It’s one of the most eclectic national finals on the calendar. And now Finland‘s broadcaster YLE is hyping Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2018 with a press conference featuring newlywed Krista Siegfrids.

The press conference will take place on Tuesday 7 November at 12:00 CET — that’s in just under two weeks. Krista will co-host alongside Finnish Eurovision commentator Mikko Silvennoinen. It will be streamed live on the UMK website, on Facebook and on YouTube.

According to the official release it will “explain what the UMK18 season includes.”

Neither Mikko nor Krista have heard the YLE finalists yet. Speaking to the official website, Mikko shared his thoughts about what it takes to make a great Eurovision entry. The secret, he says, is to not try to enter with a “Eurovision song”.

He notes that Frans’ 2016 song “If I Were Sorry” — which had a contemporary style — was a huge hit in Finland in the summer of 2016. Though he notes that he’s not a musician and creating modern sounding songs could be easier said than done.

While Krista is playing a big role in promoting UMK 2018, it’s still not known if she’ll also be hosting the show next year. Krista has presented the national final for the past two years — but also managed to fit in competing as an artist in Sweden’s national final. It’s not likely she’ll get a third consecutive turn at Melodifestivalen, but that UMK hosting role could again go to Krista.

In 2017, the UMK semi-finals were dropped and the contest was pared down to just one grand final show. The ten acts competing covered a wide range of music styles, from the inspirational pop of Emma, the retro rock of Knucklebone Oscar, and the outrageous club pop of Club Le Persé.

In the end, it was Norma John and their Scandi gothic song “Blackbird” that won, earning top marks from both the international jury and the Finnish televoters.

The song went into Kyiv as a fan favourite, but sadly it didn’t make the grand final. It missed out in 12th place but placed 10th with Eurovision televoters.

Finland has missed out on making the Eurovision grand final for the past three years. YLE — and no doubt Finnish Eurovision fans — will be eager to get Finland back into the final in Lisbon this May.

What do you think? Who would you like to see in UMK 2018? Who should represent Finland at Eurovision 2018? Share your thoughts below!

READ MORE FINLAND EUROVISION NEWS

Photo credit: YLE

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brunowskii
brunowskii
6 years ago

How nice!!!!
S2 Krista!!!

AngieP
AngieP
6 years ago

That’s great news?
Will it also be the songs or only the artists? I think it’s early for them to reveal the songs.

milkyy
milkyy
6 years ago

I really want to see SAARA there! 🙂 Her new song All The Love is 3:08 long so it can really be on a list. Hope she applied.

olvr20
olvr20
6 years ago
Reply to  milkyy

UMK entries are not allowed to be released before the date when the entry reveal takes place. But I’d like to see her as well. Er personality would be perfect for Eurovision.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
6 years ago
Reply to  olvr20

I hope she has a sequel locked away specifically for the occasion, should she decide to give Eurovision a shot and enter UMK.

olvr20
olvr20
6 years ago

As a Finn I can say there was nothing mentioned about revealing the acts. So it’s probably just the dates and format. I guess the acts will be released later on.