian time). The winner will be decided by a mixed vote from the public and an international jury.
Our latest 'Eurovision Weekly Update' podcast episode is out! We cover semi 2 of Norway's 'Melodi Grand Prix', heat 2 of Lithuania's 'Pabandom iš naujo!', top songs from Finland & Israel plus other news from the week. Listen via Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you get them!
For continued updates on all the national finals follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, find us @aussievisionnet
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