Finland is VERY Finnish

Finland selected their entry last weekend in Tampere. It was a bland affair to be honest but there were two songs I kind of liked. Of course none of them even made it to the final 3... Your standards are slipping dear old Suomi!

The winning song is called "Työlki ellää" sung in a Finnish dialect by two blondes who call themselves Kuunkuiskaajat. (Try saying that out loud several times in a row..!) They remind me of 70s sisters Koivistolaiset who sang for Finland in 1971 together with Markku Aro. The sound is extremely Finnish ready to go with an accordion and violins. But really, violins are SO 2009 and the accordion has NEVER been in fashion. Not my cuppa and I think they will struggle in the semi final in May but at the same time I know that it could have been even worse. That horrid humppa song could have won.

Good luck Finland - you'll need it!


Finland 2010 - "Työlki ellää"

These two songs are the ones I would have preferred...


Sister Twister - "Love at the first sight" (Euroviisut 2010)


Heli Kajo - "Annankadun kulmassa" (Euroviisut 2010)

Swedish jury and more

So it's been revealed who the "music-experts" in the Swedish jury were...

Sarah Dawn Finer, singer
Magnus Carlsson, singer (+ schlager fan)
Anna Charlotta Gunnarsson, TV/radio presenter (+ schlager fan)
Michael Cederberg, radio producer (+ schlager fan)
L-G Alsenius, radio producer

Eh, ok... Who was in charge of finding suitable people for the jury? Christer Björkman? I thought the jury was supposed to consist of trendy musicians and producers who knows what is quality and freshness anno 2009. Not just a bunch of ESC-fans. I can live with Sarah D Finer as she was one of the MF-jury's favourites this year, but the rest? Producing Svensktoppen isn't that hot!

I would much rather have seen Alexander Bard, Mr & Mrs Bagge or Andreas Carlsson (judges in Swedish Idols), Robyn, Marit Bergman etc. Did they all say no, SVT???

I am still awaiting the separate votes from the jury only. I hope they will be made public!

This is how Sweden (jury + televoters) voted in the semi:
1p Belarus
2p Switzerland
3p Portugal
4p Malta (what the fuck?!? Chiara was vile in the semi!)
5p Armenia
6p Israel (another question mark...)
7p Turkey
8p Bosnia-Herzegovina
10p Finland
12p Iceland

And in the final:
1p Albania
2p Greece
3p Armenia
4p Finland
5p Bosnia-Herzegovina
6p Turkey
7p Estonia
8p Azerbaijan
10p Iceland
12p Norway

The Finnish and Romanian jury results have been made public. Any readers knowing about other countries?

Finnish jury in the final (1-12p): Israel, Sweden, Bosnia, Armenia, Turkey, France, Malta, Norway, Estonia and Iceland.

Romanian jury in the final (1-12p): Azerbaijan, Israel, UK, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Armenia, Malta, Moldova, Iceland.

UPDATE!

Estonian jury in the final (1-12p): Azerbaijan, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Albania, Portugal, Israel, Norway, Russia and Iceland.

Estonian televotes (1-12p): UK, Denmark, France, Sweden, Lithuania, Finland, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Russia and Norway.

Posh on Finland

Waldo’s People – Lose Control 4/5
I’m so happy that the Finns stepped out of their comfort zone and are treating us with something else than rock for a change. Kiitos my lovely Suomi! It sounds flatter live than on record but it’s still a good song and it stands out from the crowd. Karoliina both sings well and looks gorgeous so hopefully Finland will scrap through.

Finland get it right! And no rock in sight!

Winner! Waldo's People - "Lose Control"

I told you Waldo's People would have to win. This means Finland will be in the final yet again. Now that's a promise! And how fun was it to see Annie Kratz Gutå once again! As soon as the Swedish tabloids find out a Swede is involved in the entry Finland will get a buzz and probably 12 points in the semi final. You're welcome! :)

It was really tight between the winner and Signmark in the superfinal though. 45% of the votes compared to 41% or similar. Poor Passionworks were never even close. I would have been happy with Signmark too so congratulations to the Finns. You made me very proud last night. Let's continue on this road next year. Let the rock music sleep for a while and step out of your comfort zone for good.

Suomi on the move

You all know that Euroviisut is the reason Becks is unfaithful to me this year. But did you also know that Finland has quite a good selection of songs in 2009? And what more, 3 out of 12 acts have made music videos to accompany their entries BEFORE the final! Well done!


Waldo's People - "Lose Control"


Signmark feat. Ismo Ikonen - "Speakerbox"


Remu - "Planeetta"

Check Beck's new place to hear all songs. I'm saying Waldo's People to win on Jan 31. What are you saying?

Nordic points

All five Nordic countries were in the final for the first time since 2000, which is a great achievement in itself. We should all be proud and happy about it, but then it is in our nature to hope for more than just initial success.

Norway made us all proud and defended the Nordic flags in the top five of the scoreboard. Maria had great luck in the draw, but more importantly she sang very well and managed to be totally likeable on stage. A strong chorus that deserved to be Norway's best showing since 2003.

Iceland at #14 is a tiny disappointment as well. I thought the song would reach out and grab more people in the end, but making it to the final for the first time since 2004 should be enough to keep the icelanders happy. And they did beat Denmark in the last round of votes. Rightly so, may I add. Danes are lovely people, but all their last entries (including this one) leave me totally cold.

Leaving people cold is apparently what Sweden did also. Taking this contest more seriously than the EBU themselves, a second consecutive 18th place is very hard to digest. I don't for a second think that Charlotte or "Hero" deserved to go so low in the ranking, but the points talk frankly: this passed the voters by. Not even the Nordic neighbours spilled points over it. There is something in the Swedish recipe that passed its date of expiry, without the Swedes noticing. Being elegant, cold and impeccably produced won't take you far anymore. I just hope people realise that Charlotte is not the one to blame here - it just didn't work out. Sometimes the world is like that.

Finland had managed to whip up a frenzy on home ground, thinking Teräsbetoni could actually win the grand final. As soon as the initial disappointment goes away (who would be happy with a 22nd place?), the Finns will calm down and feel satisfied with being in the final for the third year running. And, hopefully, get the message from Europe: rock was really fun for a while. But now we would like something else.

Finlande douze points

And well, Finland is in the final. A bit unexpected, if you ask me, and it does feel peculiar - after all these times we wanted Finland to get to the final and failed, then the Finnish contribution makes it when I am less keen on it.

It doesn't matter much, though. It is a relief to have Finland on the scoreboard in the final for the third year running. This has not happened for many a good year. It is also good for public interest at home, it will improve the ratings for Saturday's final and it will, once and for all, kill any misconceptions of Finnish being an "impossible" language to sing in.

One of the reasons Finland made it to the final is surely a certain roughness; while many others kept flashing more or less genuine smiles all over the place, desperate to be loved, Teräsbetoni didn't care for being liked at all. And that quality hit home in the semi, let's see how many points they gather in the final.

I just worry a bit what the national final will look like next year. Will we have 12 rock acts singing in Finnish? All I ask for is a little bit of diversity, and for Finland to do a new genre next year. For a change.

Semi 1: not too bad, eh?

I can hardly remember what countries I predicted beforehand, but we did predictions also after seeing the entries on telly, and then I had a new bunch of songs.

The ones I thought
Israel, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Greece.
Not too inaccurate, I must say. I had two things wrong and eight countries right. I am particularly happy about Ireland and Estonia losing out, proving there are still things such as sensibility, taste and fairness in the world.
I feel genuinely sorry for the Netherlands - this time they really deserved going through. And I wonder if Andorran television is beginning to have second thoughts about entering the ESC.

But the finalists!

ISRAEL
Fantastic to have them through, as Boaz sang very sweetly and the song is enchanting. Also good to see that being drawn as #2 doesn't automatically stop you.

AZERBAIJAN
They did well live, but I thought the cocktail would prove a bit too much for the average viewer. It seems the average viewer is capable of more than I thought.

NORWAY
I got really nervous about Norway as they were in the last envelope. For a while, I thought they had failed and was prepared to cry bitter tears. Maria was brilliant and sang really well.

POLAND
There is something about Isis Gee that is a bit scary: especially the teeth and the drop of sweat that came off her during the song. But she sang like a marvel and the song is truly worthy of a place in the final. Most probably the choice of the jury, though.

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
The stars of the night! Wonderful, brilliant, wacko, hysterical and very, very good. They can still win it!

ARMENIA
A video went around Youtube of Friday night's rehearsal, where Sirusho sang quite flatly all the way through. Tonight she sounded a lot better, and danced with more gusto. But it feels like the director of the show is not her best friend - lousy camera work on this one.

FINLAND
What happened here? Finland in the final for the third year running? I don't understand a thing, but it is good for the domestic ratings. I am contented. But I hope Teräsbetoni won't do too well, for the sake of next year's national final.

ROMANIA
Classy and good, but I had hoped for something more. Even more drama and prettier clothes. But still, surely a contender for Saturday night.

RUSSIA
I don't think the stage show really worked. Frenetic, too many things happening, too much acting. I just get bored and distracted, but it was expected that people would like this.

GREECE
Just like Armenia, the director seemed not to be too keen on this one and missed the big trick with the book. Wouldn't surprise me if it was tonight's winner, though. Better vocal performance than the Greek final suggested.

Now it is time to head for bed, more analysis to follow tomorrow...

Posh on Finland

Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa 1/5
Dear old Finland, you are becoming predictable with this rock behaviour and although it’s your comfort zone perhaps you should be courageous enough to move on. On a positive note, you have no competition in this genre and that might just get you off the hook. But the song does nothing for me. Cristal Snow would have been an exciting choice and you know it…

Becks on Finland

Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa 2/5

Oh dear, time to face up to Finland, my beloved country of adoption since almost six years back. Moment of truth. What do I think about the Finland entry?

Not much, to be honest. It is not bad, it is not good. It is not exciting, it is not impressive, it is not a disaster. It is not much at all. It is a collection of men in leather and in need of an urgent hair-makeover. Oh, yeah, there is a rock-ified version of "Dschingis Khan" playing in the background as well.

Out of the twelve songs in the running in the national final, this is what the Finns wanted. I just find it very boring that Finland goes for rock for the third consecutive year, and very standardised rock at that. What happened to all the good pop that is made over here?

However, the rockers were very lucky with the draw. They could very well move on to the final because they sing late and sound different from the rest and have at least a very energetic intro (before the song rolls over and falls asleep). But when I see the horribly bad promo video, that's when I take issue. Was this the best you could come up with?

In the final?
Could be. Anyone's guess is as good as mine, but considering Finland's old luck, the answer is no.

Genius @ work

I have been very quiet on this front lately, right? No worries, I did not crash and burn after the national selection season, I have just been extremely busy working in Euroland, finding no energy to spend here.

Sorry, sorry, but I hope you will find my efforts rewarding anyway.

What I have done is to complete the background information for the Swedish Eurovision previews that will start airing on SVT and FST5 late April and that we shot Tuesday and Wednesday in Stockholm.

A panel consisting of Thomas Lundin, Thomas Järvheden, Babben Larsson, Shirley Clamp and Lena Philipsson will pass judgement on the 43 competing entries, handing out marks between 0 - 5 to every contender. Five means incredibly good and zero means, more or less, insulting.

Without giving too much away, I can safely guarantee enjoyable watching, with a panel consisting of very different tempers and approaches towards the entries, but who all go into their task with enthusiasm and intelligence.

Will they enrage the eurofans? Of course they will. A few of the fan favourites will get some serious bashing, but then some others will get plenty of votes all around. And what will this Swedish/Finnish panel make of the chances of Sweden and Finland?

Excitement is rising to fever pitch, and this is surely must-see television. And I am happily back in the world of blogs.

Lucky #2

Swedish newspapers are slowly beginning to realise that Charlotte Perrelli's number two slot in the running order is far from a good place to be. Christer Björkman, from the Swedish delegation, pointed out that no song ever won ESC from a #2 starting position and now the newspapers cry. It is all over, there is no hope and we could just as well send in Céline Dion to sing "My Heart Will Go On" as the Swedish ship is sinking.

Again, they are rather short on analysis. It is true that no #2 ever won the contest, but the semi final is not about coming out on top. It is a question of ending up among the top ten, and that is more than possible from a #2 spot.

And in the final, there is no risk of Charlotte ending up singing in second position. The UK has already secured that unlucky spot for themselves.

But here are quite a few songs that made top ten despite singing as #2:



Michèle Torr - Une petite française - Monaco 1977
4/18



Sophie Carle - 100 % d'amour - Luxembourg 1984
10/19



Sonja Lumme - Eläköön elämä - Finland 1985
9/19



Gina G - Ooh... Aah... Just A Little Bit - United Kingdom 1996
8/23



Sebnem Paker & Ethnic - Dinle - Turkey 1997
3/25



Jessica Garlick - Come Back - UK 2002
=3/24

Euroviisut - Wrong decision

Booooring! I have no interest whatsoever in Teräsbetoni. Can't see the rest of Europe disagreeing with me on that either. Did the Finns even for a minute think of what the best choice for ESC would be? Heavy rock is big in Finland. True. But in schlager-lala-land that is Eurovision? Whatever. Their loss! I'm glad that I moved from Helsinki at the right time to become a proud Swede again. Tried to convince Becks to do the same last night over the phone. Please come home! ;-)

Kari Tapio came ridiculously close to win a trip to the Balkans. Scary thought. We have enough old men from Croatia to keep us company this year. So kiitos for the little things Suomi!

My big favourite Cristal Snow did surprisingly well. Thought he would be too weird and different to reach 3rd place in dear old Finland. This was the only song in the final that could have worked on international ground if you ask me. Risky and daring. Just what Finland would have needed the year after hosting the event to show Europe that they are still a country to keep track of.


Cristal Snow - "Can't Save Me"

He looks just like Laura Voutilainen! Don't you agree?! And wohoo he already made a video for the song. Impressive! Foolish, foolish Finland for not picking this!

Heavy, Finland

Just as I thought, Teräsbetoni won the finnish final. The surprise was the slim margin to Kari Tapio as well as the fact that somebody as outlandish as Cristal Snow would stand a chance in a Finnish televote.

So, for the third consecutive year, Finland goes rock and everyone in the hall was overjoyed last night. That is great, then. If Finland is happy, I am happy.

But I suspect most european viewers will look at Teräsbetoni and see a pale, washed-out Lordi-copy. And then vote for somebody else. It is time to think new and daring. The way that Lordi were.

But it is nice to hear some Finnish back on the eurostage again, for the first time in ten years time.



Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa - Finland 2008

Euroviisut 2008

Tonight, at Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki, the 2008 Finnish final will be held, in which the Finns by televote will determine who will fly the Finnish flag in the semi final on May 20th.

I really dug deep inside my soul to try and write something witty and positive about the finalists, but there is nothing. I am so sad to say this, but for the first time since the last ice age, I couldn't really give a toss about who wins in Finland.

I can't see any of these 12 songs in the running go through to the big final. You should never say never, and sometimes songs work surprisingly well once they end up in the final mix, that is true. But my enthusiasm is low. There are good singers, but their songs are really weak. All the songs sound like OK album tracks rather than promising hit singles.

Two songs could possibly do the trick with a bit of luck. Teräsbetoni could stand out a bit, since the songs of the first semi aren't the strongest, but there is a turkey and the Estonian goofheads to stel their thunder. Movetron could possibly fit into the seemingly popular retro 90's trend that seems to be going on. But I have my doubts.

However, sometimes all a country needs is a complete flop and quality meltdown. One serious flop can make a national broadcaster renew the entire selection procedure, and if there is anything Finland would need, then it is a complete change of formula. Maybe the low quality of Euroviisut is the first step towards better times?

So, I will pull myself together and make a prediction. I think the two songs going through from the Second Chance round will be Jenna and Crumbland or, if the Cristal Snow fans tune in as early as this, Ninja could be a surprise. But I doubt it.

The final ding-dong will go on between the three respective winners of the semi finals, or I would be very surprised. The top three will, thus, consist of Kari Tapio, Mikael Konttinen and Teräsbetoni. Kari and Mikael will split the schlager vote between them, Teräsbetoni will win, and Finland will promote heavy music for the third year running. Any chance that Europe is getting a wee bit tired of that?

Euroviisut, third semi

So, the third and last Finnish semi is over and now we have sorted the songs into ready finalists and the ones that have to go through the second chance-round. Does it strike anyone else that it is actually an advantage to go through the Second Chance?

The semis usually have really low ratings in Finland, while the final should have somewhere around a million viewers. Which means that the majority of the viewers will hear the songs for the first time on March 1st. Which, in turn, means that the songs that go through Second Chance (held as a part of the final broadcast) will have an advantage on the previous "winners".

Anyway, the third semi went rather the way I expected. Loud rock with a singer lacking a credible voice proved to be the dish of the day, and, somewhat surprisingly, drag act Cristal Snow sneaked into the final as well, leaving Jenna, giving clearly the most polished performance of the night, behind.

I would not be surprised if Jenna broke through to the final and ended rather high in the final ranking there. But reason tells me that the three weekly winners will fight it out for the title. This is what it all looked like in the Tohloppi studios on Friday night:



Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa - Finland NF 2008 QF



Cristal Snow - Can't Save Me - Finland NF 2008 QF



Jenna - Sinua varten - Finland NF 2008 - Second Chance



Vuokko Hovatta - Virginia - Finland NF 2008 - Second Chance

Ninja & Cristal Snow

I liked seeing the names of Ninja and Cristal Snow in the Euroviisut line-up, but I don't think they really delivered songs that live up to their regular standard. Just to showcase my point of view, here goes with some better singles from them. Am I right or am I right?



Ninja - Hush Hush



Cristal Snow - Cristal Clear

Euroviisut - the songs, part 3

Friday will see the third and last semi in Finland, and four songs will work it out who will go straight into the final and who will rumble in the Second Chance round.

1. JENNA - Sinua varten 3/5
Last year's Tango Queen goes Euroviisut with a style far removed from Finnish Tango, written by NylonBeat's old genius Risto Asikainen. What comes up is an adorably sweet little pop number, with a very soft and tender sound and a clever arrangement. Jenna looks like a tiny sweet and delivers the whole thing in a convincing way. Unfortunately, there is not enough of a hook to make this a serious contender in an international pop contest. More than good enough to make heavy rotation on the domestic radio stations, but not a universal smash.

2. CRISTAL SNOW - Can't save me 2/5
Cristal Snow is an interesting figure, well renowned in the Helsinki Gay Circuit after winning the title Miss Drag Queen 2006. Anyone thinking DQ or Sestre here would have something else coming, though. Musically, Cristal Snow is far more challenging with a deliberately trashy mix of pop, punk and a touch of Bowie. Not bad. And this could have been very promising, but disappointingly enough, this is mainly a re-hash of Cristal's hit single "Cristal clear" that was played a lot on air last winter. Europe wouldn't know about it, but this version is weaker and less inventive. The chorus is good, but the rest of the package feels a bit unfinished. A great shame - this could have been one of the most interesting things Finland ever sent off.

3. VUOKKO HOVATTA - Virginia 2/5
Kerkko Koskinen rides again - the genius behind UltraBra, "Shanghain valot" and last week's qualifyer "Milloin". You instantly recognise his sound, and this song (about Virigina Woolf) starts out nicely. This could be something along the lines of classic Euroviisut ballads like "An Actress" from 2005, but it gets lost somewhere along the way. There is no real chorus, and nothing to really hang on to. Vuokko sings it very well, but it would take a miracle to turn this song into a contender.

4. TERÄSBETONI - Missä miehet ratsastaa 1/5
And then, finally, the song I fear. Is this the number that the heavy metal fans will vote to victory on March 1st? It is not impossible. This is a mixture of drums, guitars, viking symbols and "Dschingis Khan" and something in the back of my head tells me that it will impress all the wrong people who will vote like maniacs for it. What is wrong with that, then? Lordi did well, didn't they? True, but Lordi could sing. There was a tune, and there was a touch of style to the whole thing. This is just loud, insensitive and severely lacking in the voice department. Could be a winner, but a very unlucky choice, if so.

My prediction:
The viewers will probably vote Jenna and Teräsbetoni into the final this Friday. But if the number of voters are low, the fans of Cristal Snow could upset the figures, and then he could possibly knock out Jenna. We shall see.

Euroviisut, second semi

In a state filled of fever and exhaustion, I watched last nights Finnish semi number two and was slightly underwhelmed by what I saw. I knew the songs in advance, I knew what I was getting. But I keep getting surprised at how little thought goes into making this show.

I won't comment further on the lack of dynamics in the TV-show (but still: how can you make 50 minutes feel like an entire life???) and go straight for the songs:



Mikael Konttinen - Milloin - Finland 2008 NF QF
Clearly the best song in the line-up, but even the staging underlines the fact that this is a washed out recycled version of "Shanghain valot". Mikael sells the song really well, and comes across as a charming young man, but when your backing singers are intended to do synchronised movements in the background, the least one could expect is for them to be synchronised.



Kristian Meurman - Jos en sua saa - Finland 2008 NF QF
There is nothing to add about this song that I wouldn't have written the other night. Except, perhaps, that Kristian had let his hair out of the pigtail, which was, style wise, even more dubious than what he is normally up to.



Ninja - Battlefield Of Love - Finland 2008 NF - Second Chance
The lack of a chorus in combination with a lack of singing voice turns out to be a very unfortunate mix. Add a most viewer-unfriendly choreography (mixed with a camera work that may not be the hottest around) and the failure is imminent and irreversible. Too bad, this number could have turned into something good.



Jippu - Kanna minut - Finland 2008 NF - Second Chance
Wonderful Jippu managed to turn my mind around completely concerning this song. She totally sold it to me on stage. Not that it helped. Chanceless in the voting, and very likely that stunt will be repeated in the Second Chance round. But if there is any justice in the world, this will help Jippu sell a few more albums to the people out there with taste.

My prediction so far:
The final will be a private dingdong between Kari Tapio and Mikael Konttinen, given the fact they had almost the same share of percentage winning their respective semis. Neither of which would make Finland a sure qualifyer in Belgrade, I'm afraid...

Euroviisut, the songs - part 2

Still loads of work going on. But of course I must have my say on the second Finnish semi final as well.

1. NINJA - Battlefield Of Love 3/5
Ninja is a wonderful creation - a madcap former model turned pop star, mainly because she wants to herself. She is a kind of Finnish mix between Björk and Vanessa Paradis, with a hint of super model sprinkled over the package. Her debut album "I don't play guitar" may not have been the biggest seller but contains many hooky choruses, and even produced at least on single-hit in Sweden, where "Hush Hush" did quite well in the charts. In theory, I am very positive to all of this: a fast, trashy, pop punk pastiche in a furious tempo, but the entire thing collapses into a big, black hole when there is no chorus. Ninja's album is bursting full of choruses - why doesn't she have one here? I don't understand a thing. Not bad, but could have been so much better.

2. KRISTIAN MEURMAN - Jos en sua saa 1/5
Kristian is this year's Idols reject, a category that seems to have grown compulsory in this contest lately, and many people took to his singing during and after last season. He has mainly sung Finnish classics and evergreens and tried to make them his own. The song he has chosen to sing in Euroviisut will, most probably, not end up in the songbooks. A monotonous ballad that feels heavy on your shoulders way before three minutes have passed. Not a surprise if the Finns fall headlong for this song, though.

3. JIPPU - Kanna minut 2/5
Jippu is a Finnish singer/songwriter with a very intimate style and her very own way of performing. Fair and square, but maybe a bit too inaccessible for the larger audiences. The acute problem of this song is that the first minute completely lacks dynamics and pushes every inattentive listener away. Then there will be a very sweet chorus, but by then most people will have stopped listening. Unfortunately.

4. MIKAEL KONTTINEN - Milloin 3/5
And here he comes, the saviour. Kerkko Koskinen, who used to be the primus motor of Ultra Bra, has written a very effective floor filler for every Finnish traditional dance salon and this will be the favourite of the domestic radio stations. Mikael Konttinen could very well be a Jari Sillanpää in the making, but no amount of enthusiasm can cover up the fact that this is a shadow of Kerkko's "Shanghain valot" from 2006. Good, but not as good.

My prediction:
Mikael Konttinen and Kristian Meurman will get voted into the final, even though I would favour Ninja over Meurman any given moment. But maybe she will break through from the Second Chance round?