Finland’s YLE has been broadcasting the #umk14 shows since December 26. All these weeks later the final is upon us. Sami Luukela, our Finland correspondent, has spent the day watching the dress rehearsals in Espoo and has compiled his predictions for the show. “I’m trying my best to guess who will take home the gold medal and how the other entries will place on the scoreboard,” he says. “I hope y’all know that this is not my opinion, just an honest guess.” Got it. Now let’s get to it….
1. Softengine – Something Better
They are one of the big favourites but on stage the act is a little lame. Topi sounds amazing. He may be the best singer in the whole final, but I think the show is quite boring. The jury loves it, but that doesn’t mean they will receive enough votes from the public. This starting position is never easy, but I think the jury wil help them a lot.
Prediction: 1. – 3.
2. Hanna Sky – Hope
Hannah is one of the big favourites among international fans, but I don’t know if Finnish people like it that much. Yeah, it went straight to the final from the second heat, but I think the jury likes it more than the public does. The performance is quite boring, there’s four backing singers and one dancer (with Pojavic-effect). People will forgot it because there’s much more memorable performances after it. Nice dress, though…
Prediction:Â 7. – 8.
3. MIAU – God/Drug
I love the show and I think they have lots of fans out there. They are great singers and they have the best show, which is important in any Eurovision selection. However, this song is incredibly divisive and they’ve got a lot of critics. I think they will get some points from the jury, but not enough to win.
Prediction:Â 4. – 6.
4. Lauri Mikkola – Going Down
Lauri is trusting in red again (sadly), but the performance is even better than in the semifinal. I’m not the biggest fan of having the band behind the singer, though. I got goosebumps this afternoon, but that doesn’t matter. It’s not a favourite of the jury or the public.
Prediction: 7. – 8.
5. Madcraft – Shining Bright
Madcraft brings BMX-bikes to the UMK show, but there’s nothing new in their performance. The song is nice, they have lots of fans but I it does not have a chance of winning. We’ve heard it all before. Maybe they will surprise me, but I hope not.
Prediction: 4. – 6.
6. Mikko Pohjola – SĂ€ngyn reunalla
Mikko is an amazing singer and the show fits his song well. They build a great story between him and the backing singer Netta. He’s my personal favourite to win (along with our readers and our in-house jury), and I’m hoping he will!
Prediction: 1. – 3.
7. Clarissa feat. Josh Standing – Top Of The World
They have improved their performance a lot and now they have two dancers as well. The chemistry between them is great and they will get lots of votes from Swedish-speaking viewers. And there are a lot of them. This song is on the up!
Prediction: 1. – 3.
8. Hukka ja Mama – Selja
I love Hukka and I love Mama, but tonight their performance felt a little worse than in the semifinal. I’m a fan. The jury is a fan. Unfortunately I get the sense the public will vote for the other songs more.
Prediction: 4. – 6.
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Sami Luukela contributed this report from Finland. Follow him on Twitter @ssami_. You can also keep up with the latest Eurovision news and gossip by following wiwibloggs.com on Twitter and Facebook.
Photos: Sami Luukela
Mikko’s song still can’t convict me. I think they’ll send “On top of the world”. I feel they didn’t learned the lesson from 2009 and 2013 đ
mikko must win
I’m not sure if the part about Hanna is totally accurate, because she did still win her semi with both of the public and televote…but I guess we’ll see what happens.
Last year, the automatic qualifiers were the one’s who placed the highest. I’m hoping that this pattern continues with Hanna managing to win since she has the best song (IMO). I also like Mikko but I think since Hanna already beat him, it shows the jury and public like her more.