Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015 semi-final 1
So I was considering writing something about each contestant at this years Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (=The competition for new music, which is the Finnish national qualifying contest for the Eurovision Song Contest), but I decided that that would be too much work, so I'll just settle for telling you about how it all went down bit for bit as the competition moves along.
Last Saturday was the first of three semi-finals, each with six competing artists and songs, of which three went on to the finals that are on February 28th. The ones that made it through are (click on the artist to see their music video):
Satin Circus - Crossroads
No surprise here. The four-piece pop band from Helsinki has the song that I think will finally make it to the ESC in Austria from Finland, but it will not be as easy as thought in the beginning. Crossroads is an excellent pop song, but they are getting tougher than expected competition, especially after seeing the live performances on Saturday. On the other hand the other bands and artists do not have the dedicated and sizeable fanbase of Satin Circus. Never underestimate the awesome power of girls and young women rooting for the same team. The fact that the vocals have been taken over by bassist Paul Uotila in this song, making Kristian Westerling just the guitarist, was a surprise. I don't find the two that different when it comes to singing, but I guess change can be good. Paul needs to calm down a bit though and train his frontman presence when performing next time, 'cause although he did good it could have been much better. It didn't feel as natural as it should have been.
Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina mun pitää
That this punk band, whose four members have intellectual disabilities, would go through to the finals was no surprise either. Many people love the realness and honesty of the song Aina mun pitää (=I always have to), which probably refers to all the rules that these guys have while living with caretakers who lay out what they should or shouldn't do each and every day. It's the perfect recipe for punk! Also, they are in stark contrast to all other participants in a competition that is notorious for its superficiality. To be honest the song in itself isn't that special, but this is a great example of how important context can be. I'm really glad that they're in this compo, but one shouldn't forget that even though they are getting a lot of press, they're essentially an underground band and their fans would probably never watch this competition, if it wasn't for them being in it.
Norlan "El Misionario" - No voy a llorar por ti
This song was the big surprise last Saturday. On the basis of the music video I didn't think this would make it, but hearing it live was another thing completely. Interesting how something that bores you in a music video context takes you on a different journey when seeing it performed live, even if it was seen through the tv screen. As many have pointed out though, the dancers in both music video and live performance feel kinda out of context considering that Norlan is singing about his deceased father. It is a pumping track, but more emphasis should be put on the content of the lyrics instead of the beat. That would take the whole performance to a higher level. I've noticed by the way that Norlan, originally from Cuba, has quite the following in his adopted hometown of Turku, and they were probably rooting for him a the way last Saturday.
The fallen
The artists who fell through on Saturday were Hans on the Bass with Loveshine, Vilikasper Kanth with Äänen kantamattomiin (=To where sound doesn't reach) and Pihka ja Myrsky with Sydän ei nuku (=The heart doesn't sleep). None of them were bad, and I could easily see them played on mainstream radio in Finland, but when compared to the songs that went through they tended to come out as a bit boring in one way or another.
If you wish to see the first semi-final for yourself you might want to click here and choose "karsinta 1". On that same page you can see the direct broadcast of semi-final 2 next Saturday at 9 pm Finnish time.
