Ilta UMK 2021

And then they were seven. Ilta’s entry “Kelle mä soitan” has just been released, and now all seven UMK 2021 entries are public.

Ilta “Kelle mä soitan” (UMK 2021)

“Kelle mä soitan” (Who Will I Call) is described as a “concrete depiction of what it is like to live with loneliness”. Her entry is a “touching ballad”.

“You could be in the middle of a crowd and still feel incredibly alone. It’s one of the most difficult feelings any person can have, as we’re meant to connect with others. I hope that my song can provide everyone with a bit of hope and comfort, no matter if they feel lonely or not. Even though it doesn’t include an explicit message of survival, I hope that it can make people feel that they aren’t alone in their feelings”, she explained.

Ilta has just released her debut album Näitä hetkiä varten. She rose to fame in Finland after her collaboration with rapper Cheek on “Sillat”.

UMK 2021

The grand final of UMK will take place on 20 February. The number of competing acts was whittled down from 278 entries, and only seven entrants will take the stage. The seven entries have now all been released. They are:

The songs were selected by a jury of industry professionals, led by radio YleX’s music manager Tapio Hakanen. He had praise for the applicants, saying, “The level of the songs and artists was incredibly strong and I am confident that we have coming in the spring of 2021 the toughest UMK of all time. I’m really happy and grateful to each and every musician who sent a song to Yle.”

The winner will be chosen by a mixture of jury and public vote. Rather than the usual 50/50 split, the public will hold 75% of the power.

Follow all of our Finland Eurovision 2021 news.

66 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Well done !
Well done !
3 years ago

This girl can sing ! I hope she will release English version and it will be massive hit.
The song has all perfect elements.

Last edited 3 years ago by Well done !
Hellooooo
Hellooooo
3 years ago

I really love it. If Aksel or this song win I’ll be happy.

Héctor
Héctor
3 years ago

Was expecting a dull ballad but actually it is rather interesting. I don’t see it winning but a nice addition for their NF nonetheless.

Mr X
Mr X
3 years ago

Wonderful !!!

Dani
3 years ago

Strongest UMK in years!

Ria van de Velde
Ria van de Velde
3 years ago

Great songs for Finland this year. But this one is my big favorite. I hope that ILTA wil win with her beatutiful song “Kelle mä soitan”.

U____U
U____U
3 years ago

Somebody call heaven, an angel is missing! This is such a masterpiece and it has been a while since we heard finnish at Eurovision (2015) and it’s time to get it back. This year Finland is really trying to score, all of the songs are eurovision worthy, but for me I’d like any of these to win: Oskr – “Lie”, Teflon Brothers x Pandora – “I Love You”, Aksel – “Hurt” or Ilta – “Kelle mä soitan” Big applause on the music videos, all are well made and I hope this is the line Finland will keep this selection. I… Read more »

Colin
Colin
3 years ago
Reply to  U____U

I agree with you so much. All of these songs are great, I have these 4 as my top right now too (although I believe that Dark Side is also kicka$$). And yeah… If only it was able for delegations without a clear winner in their internal selections to pick up some of these. I know that’s not how it works, but one can dream.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
3 years ago

Oh wow, this song has Chorus Extensions! I wasn’t expecting that. 🙂 This is very good musically, except perhaps for the circling chord harmonies in places, but that’s just a minor nitpick (yes, that’s a musical pun). I like ILTA’s voice; the irony about the song is: with a voice like that, she should have plenty of people to call! 😀 Perhaps that’s my only gripe – this is well-performed, but I don’t connect to it emotionally like I do to some of the other UMK entries. Still, this one is good enough to win if the Finnish like it… Read more »

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
3 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Advanced caution to readers: This reply contains some technobabble. 🙂 Don’t say I didn’t warn you… Basically, Chorus Extensions are just extra-long Choruses to allow for additional musical development. More technically, it is when the Chorus develops beyond the point one would anticipate it would reach in terms of the number of bars/measures. (N.B. I call them bars, but US English calls them measures.) In this particular song, the first Verse/Bridge segment is 8 bars long when combined, so I would anticipate the first Chorus to at least reach 8 bars in length. This Chorus goes beyond that point, developing… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by Purple Mask
bartosz
bartosz
3 years ago

What a great entry. Love it! As for now it’s by far ma favourite selection this year. I can’t remember if UMK has ever been that strong.
I really like Ilta and Blind Channel. Aksel’s song is also good. Danny’s song is cute. Teflon Brothers and Oskr have really nice verses but choruses are bit disappointing. I’m not sure about Laura’s entry. I feel like it’s nothing special

Sabrina
Sabrina
3 years ago

All the entries in UMK are more than respectable, kudos to everybody involved in this selection! I agree with Ashton, I also felt something weird with the sound here. It’s a nice song, feels like a grower and I would love to hear some Finnish in Eurovision. Ilta gave me some Laura Pausini’s vibe, which is a big compliment. Comparing with other entries, it doesn’t have the same initial impact, but her live vocals could be just what it needs (that was exactly how Aksel won last year).

Last edited 3 years ago by Sabrina
Purple Mask
Purple Mask
3 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

Yep, live vocals indeed. Should be a good UMK.

Sabrina
Sabrina
3 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

I don’t know if you agree, but I feel each artist in this lineup has the perfect voice for their songs. It should be the normal thing, but in national finals there are many cases of trying to fit a singer into a song and sometimes it backfires.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
3 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

Yes, sadly I already felt this way in 2021 with “Elevate” in Norway’s MGP. I love the song, but I didn’t feel that the artist’s voice was right for it.
So yes indeed, Finland have a strong line-up.

MaelleForFra
MaelleForFra
3 years ago

This is the textbook definition of a masterpiece. You know what to do finland, send this to Eurovision and you will get a good result. It’s actually so good.

MaelleForFra
MaelleForFra
3 years ago
Reply to  MaelleForFra

If you are finish, please remember to vote for Ilta. We must remember that good things require effort and perseverance. The beneficial route might not always be the easiest route, which is why I call for action on my fellow beings that we shall all play our part in order to ensure the best possible Eurovision. I encourage anyone with the right to do so, to use all of your capabilities to vote for Ilta, all of the power is in your hands, we can only accomplish great things if we stand together. United we are at our best as… Read more »

Heyey
Heyey
3 years ago

A very nice and touching song! It sounds like a contemporary up-to-date Finnish female ballad that is in the same alley as BEHM – “Hei Rakas”. I could imagine this playing on the radios in Finland. Overall I think UMK this year is one of the strongest, if not the strongest it’s ever been. I would be happy or okay-ish with anyone of the artists winning tbh, even Danny or Laura (I don’t see that happening tho, but it’s Finland so you never know). I would rank the entries the following way: 1. Dark Side 2. I Love You 3.… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by Heyey
Joe
Joe
3 years ago
Reply to  Heyey

Flip I Love You and Lie around and that’s basically my ranking.

Lolek
Lolek
3 years ago

This is lovely! Honestly there are so many great songs at UMK this year – better than last year, that I good see a number of them winning and representing Finland at Eurovision! I think its almost anyone’s to win, depending on what they bring live.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
3 years ago

Ooo, has the video been taken down?

Heyey
Heyey
3 years ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Apparently they fixed some sound problems, it’s been uploaded again

Alo
Alo
3 years ago

There’s something really magical in this song+the lyrics are beautiful..
I wouldn’t mind it to win although I don’t know how successful it can be in ESC.
This might be the best selection Finland gave us ever.

Kosey
Kosey
3 years ago

Really enjoyed this one – it is so sad, it pulls on all the heart strings. And ILTA has a great voice, it soars with pain and longing. This is the one that I find most emotional in the whole contest and if I’m in the right mood, I would even say it is my favourite.

DonutLover
DonutLover
3 years ago

Love this song so much but i think Dark Side,I love you and Lie will click with the audience much more!
But wow Finland this is so much better then 2020!
Sad Aksel probably won’t win and get his chance but good luck to him,my personal fav is I love you!

John
John
3 years ago

I had a feeling the were saving the best for last. Where have they been hiding this girl. She’s amazing. I hope they get the staging right.

ESC8
ESC8
3 years ago

So this is it, we have listened to all the UMK 2021 songs. I avoid creating tops, so I’m not gonna rank the 7 UMK entries because they are so different that I find it somewhat unfair ranking them, but the 3 that stand out for me are Dark Side, I Love You and Lie. Kelle ma soitan would be my 4th choice. I can see any of those entries making it to Eurovision, except for Laura’s. Dark Side and I Love You are the up tempo entries among the ballads, so it is not hard for them to grab… Read more »

David Lindström
David Lindström
3 years ago

1. OSKR
2. Blind Channel
3. Teflon Brothrs & Pandora

Joe
Joe
3 years ago

UMK is fantastic this year! Now I can say for sure that there are at least three songs I’d be ecstatic to see representing Finland (this, Lie, and Dark Side) and a few more I’d be totally fine with. This is the strongest Finnish selection in years.

Joe
Joe
3 years ago
Reply to  Joe

I’m just thinking, if Jorn goes for Norway and Blind Channel goes for Finland, this is gonna be an A+ year for Nordic rock representation. (But who am I kidding? Unless we get some kind of miracle, I’d doubt anyone’s losing to Keiino).

Last edited 3 years ago by Joe
Lebanese esc fan
Lebanese esc fan
3 years ago
Reply to  Joe

I think TIX is the frontrunner of MGP. He’s big in Norway and his song blew all others out of the water on the Norwegian spotify charts. I would argue that he’s the one to beat, Keiino are by no means sure winners.

Joe
Joe
3 years ago

Think those are the two it’ll be down to, for sure, at least based on what we’ve heard. I think Keiino stand out more, but TIX is contemporary and I’m always for getting big local names involved if it keeps the public invested. The more invested a local audience is, the more quality acts get interested in taking part in the selection. Part of why I love UMK this year, for instance, is because on top of having really good acts, a bunch of them are very popular in Finland, and Finland’s one of the less invested Nordic countries as… Read more »

Joe
Joe
3 years ago
Reply to  Joe

The catch-22 is if the big local name has a gimmick or style that the rest of Europe’s less clued into, which has been the downfall of many Eurovision acts (i.e. Willeke Alberti, De Toppers, Silvia Night, Rodolfo Chikilacuatre, Homens da Luta, Kreisisraadio, Dustin the Turkey…) (And for the record: no, I am not comparing Willeke the legend to those novelty acts in terms of style, but in a similar way, her very straightforward style of singing is something the Dutch are used to but might’ve puzzled European audiences.) (Also, for counter-examples: Keiino, Hatari, Lordi, Verka Serduchka, Salvador Sobral, Joci… Read more »

Lebanese esc fan
Lebanese esc fan
3 years ago
Reply to  Joe

Haha, always like reading your responses Joe, very detailed and interesting 🙂
I agree with both points you made. Will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

Hellooooo
Hellooooo
3 years ago

We don’t know yet some songs but by the moment I think it is TIX vs Keiino

OpenUpToKazakhstan
OpenUpToKazakhstan
3 years ago

Good song but “Dark Side” is my winner.

Erasmus
Erasmus
3 years ago

and I’d also like to add that its good that they have just 7 finalists. makes a nf feel more like quality over quantity.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
3 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

Haha, I remember that was the idea behind having 6 finalists at the UK National Finals about 4-5 years ago. But the end result was: Moan, whine, complain. 😀
Finland just did it better, basically.

Kris
Kris
3 years ago

It’s a great song. The melody is not very immediate but the language and her vocal range are the centerpiece .

Till yesterday I saw Blind channel as the best option as it was most competitive but risky.It might do a Finland 2006 or Hungary 2018.

But Ilta’s song is also competitive but safe. It now just comes down to taste whether people want a ballad or a rock song .

Finland should certainly be in the final in 2021 if they choose wisely . Really good UMK.

just an esc fan
just an esc fan
3 years ago

if we exclude finnish, this is smth we’ve seen many times at ESC..it’s a no for me sorry 🙁

Puff
Puff
3 years ago

Why should we exclude Finnish? 🙁 Having Finnish ballads in ESC is rare af

Hellooooo
Hellooooo
3 years ago
Reply to  Puff

And swedish ones!!

finnished
finnished
3 years ago

This is absolutely stunning. Such a touching song. It’s about time we send something in Finnish. Easily my favourite <3

ImFromRomania
ImFromRomania
3 years ago

My best artist from all selections so far , i love her so much really , very beautiful,amazing and talented girl !
And also Congrats Finland for the Grand final again and likely top10 . With much love and greetings from Romania!

Colin
Colin
3 years ago

Okay, it’s official now – UMK this year is a total 7/7 winner. I really like all songs and this will probably be my most difficult list to make. My ”technically last place” will still be a good song. Of course, when the dust is settled, I’ll still have a favorite to win, but I don’t think that Finland can make a ”wrong choice” in a literal sense of the word.

This is indeed a touching ballad. Very good lyrics and good build-up in the chorus. 🙂

Joe
Joe
3 years ago
Reply to  Colin

The only one I’m not as keen on at this point is “Play” but even then with some tweaking I could see it qualifying with ease. Even some of the ones I like that are harder sells (“I Love You” and “Sinä päivänä kun kaikki rakastaa mua”) I could see being staged in a way that would up their chances of Eurovision success. Finland aren’t falling into any traps and it feels like they’ve largely avoided Eurovision cliches (I thank all the angels in Eurovision Heaven that they don’t have have another song like “Cicciolina” this year – not because… Read more »

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
3 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Yeah, it’s all good. I listened to them all back tonight. Aksel’s “Hurt” still moves me the most, so that is my winner. But I like them all in different ways. Well done Finland, I suppose.

Erasmus
Erasmus
3 years ago

I mean Finland really upped their game this year, haven’t they?
I love Ilta, Aksel, Laura and Oskr! It’s a shame that a song I don’t enjoy that much – blind channel will win:(

Frisian esc
Frisian esc
3 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

Tbh finland is known for making the most weird choice in their NF every year again so i’m prepared for seeing ‘play’ in Rotterdam xD

Colin
Colin
3 years ago
Reply to  Frisian esc

Any song can win now. All of them are at least solid in their field and it will largely depend on performances and people’s preferences of genre. I mean, last year ”Erika had it in a bag”, didn’t she? 😉

Frisian esc
Frisian esc
3 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Yes, very true! But i’ve learned that i really can’t predict finnish people.

Sabrina
Sabrina
3 years ago
Reply to  Frisian esc

Let’s say Danny winning would be the predictable unpredictable decision by the Finnish audience. While Laura winning would be the unpredictable unpredictable decision. 😀

Erasmus
Erasmus
3 years ago
Reply to  Colin

that is true.. but also the fact that jury this year counts for only 25% of the vote.. doubt a ballad will win..:(

Joe
Joe
3 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

But like I said before, there’s no “Cicciolina”-type song this year. Even the most upbeat song (“I Love You”) is a lot more indie-pop-ish.

Colin
Colin
3 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

Televoters have voted for heartfelt ballads before. Just like polished uptempo songs have won the juries. I think it’s not a rule that ballad = jury and uptempo = televote. I depends on a lot of factors. It seems like I Love You and Dark Side have an upper hand in televoting now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Aksel, Oskr or Ilta wins them over with a pitch perfect performance.

Erasmus
Erasmus
3 years ago
Reply to  Colin

that is true.. Aksel wasn’t far behind Erika last year

Joe
Joe
3 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

How else could he have won? And Finland love a good ballad (they gave televote 12’s to both “1944” and “Amar pelos dois,” and they don’t vote for Ukraine or Portugal particularly often otherwise).

Joe
Joe
3 years ago
Reply to  Joe

Matter of fact, I just went back and checked: “Time” was 19th with the Finnish televote and “O jardim” was 23rd. Heck, I think half the countries that gave Portugal 12 points in 2017 had them last or close to last in their televotes the next year.

Joe
Joe
3 years ago
Reply to  Joe

Checked again: of the countries whose televotes gave Portugal 12 in 2017, only two (France and Switzerland – not even Spain) still voted for them in 2018, and no fewer than four (Norway, Iceland, Israel, and Austria) put them dead last. They are all, of course, wrong, except France and Switzerland. “O jardim” is perfect and they have no taste. That’s just science.

Bandido
Bandido
3 years ago
Reply to  Frisian esc

That would probably go last with Danny, in any case will never be chosen!

Last edited 3 years ago by Bandido
Ashton Schier
Ashton Schier
3 years ago

Pretty, but the sound mixing is a little strange (that kick drum is WAY too loud), and the melodies are a little forgettable. Vocally there are a lot of moments for Ilta to show off, and in the studio cut at least she does that well. Not sure where to rank this as of now.

You
You
3 years ago
Reply to  Ashton Schier

The video was reuploaded since there were some sound problems with it, so it might be because of that

Sale
Sale
3 years ago

Very beautiful! And the language ahhhh.. wouldn’t mind it winning

Lebanese esc fan
Lebanese esc fan
3 years ago

Amazing song! Finland you’re almost certainly in the grand final this year!!!

Timo Tuohinto
Timo Tuohinto
3 years ago

We have just one job to do – and we are going to do it wrong. How many incredibly stupid outcomes we have had at the UMK’s when the voting in NF is closed and our entry chosen.

Jean-Paul
3 years ago

What a beautiful song. I love the Finnish language.