So, the UMK14 (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, the Finnish national Eurovision preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest) culminated in Softengine's victory, and thus the juniors of the competition earned their tickets to Copenhagen. Was I surprised? No. But was I still disappointed? Well, yeah. I had a couple of favourites that I would've preferred to the winning act (good as it was) but while none of them made it to the ESC, I can always replay the music videos of those songs instead. Here are Popheaval's picks for the best UMK entries, and now you can check out their music videos as well!
Hukka ja Mama's "Selja" was the one I rooted for the most. I just can't help loving the sincerity and the naiveness of this wonderful tune. The duo themselves described the song as "toylike" and as a mixture of loveliness and melancholy. The delightfully childlike music video recreates that feeling - and you might even learn a little Finnish thanks to the toy letters that spell some of the lyrics - with the result being this adorable clip:
I would've loved to see MIAU rocking the ESC stage with their bizarre backup dancers but unfortunately that didn't happen. They did make it to top 3 in the competition though which is awesome! The ballsy trio is currently working on their debut album which is due to be released this May. Meanwhile, feel free to draw inspiration for your next night out from the wacky dance moves seen on the music video:
I already posted Lili Lambert's new music video in my previous UMK post but I'll do it again anyway. While it's one of my definite favourites this year, it was actually the first one to be eliminated from the competition. Too bad. Her UMK entry "Let Me Take You There" is an infectious mid-tempo dance number that recalls the type of RnB they used to make around mid-noughties and it feels a little bit retro but also at the same time very fresh and modern. I've had it on a loop in my head for DAYS and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere. But with earworms as good as this, how could you be upset? The almost-one-shot music video was filmed at Bar Bläk in Helsinki, and features a lot of group dancing in the background while Lambert seduces her viewers singing the song.
And then there's Mikko Pohjola with his (annoyingly) beautiful song about infidelity. Initially, I wasn't that keen on this song but, especially after receiving new arrangements, it did stealthily grow on me. (On a side note, look at his jawline - it even rivals that of Ridge Forrester!) Where was I? Ah yes, especially with some additional timpani and tubular bells in the final chorus, the song got much more powerful and impressive and maybe it is in fact the kick that the grandeur brings into the song that I felt the demo version was lacking. The song, accompanied by a minimalist music video, finished 2nd in the contest so it was close, so close. It would've been great to hear Finnish being sung in the ESC as beautifully as he does it but hey, there's always other years to come.
Here were my favourites - do feel free to share yours in the comments!
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