During past week, in the run-up to tonight’s second heat of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2015, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — has rated the six competing songs. Tonight three of them will make it through to the final in Finland, but we already have our favourites. Our panel thinks that Siru should win the heat with her song “Mustelmat”, followed by Opera Skaala and Eeverest. Interestingly, this matches up perfectly with the results of our fan poll.
Below you can see the average score that each act received out of 10. If you click on their name you can read an interview or watch a video message. If you click on their song you can read our reviews in full. Do you agree with the result?
You can watch the Finnish final live on YLE Areena from 20:00 CET on Saturday, February 14.
1. Siru – “Mustelmat” (9.7)
The Positive: “I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it. It has a really nice instrumental part and Siru’s voice is amazing. I like all the ways the song changes. I am looking forward to see her live performance and, of course, I hope it will go to Vienna.”
The Negative: “One thing I don’t like is the abrumpt ending. A better exit will make it complete.”
2. Opera Skaala – “Heart of Light” (8.2)
The Positive: “Please feel free to feed me to the wolves for this, but this song is EPIC. After seeing gothic Alenka’s luminescent palm, powerhouse Malena’s phantom dancers, and miniature Federica’s overdose of the smoke machine, it’s only natural to see James Madison pirouette on stage! This avant-garde number (when combined with OTT staging) will keep my eyes glued to the screen. This certainly leaves a lasting impression, and that’s the key of doing well. #guiltypleasure, y’all!”
The Negative: “This song is weird and not in a good way. I don’t like dancing tunes so much, but together with opera it transfers into something worse. It doesn’t fit together. I love opera itself, but in this song the magic of it is spoiled. The melody itself is nice, but with a normal voice it would sound much better.”
3. Eeverest – “Love It All Away” (7.1)
The Positive: “The production isn’t that good, but I really love this song. Ida has an amazing voice and this sounds very international. The music video is awful and I really hope they bring something special to the live performance.”
The Negative: “The E in EDM does not stand for Eeverest. You’ll understand that when you hear this song. I love the middle minute. But the beginning takes too long to build and by the ending I’m just a tad bored. I go to the club to dance, not to sleep.”
4. Otto Ivar – “Truth or Dare” (5.9)
The Positive: ““Truth or Dare” is one of a few songs I would happily see represent Finland in Vienna. It’s a catchy pop-rock song. I love this style in Eurovision because it usually offers a pleasant break between the Sia-style ballads and Calvin Harris wannabes. Otto has a great voice and it suits the mood and style of the song perfectly. I really like this a lot.”
The Negative: “Truth or dare? Truth. What do I think of the song? I hate it. It’s so middle-of-the-road he might as well paint a yellow line down the middle of the stage. Nice landscapes though.”
5. Shava – “Ostarilla” (5.3)
The Positive: “This is a really catchy song. It’s literally the definition of “guilty pleasure”, just because it is so different. I love the mix between the rapping and the singing, and since this sort of song has not been heard before, it doesn’t get tiring. I don’t like the increase in at the end, but I’m happy to indulge in this guilty pleasure.”
The Negative: “The Finnish language works well with many genres, but this isn’t one of them. Although the song makes me bob my head for a few seconds, it isn’t enough to save this hot mess.”
6. Jouni Aslak – “Lions and Lambs” (4.9)
The Positive: “This song is so international and it could be a big hit for Robbie Williams or some other big male pop star. The chorus is catchy and he has an amazing voice. If they make the show big enough it could win.”
The Negative: ““We are, We are, We are…” getting sick of the refrain and silly metaphors. The song got so tedious I distracted myself by imagining Jouni in a tight pvc outfit and a pair of rollerskates. Whilst I may be inclined to unleash the kinky cub in me tonight, I demand a different soundtrack.”
UMK 2015 interviews
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Photo: Olli Tamminen (wiwibloggs)
Sorry. My mistake. I wanted to write it in other comments
Opera Skaala is not the best for Eurovision also. I think that Pertti Kurikan or Satin Circus will represent Finland in Vienna
Can’t believe it….
Siru, sorry…
Siri not qualified for the final. I said that the song is overrated.
Horrible. Opera Skaala was the only song that deserved to qualify that did, “Shava” and “Jouni Aslak” were terrible. Siru and Eeverest were definitely robbed.