She’s spent the past few months writing and perfecting her three entries for Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu — Finland’s Eurovision 2018 selection.
And earlier this week Saara Aalto unveiled the three costumes she’s picked for her three performances this Saturday. Bright, wild, futuristic and totally showbiz, they suggest that the final is going to be lit like never before.
“Saara’s songs, music videos and performances have been designed and made by an exceptionally skilled and international group,” UMK18 producer Anssi Autio told YLE, pointing out that the team includes Finns, Swedes, Brits, Americans and Norwegians. “In Finland, such performances have hardly ever been seen.”
Among the international stars helping Saara is Brian Friedman, the genius choreographer behind shows for Britney Spears, Beyonce and Mariah Carey, among others. Also on #TeamSaara are Lukas McFarlane and Reija Wäre — luminaries who add even more star power to her squad.
Saara’s UMK18 outfits
You can scroll through each of Saara’s UMK18 outfits in the Instagram post above.
For the “Monsters” show, Saara will slip into an incredibly bold outfit that resembles a futuristic rainbow — albeit with new shades like gold, pink and turquoise.
McFarlane told YLE that Saara will journey from a closed and isolated figure to someone loving life and glamour. Apparently there will be intense interaction between the dancers and the backdrops, and several costumes and props used by everyone on stage.
Recognising that there will be no LED at Eurovision 2018, YLE is doing away with them as well. And it seems “Domino” will make the most of this. Producer Anssi tells YLE that there will be “a massive sculpture of four-dimensional Domino blocks” that will be “an experience both on the spot and through TV”. And apparently Saara will take flight at some point.
The outfit consists of spray-on leggings that feature an ombré colouring effect, snaking from bright red at the toes to black at the waist. On top Saara wears a tightly-fitted bodice that morphs from black at the waist to diamond-studded nude at top.
And what of “Queens”? For this one Saara transforms into a futuristic diva ready to slay the universe. A shiny pink bodice is topped off with a silver overlay, which suggests she’s got her armour on and is ready to conquer the Seven Kingdoms!
As for the stage show, Saara told YLE that it’s “unique” for Finland and that it is more massive than anything Friedman created for the British X Factor.
So we’ve got to ask — which costume excites you the most? Think about the songs, examine the looks and then vote in our poll. You can vote for as many looks as you want, but you can only vote one time so make it count!
I wonder… Can she do more than one face expression?
Facial* expression.
And yes, of course she can! Why would you want to make her sad though? No, actually don’t answer that.
Doesn’t seem like it in the videos and promo shoots, but I’m sure her face isn’t frozen or paralyzed or something. But that’s ok – she’s a singer, not model.
Barbara Dex award.
ESC is family friendly, you can’t be so tacky.
In Germany Ryk was last in televote because he had a dancer having an orgasm on the piano. ESC voters are conservatives, you like it or not.
Yeah, conservative. As in 2014 when Conchita won. My all time favourite, btw <3
I think “melon” might have been joking. You know, like being a melon? 😛
Talk about feeding the hype. Wasn’t it enough to give the song Monster undeserving high points. Come on.. it sounds like a Cascada song from 2008.
They seem to be going for a more family friendly approach with the Monsters attire. ESC is a family show after all and after last year’s Blackbird misfortune its better to avoid going dark like in the MV.
Where is the “none” option? lol
Eurovision is a song contest and not an outfit contest, so whatever she chooses to wear while performing should be fine, as long as she likes it herself, and as long as the focus still remains on the song. Personally the costumes are not for me, and it is certainly not something I would want to wear myself. But tastes differ 🙂
If anything, the one attached to “Monsters” looks a bit like something David Bowie might have worn during the Ziggy Stardust period (and David Bowie is among my favourite musicians of all) 🙂
Sadly I don’t like any of the songs which I think are very unoriginal and without any artistic significance. They sound like hundreds of other mainstream pop songs. “Queens” probably being the strongest one after all is said and done.
Both the song and the outfit “Domino” are my favourites, so I am very happy with this.
Although I know that “Monsters” will win in the end 🙁
~ w h o c a r e s ~
What an avalanche of negative comments! For me she could put a tarp on as long as she goes to Lisbon with Monsters.
I don’t really know her (and honestly don’t yet (?) get the hype), but on all of these she looks like a snotty spoilt kid who has been given clothes that don’t really match her looks.
Try for something more classy maybe?
Monsters outfit-circus clown
Domino-rotten corpse
Queens-robocop
#fail
I like them all, but my very favorite is the one for “Domino”. 🙂
Would Mikolas ride that camel?
Any outfit will do. This is a song contest, not a fashion shoot. (Discuss)
Yes and no. If this was a radio show, it would be 100% correct. In live show, bad costumes, bad choreography, bad props, bad lighting, ect. can take away the impression from a decent song and vice versa. Of course, song is first and foremost, but other pieces of the puzzle can make it or break it. Think like this – If Michael Schulte would sing his song about his deceased father shirtless in a gladiator outfit and a sword, could you take it seriously for the message to sink in? It’s not the most important, but it does matter.… Read more »
I wonder what would happen if one year Jon Ola made all participants wear Eurovision “uniforms”? 😀 (Watch this space – it’s gonna be a petition, haha.) More seriously, I understand the complexities of presenting a song. But with Saara Aalto’s songs, she’s singing about not being scared of monsters any more, about falling like a domino in love, and about being the new queens ruling everything. Okay, so the queens song might imply a royal dress, but the other two are quite generic I would have thought? (In past Eurovisions, white has been the colour that has won the… Read more »
I agree that these particular songs don’t acquire specific costumes to work. Moreover, they are so similar in genre that it could even work to keep the same costume throughout all 3 performances. But just because costume design leaves a lot of options open doesn’t mean that cringy clothes can get a pass. I agree with some comments associating them with a B movie production.
“Saara Aalto starring in Queen from Outer Space remake!” 🙂
OMG they are “Flash Gordon” outfits! They so are! 😀
My GOD are these tacky…
I think Queens looks best, it looks they have put some effort to create it, Monsters 2, it has nice colors and little complexity. and Domino least.
Taking into account the majority of all the comments, there should be a fourth option in this poll: “None of them. They’re all unbelievably hideous.” This option would win by a landslide.
Honestly, none of them. No creaton of these ones fits her, really.
Well we know at least of one gay that doesn’t love Saara—her stylist!!
I love Wiwibloggs a lot, it’s a fantastic Eurovision site but cmon… The hype around Saara is getting out of hand now. I’m honestly starting to get sick of the sight of her and I honestly don’t feel good saying that. I honestly don’t feel she will make much of an impact with these songs. She is something stereotypical fans would love but remember that stereotypical fans are only around 2% of people watching, and although she did win over people in the UK, it did take being in the bottom 2 three times to do so. I honestly don’t… Read more »
Exactly…. Semi 2 isn’t really strong. While it’s hard for me to Point out enough countries that won’t qualify in semi 1, it’s very hard for me to find ten qualifiers from semi 2. All the strongest Songs will (probably) be in Saara’s semi and I really don’t see her making it tbh. The Songs are fine, but there’s such a big Hype I don’t get. If These Songs came from some random Artist from Moldova or Lithuania wiwibloggs wouldn’t care for them at all..
Couldn’t agree more with both of you guys. All three songs are so lukewarm, they all feel like a forced but well polished project, without any sparkle left in. And as for the first semi final goes – it’s starting to be much stronger than anyone thought not even a month ago.
Rule number one: Don’t believe the hype. Never.
Oh sweet gay Jesus, this screams Barabara Dax award
Barbara*
Dex*
Lol. Lucky she doesn’t go with her middle names, too.
Haha. Barbara Maria Karel Deckx, according to Google. Blimey.
The “Monsters” and “Queens” outfits are awful to be honest. Please reconsider your options Saara. Any outfits from the videos would be better in my opinion. The spine/backbone outfit or the feathery one in “Monsters” would an ideal option and relates to the theme of the song. I pretty much like the multiple outfits in the “Queens” video so any one of these would be ideal. Does this mean she would prefer to go to Lisbon with the song “Domino” that outfit really suits the theme of the song and is similar to the video. Hopefully the live performances of… Read more »
All are horrible. She has to slap and fire her stylist.
Your comment made me laugh so hard! :)))
This is how you should pick your costumes , hope Bulgaria sends this girl one day
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aLMfR9ty0no
Looks like we’re getting Silvia Night back on the stage.
I really don’t understand all the fuzz around this new “superstar” from Finland…
They put alot of effort into the songs witch is important , but for eurovision you need the full pakedge , you need good staging and …. costume! Can you imagine Saara winning eurovision with this clown costume for monsters? People will compare her to last year big yelow bird from switzerland that also had a good pop song but flopped with the rest ….. its important to have a good team with no weak links , in this case the deigner of the costumes should be fired!
My eyes hurt! How come no one said anything before the final decision? And they’re actually pouring money on this show!? Just select Monsters already and save yourself some money.
Clearly Domino’s costume is best, but she should stick to her wardrobe from her videos! The others are rather dire and resemble something from a B-grade sic-fi movie! 😀
hmm…calling barbara dex…especially if monsters win (and thats most likley to happen)
Domino best costume and best song for me. But I think, She wili be big flop at Eurovision with Elina with song La Forza (if Estonia send her).
who cares about this lady’s outfit. Is this important news?
Yes. That’s why Saara and her team went to great lengths to take professional photos, write up the story and share it.
At least she’s not getting second at the Barbara Dex
I wanna give this comment a thumbs-up. We should really get that function on here. 😛
Thumbs up
Aw aw awfull. I don’t have any fashion-sense but these are three horrible outfits. Hopefully they make a drastic change for the Eurovision stage.
These are very cheap versions of the stage clothes. I understand you are not supposed to be in the mall, but just because it’s different doesn’t make it look! Monsters costume is not even interesting enough to make an impact, it’s just colorful stripes and that’s it. If you want to look weird, take example from early Gaga. She managed to look weird, yet expensive.
http://www.fashionspassion.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Lady_Gaga_white_cage_dress.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAA1xgTTw9w
I don’t like any of them – I voted for Queens outfit, since it at least fits the theme.
Domino outfit isn’t bad, I like the top, but it’s the leggings that are out of place – maybe it would look bether if the colours of the two matched.
Monsters outfit… well, I have no idea, how that creative proces went down.
Conclusion: they are trying too hard.
Well, I’m glad that I could FINALY post my comment on the third try. I didn’t say anything that much different in those first two tries, but apparently either I wasn’t allowed to joke about how the outfit for Monsters reminds me my favourite childhood tv series or it was my guess how would these outfits be evaluated at Eurovision (hint: just like Slavko from Montenegro).
Ok Wiwi team, we get it, you’re a fan of Saara and you’re over-excited about her going to Eurovision (she will flop tbh), but honestly nobody likes having her shoven down our throats every day.
No one is shoving anything down your throat. Don’t like? Don’t click. It’s rather straightforward.
Only MF, Saara and Iceland, boooring!!!!!
Can somebody explain to me why their is so much attention to this person?
Fanflop of the year.
I started out being very positive about her because I think she is gifted singer. But after all that fuss and all her bold statements about how she just can’t fail she delivered one quite good, one decent and one abysmal song to select. Plus three abysmal outfits, as of now. So yeah, I am almost done with Finland as well. I guess I’ll be back to liking her once “Monsters” gets selected and she’s given great performance. But the material is in no way brilliant pop, like let’s say “Chandelier”, one of them is a nice attempt. That’s it.
Her stage persona appeals greatly to the stereotypical Eurovision fans. That’s all.
I was really excited about her selection to represent Finland, I loved ‘No Fear’ a couple of years ago and I still listen to it. But after being disappointed by her 3 songs, this poll is actually the most ridiculous thing…
I don’t get it! Why should we vote about the costumes? Or are they necessary to make her cheap songs look better?
Wiwibloggs gonna be obsessed with their female divas. At least this one actually goes to the Eurovision…
Seriously, my eyes are bleeding!
LOL. @Polyna — we write about a woman, we’re obsessed with female divas. We write about a man, we’re obsessed with good looking men. We write about a Swedish person, we are obsessed with Melodifestivalen. At some point all these “obsessions” must surely cancel each other out?
Looks like my comment did not get through the filter, so I’ll just say this: The Salvation Army would have done a better job in getting her some decent clothes.
I guess Wiwibloggs has found themselves a new yassqueenslay to be obsessed over.
About the costumes: they’re all bad. I guess Yle confused Eurovision with the Ron Paul’s Drag Race (“It’s all gays, ain’t it?” No.) and chose the costumes appropriately.
There’s something about the outfits, they look so…cheap. I’m not against outlandish costumes…if they are done well. She should fire her stylist & go back to the drawing board. If she’s aiming for a Gagaesque look, then she should be inspired from the best of Gaga’s look & not get a supermarket version of it
But Lady Gaga have grown up, thank God!
Yes, the costumes look horrible. Loved the styling on music videos. However now I am really curious to see how these will support the stage show. Maybe I’ll change my opinion when I see the live show on Saturday.
I don’t get the hype… First songs and now the outfits – everything seems so over-produced, I just can’t get myself to like it 🙁 Saara is great, but she doesn’t sound or look authentic. It feels like a commercial product and nothing more.
Finally someone, who is thinking like me…!
I can’t help but the Queens outfit reminds me of Laura’s Supersonic outfit in Eesti Laul 2016. Saara’s one looks like a cheap version of it.
Domino one is the most decent of them.
Domino best costume and best song .
Cheap Cheap Cheap!!!
Fingayland.
“In Finland, such performances have hardly ever been seen.”
Maybe that’s a good thing. I’m sorry but all of these costumes look like she stepped out of a bad sci-fi movie and I actually like Saara.
The black suit seen on Queens video would suit her best.