Photo: Yle / Nelli Kenttä

Following the grand reveal of the seven acts competing in Finland’s Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2022, it’s time to hear their songs one at a time. The final act to reveal their entry is Isaac Sene, but “Kuuma jäbä” is now finally out for public consumption.

The song is written and composed by Isaac Sene himself alongside producer Yrjänä.

Isaac Sene – “Kuuma jäbä”

“Kuuma jäbä” (“Hot dude”) aims to be simultaneously thought-provoking and entertaining. Isaac notes: “You might blush a bit listening to this song, but we don’t want to just shock people for the sake of shocking”.

Ultimately, the Finnish singer wants to help people escape from the workaday world with his music.

Hailing from the North Savo region of Finland, Isaac Sene grew up listening to a wide variety of music, including Mozart, Bob Marley, trance and Finnish heavy metal. All of these come together to form his eclectic style: “My music is pretty pop-oriented, but I love to mix different genres. I’ve always loved rock – the same goes for rap”.

UMK 2022: Competing songs

All seven UMK 2022 songs have now been revealed. They are:

UMK 2022 will take place on Saturday 26 February, starting at 20:00 CET / 21:00 EET.

The show will be held at the Logomo Arena in Turku, where the seven acts will perform their songs live for viewers at home and the jury.

What do you make of “Kuuma jäbä”? Does Isaac Sene have a good chance of walking away with the UMK 2022 trophy? Let us know your thoughts on all seven songs in the comments below!

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ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago

I’m surprised wiwibloggs hasn’t posted a poll to vote for our favorite UMK entry yet

ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago
Reply to  ete sech

Ok, they just dropped it. Excellent service B)

Addie
Addie
2 years ago

This song has a really interesting vibe to it. I don’t know why, but it sounds way different from other pop songs. I wouldn’t necessarily call this pop. It’s kinda laid back and cool. Why, Finland, why do you keep choosing such awesome songs?! I’m freaking out just trying to make a top 7. I don’t think Kuuma jaba is a winner, but if it does win, I will be very happy. Actually, I would be totally fine if any song wins. Only UMK could ever do that. Take notes, Ireland.

Bandido
Bandido
2 years ago
Reply to  Addie

After UMK2022 we ask, Why, Finland do you keep choosing such average songs? Because it’s certain they choose the Rasmus, not take a risk like Lordi and choose this!

Nikki
Nikki
2 years ago

Since I was a kid, I love Finnish language. I would like to hear more of it. This song is a real sexy time <3

Rashad
Rashad
2 years ago

Who would vote for this? I don’t see any potential with this.

Jonas
Jonas
2 years ago
Reply to  Rashad

People with an appreciation of good music and star quality.

Héctor
Héctor
2 years ago

Wooow, sexy! But in a way it is not too much. This entry hits all the boxes for me in UMK and would be a nice and different addition to Eurovision. It is modern, magnetic, full of energy and attitude and kind of stage ready (if he can pull it live, the music video could be a great source of inspiration. I’ve been in since the first seconds and the song si very catchy even though I don’t speak a single word of Finnish. The beat and his voice are hypnotic. 7.75/10 My main concern is if Isaac is able… Read more »

Gee
Gee
2 years ago
Reply to  Héctor

I’ve seen him live: he’s super charismatic, has star quality, and sang well to boot.

Isaac Sene and Bess (another great live singer) are the only 2 options for me – others were just boring.

Jamie
Jamie
2 years ago

ICONIC.

Park Shin Hye
Park Shin Hye
2 years ago

I’m rooting for Bess

Teddie
Teddie
2 years ago

Huh! Musically it’s somewhere between electroclash and retrowave, a nice sounding mix. Still, I guess the public will prefer The Rasmus.

Joe
Joe
2 years ago
Reply to  Teddie

After last year, where we all assumed the Teflon Brothers would sweep the televote because of their name recognition but instead they wisely went for the song and sent Blind Channel through, I don’t think we can assume name value alone will guarantee The Rasmus will go through.

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  Joe

I hope you’re right about it Joe. But I guess Teflon Brothers also faced problems because of Pandora’s weak vocals, a problem I imagine The Rasmuns won’t ever have.

ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

Unfortunately you’re right, but still we have the live performances and stagings to determine the winner

now that i see the light
now that i see the light
2 years ago

absolutely beautiful.

willchrisiam
willchrisiam
2 years ago

To the homophobe who made a bunch of accounts so they could downvote – are you that insecure? Hate to break it to you but disliking every positive comment here won’t make you more straight. Good luck finding yourself because you’re obviously lost and hurting!

Jonas
Jonas
2 years ago
Reply to  willchrisiam

No. Don’t blame gay people for homophobic comments. Yes, society has given some gay people psychological issues – but still, it’s nearly always just ignorant hetero morons.

raylee
raylee
2 years ago

So , the lineup is finally completed. My personal favourite is Bess but i have no idea who’s gonna win this. One thing is sure , Finland deserves appreciation and they have a great national final.They have literally improved themselves in recent years

Last edited 2 years ago by raylee
Brko
Brko
2 years ago
Reply to  raylee

Such a cool comment with so many dislikes. Don’t understand why!!

“+” from me!

Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
2 years ago
Reply to  Brko

It’s because the things she has said before.

O'ou
O'ou
2 years ago
Reply to  raylee

You can’t just say things like that and then edit it! LMAO, busted!

Brko
Brko
2 years ago
Reply to  O'ou

What did they say? ?

L'oiseau
2 years ago

I would love that one! Sexy and fun and preferably in Finnish, which makes it even more sexy and fun :-). But Finland, if you choose this one, be prepared for the anti-LGBTIQ+ agenda out there! But we’re here to support you!

Last edited 2 years ago by L'oiseau
Safiya
Safiya
2 years ago

And offtop about Polish NF – Lidia Kopania published a demo of her song, it’s written by Ylva & Linda. Karolina Lizer released her song today, too.

Last edited 2 years ago by Safiya
Alo
Alo
2 years ago
Reply to  Safiya

Karolina has a great song!
Lidia not so much

Safiya
Safiya
2 years ago

I am obsessed! I have it on repeat since yesterday. Definitely my favorite in this selection! Can’t wait to see him live, I hope he’s good.

Btw, I totally love the way Finland handles UMK! Teasing and publishing hints about artists, announcing the list, publishing all songs one after another with great videos, lyrics and lyrics translations for international viewers and then organizing a great show. This is how it’s done! I wish other countries would make at least half of the effort – I’m looking at you, Poland.

Ravencrow Neversmiles
Ravencrow Neversmiles
2 years ago

Didn’t expect I would like this so much but it’s in my top 3 at the moment.

Overall I’m very happy with UMK this year. The only reason I don’t like some of the songs is that they are not for my taste but they are still well produced quality songs. Personally I would like to see The Rasmus, Bess, Isaac or Cyan kicks in Turin this year.

Leendert Jan
Leendert Jan
2 years ago

This is quite good stuff! It feels like the most current song in the selection, it’s catchy and the production sounds great. I hope he sings and looks as well live as in the video, then this would be a contender for me.

NickC
NickC
2 years ago

According to betting odds. The Rasmus has 46 % chance of winning, I find that astonishing: it is my least favorite song of the selection. I hope the Finnish public is more sensible than the betting odds suggest. I believe they will fail miserably if they try to replicate the success of “Dark Side”, they should realize it was not the genre (violent pop or rock) but the song quality (rather the special song) that brought them success. I would be happy with Younghearted, Olivera or Isaac winning.

Leendert Jan
Leendert Jan
2 years ago
Reply to  NickC

I agree, after giving all of them another listen these would be my top 3 too

Matias
2 years ago
Reply to  NickC

Unfortunately historically rock is so dear to us Finn’s that I kind of see Jezebel winning. The only thing is that we have 3 rock entries this year so that may distribute the rock votes.

Last edited 2 years ago by Matias
ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago
Reply to  Matias

Either that or The Rasmus cancels the other two rock entries out and win by a landslide, which would be disappointing.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
2 years ago
Reply to  NickC

Up to 52% now.
Funnily enough, the betting odds aren’t too far off what I think should happen. I think those are the four songs that should be under consideration at the top and probably in the correct order, too. Although, maybe the percentage is a *bit* too high on The Rasmus. I’d imagine Cyan Kicks get a bit closer leading up to the show.

a m
a m
2 years ago
Reply to  NickC

I do hope Rasmus doesn’t win, just because of their name, it is definitely not the strongest song

West
West
2 years ago

Great selection from Finland! After thinking about it – my top 3 are:

  1. Younghearted
  2. Isaac
  3. The Rasmus
Tomato
Tomato
2 years ago

Okay Izaak Sensubal

Last edited 2 years ago by Tomato
ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago
Reply to  Tomato

You forgot to add the joke bro ._.

Colin
Colin
2 years ago

A really cool club song. UMK is stellar once again, and all 7 seem like surefire qualifiers. Hats down, Finland! I’ll take my time to make my personal top 7, because it will be tough, and I want to give each song more attention.

Alo
Alo
2 years ago

Very catchy and with good vibe!
For me now
1.bess
2 Isaac
3.olivera

I wish one of them will go but the rest of the songs are good anyway so Finland will be fine.

Thanos
Thanos
2 years ago

It’s creative but I don’t really like this entry (the first this year in UMK that I don’t like that much). Nevertheless this selection is AMAZING. Looking forward to the show!
1. The Rasmus
2. BESS
3. Younghearted
4. Cyan Kicks
5. Tommi Läntinen
6. Olivera
7. Isaac Sene

Last edited 2 years ago by Thanos
Ukraine stan
Ukraine stan
2 years ago

Great job, Finland 🙂 they did great Making this nf. Most songs here would be great at esc. My ranking:
1. Bess (I love every second of this, it’s very 2011-2016)
2. Younghearted
3. Cyan kicks
4. Isaac Sene
5. Oliviera
6. Tommi Läntinen (not as great but by no means bad)
7. The Rasmus (This is incredibly annoying to me, but not a horrible choice)

Last edited 2 years ago by Ukraine stan
BadWoolfGirl
BadWoolfGirl
2 years ago

Now that all 7 songs for UMK are out, here is my personal ranking.

  1. Cyan Kicks–Hurricane
  2. The Rasmus–Jezebel
  3. BESS–Ram pam pam
  4. Issac Sene–Kuuma jäbä
  5. Olivera–Thank God I’m an Atheist
  6. Tommi Läntinen–Elama Kanataa Mua
  7. Younghearted–Sun Numero
Pearli
Pearli
2 years ago

Japanese city pop?

Shanfa Chai
Shanfa Chai
2 years ago

Sorry for being off topic, but does anyone here knows what happened to the official music video of “1944”? Couldn’t find it on Jamala’s YouTube channel.

Joe
Joe
2 years ago

UMK being great in 2021? A fluke. UMK being great in 2022? A trend. Congratulations, Finland: whoever you pick this year, you’re playing with house money once again.

Jonas
Jonas
2 years ago

I love it. We need a Prince at the contest.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
2 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

Glad I’m not the only one picking up on those Prince vibes. :3

Crystal
2 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

I’m getting vibes of Prince, The Weeknd, and just a smidge of Lenny Kravitz.

Joe
Joe
2 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

I don’t hear that much Prince in it.

Rafs
Rafs
2 years ago

I really like it and I can see this doing pretty well in Eurovision. This is light-years away from every eighties revamp immitating The weekend we had last year an still this one. You can see it’s an inspiration, but he took it into his own sphere. It’s fresh, modern and grabs your attention from the very beginning.
Learn from this, Xeinn and Tony Sánchez Ohlsson.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
2 years ago

There are quite a few different musical elements going on here; the combination is sexy and intriguing. This is despite those guitar riffs, which are honestly the exact opposite of my taste in songwriting. This is also a surprisingly tasteful video for what it’s selling. So indeed, I like it better than I normally would expect, for such a song. Good work on the production and creative concept have been done here, and I appreciate that.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
2 years ago

With just how damn good Finland have been this year…
…they’ve just gone and saved the best until last.

How is this even possible? What a selection.

Stian F
Stian F
2 years ago

Great song, catchy hook, but not sure how well it would fare in eurovision though. It has some The Weeknd similarities yes, same as the song “Kvelertak” in Norsk MGP, but I guess this Finnish one just has a bit more oomph still. Great selection, but not sure if there are any Eurovision winners among them.

Sami
Sami
2 years ago

First of all, I’m extremely proud of YLE. Just the difference in song quality, diversity and production value between this year and any UMK from 2010’s is both comical and tragic at the same time. Last couple of years have already had promise but this is now the real deal. If this the level we’ll get every year I’ll be living in a dream land. In the past, pretty much no one was interested in UMK in this country. After Softengine, “Monsters” might have literally been the first UMK song to get virtually any recognition on the charts. Maybe Sandhja… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Sami
Bandido
Bandido
2 years ago
Reply to  Sami

So much Jezebel is descent, safe and at standard of Finnish famous artist for ESC at once, would send this like Lordi! 🙂

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
2 years ago
Reply to  Sami

Really enjoyed reading your post and perspective. Also, really happy to hear that UMK is being thought of this way and I definitely think it provides a reference point to other countries with regards how they should organise, put together and treat their national finals.

The reasons you give for The Rasmus winning make sense and I can understand the sentiment. The only thing I’d add is that alongside those reasons, they also happen to have a pretty damn good song. So, I’d obviously have no problem with it. :3

Laburnum
Laburnum
2 years ago

This is an incredible lineup for a national selection. Finland can do well with any of them for me Younghearted are my favourites, but Cyan Kicks or Isaac would also be great choices

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago

This is a great (and rare) example on how to surf musical trends without making the mistake of trying to immitate them. With such a cool package (his voice, his looks, the absolutely contemporary production values), if Isaac has also the stage presence to sell something like it, this can be explosive.

Congratulations Finland, you did it again: a national final without a single bad entry! Last time, Oskr was always my favorite, but I knew Blind Channel was the most competitive choice. This time, it’s harder for me to decide on both fronts.

Last edited 2 years ago by Sabrina
David
David
2 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

I agree with you. And Oskr was my favourite as well but i was very happy with Blind Channel

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  David

Blind Channel did a terrific job for Finland and I was glad to see them getting to the top 10, even when many people thought that Maneskin wouldn’t leave any space for another rock band. And I hope to see Oskr back in UMK soon. It was pleasant to see the international jury putting him on 2nd.

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

I understand the mentions to The Weeknd, because he’s one of the big names right now. But as others mentioned here, there’s a bit of Prince, a bit of Lenny Kravitz, a bit of Lil Nas X and he manages to avoid mimicking all of them. I’m curious to listen to his other stuff.

Oh, and if you (Tibor or someone else reading the reply) want to ask about any Portuguese song, feel welcome, I’ll do my best to help.

ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago

I didn’t know what to expect from him song-wise (I mean, I thought it could be a rocky, poppy, reggae-ish or trappy entry), but I expected his entry to be slick. And he delivered! 😀
It’s been a while since we last had Finnish at ESC, but this song is worth the risk

Last edited 2 years ago by ete sech
Heyey
Heyey
2 years ago

He’s like a mix between The Weeknd and Lil Nas X. Great song nonetheless!

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
2 years ago

the sound is not my cup of tea (can’t stand this mcweekend type of disco revival) but his strength will probably be the live performance so we’ll see

fionn
fionn
2 years ago

this is amazing woah

Kosey
Kosey
2 years ago

I really enjoy the aesthetic of this song and performance, it fits very well. I’m not entirely certain that it has the immediacy to win but it is certainly a well-captured mood.

Zisk
Zisk
2 years ago

Like this a lot. It’s This or BESS for me.

Aria
Aria
2 years ago

actually this is very slick. One listen and it sticks. Good sign. It’s equally appropriate for opening and closing the semi final.

Last edited 2 years ago by Aria
duxx
duxx
2 years ago

Really nice sound, its catchy and it has weekend vibes. This or BESS can do well in italy

Moonstar
Moonstar
2 years ago

Finnish fits so well in this cool song! 🙂

MolMol
MolMol
2 years ago

Finland you’re on fire – good luck choosing between those 7 bangers eheh

Ellie
Ellie
2 years ago

I like but don’t love it, at least not yet. There is something very intriguing here, though. I really want to see how it comes across live.

Mi7lel
Mi7lel
2 years ago

There’s a lot of quality from Finland. Personally I’m obsessed with BESS, but I would be so proud and happy about my country with this national final. Good luck for everybody, and may the best live performer WIN!.

Aria
Aria
2 years ago

The atheist or the bi finn pls.

Aria
Aria
2 years ago
Reply to  Aria

Hurricane and Jezebel are super boring, pls not them.

ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago
Reply to  Aria

At least Hurricane isn’t boring imo, but I agree that neither are the best entry and that both fell short if we compare them (inevitably) to Dark Side

Jack Popfield
Jack Popfield
2 years ago

Lush, electrifying and refreshingly dynamic song! Had a very good feeling about Isaac Sene and he would be such an amazing representative for Finland, though I wish the song had a more climatic ending but I’m very curious how the staging will be. UMK is absolutely splendid this year and YLE have done a fantastic job organising arguably the best national final this year, I hope more countries will adopt or take influence of their format and promotion next year.

Aria
Aria
2 years ago

I like this and I’d like some Finnish at Eurovision again. I’d pick thank god I’m an atheist though. But after that, this one. The others don’t interest me much. Last year’s NF overall had better music but I’m glad Finland keeps trying after last year’s success. Any Finns here? Is it an open race or not? Do my two faves have a chance?

finnished
finnished
2 years ago
Reply to  Aria

Olivera got a much more negative reaction among Finns than international fans. I think the Rasmus are the fromtrunners, followed by Isaac Sene. BESS could stand a chance too, her song is very popular.

Last edited 2 years ago by finnished