Following the grand reveal of the seven acts competing in Finland’s Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2023, Finnish broadcaster Yle is dropping the lyrics videos for each entry one by one. Next up is Robin Packalen with his song “Girls Like You”

One of Finland’s biggest pop superstars, the beloved Robin Packalen makes his long-awaited UMK debut. 

In 2012, a 13-year-old Robin Packalen found success with his first single, which was an immediate hit in Finland. He thanks his child stardom for his energy and his lack of fear — away from music, he enjoys extreme sports. 

Robin has considered entering UMK for many years, but held off until he felt ready. According to the UMK jury, “Girls Like You” is like a “sunny day squeezed into a three minute audio file”. 

Robin said: “This song is so good that the whole world should hear it”.

Robin Packalen — “Girls Like You” 

 

UMK 2023 song release schedule

The UMK 2023 songs are being revealed one per weekday until 20 January. They’re set to be released at 00:00 EET on the dates listed below:

  • Keira — “No Business On The Dancefloor” (Thursday 12 January)
  • Benjamin — “Hoida mut” (Friday 13 January)
  • Robin Packalen — “Girls Like You” (Monday 16 January)
  • Lxandra — “Something To Lose” (Tuesday 17 January)
  • Käärijä – “Cha Cha Cha” (Wednesday 18 January)
  • KUUMAA — “Ylivoimainen” (Thursday 19 January)
  • Portion Boys — “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” (Friday 20 January)

UMK 2023 will take place on Saturday 25 February at Logomo Arena in Turku, starting at 20:00 CET / 21:00 EET.

The winner will be chosen jointly by Finnish television viewers and international juries. The public will account for 75% of the vote and the juries for the remaining 25%. The finalists were chosen from 362 applicants by a jury of music industry professionals led by Tapio Hakanen, YleX’s Head of Music.

What do you make of “Hoida mut”? Do you think Benjamin could win UMK 2023 and represent Finland at Eurovision? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Alex
Alex
1 year ago

I’ll be sad if we have another The Rasmus moment with this song this year.

If you invite one superstar you gotta at least bring in another one to balance them out. Bringing in ONE huge name in the middle of 6 other relatively smaller names (but still big enough to have an audience) will just typically result in a no contest competition which was very much proven last year.

Anoni
Anoni
1 year ago

I’m sorry but compared to the other two songs that are out already, this one is … It just doesn’t stand out with anything and is quite frankly pretty unoriginal. Maybe in some other national selection it could pass as one of the best songs but not in UMK, not after Benjamin released Hoida mut.

Jonas
Jonas
1 year ago

I can imagine Lena Philipsson performing this more than I can Benjamin Ingrosso.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

That hurts, oh it hurts, oh it hurts, in the middle of the night… You get the reference. 🙂

Tommm
Tommm
1 year ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

My toilet song haha

Escfan
1 year ago

Tbh, I actually like this song, I’ve seen some people make comparisons to Benjamin Ingrosso’s song in 2018 which I also liked. I will say, I don’t think this is the strongest song atm and I don’t think Finland should necessarily send it but I would listen to it.

Pancake
Pancake
1 year ago

A bit too mild for me considering that this is from one of the biggest pop names from Finland but still a banger, nevertheless.
Banger after banger, serving after serving, Finland isn’t screwing around. 12 Points.
PS
I’m so excited for what Lxandra has to bring into the table tomorrow.

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  Pancake

X2, Lxandra is the most versatile artist of this batch and I’ve liked what I’ve heard from her. I think her entry will be the heartbreaking ballad YLE’s HoD talked about when announcing the first details of UMK23

Deven O'Kearney
Deven O'Kearney
1 year ago

I had high expectations for this song because I know that Robin is a big star in Finland, and unfortunately those expectations were not met. While the song is well produced and not totally unlistenable, it is disposable and the lyrical body is weak. I’m worried that this will not translate well on stage, either. Therefore I am worried about Finland’s qualification prospects this year if Robin wins UMK.

Leendert Jan
Leendert Jan
1 year ago

There’s nothing really wrong with this song, but there’s nothing about it that really grabs my attention either. Inoffensive and pleasant, and quite forgettable.

Helloman
Helloman
1 year ago

People are already talking like Benjamin is the winner. Why?
There is still one superstar left, Käärijä. Käärijä is like a Ferrari, while Benjamin is a Citroen Saxo at best.

Tommm
Tommm
1 year ago
Reply to  Helloman

I am exciting for Kaarija

Tommm
Tommm
1 year ago
Reply to  Helloman

But sometimes even Citroën can win too 😀

Jamie
Jamie
1 year ago

Biggest disappointment so far in UMK. This sounds like mall background music, very flat. Benjamin’s song is better.

Ritoli
Ritoli
1 year ago

Hmm.. No! Benjamin is way better…

CatcoolH
CatcoolH
1 year ago

Sorry but those lyrics are really cringy

Jessica Folcker
Jessica Folcker
1 year ago

It hasn’t ripped my socks off. Very okay.

Tibor
Tibor
1 year ago

It’s light and summery, to make it sound less clean they try to add a little electronic drone in the verse, but it’s very restrained and even the stylized wolves’ howl is softened and smoothed over. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I’m ready for the grit now.

duxx
duxx
1 year ago

Next please..

Colin
Colin
1 year ago

It’s a slick and well produced pop song. It’s pleasant to listen to, and the backing track has some clever subtle variations I like. The lyrics are very standard, and there is a resemblence to Ingrosso’s ESC entry, which I find to be middle of the road. This is a bit better as a song, and there is some charm to it, but Benjamin would certainly be my choice so far. Waiting for four more songs. Will Robin win? Maybe. Knowing UMK, probably. They always have a great NF, but never go for the song(s) I like the most. Dark… Read more »

Max
Max
1 year ago

Going through his discography, this entry is no surprise. His subtle vocals, smooth melodies and slick production have been his trademark the last couple of years.

It doesn’t have the punch of Benjamin‘s entry. However, it has an earworm quality and the relaxed melody and vocal delivery are quite comforting compared to the other two, more aggressive bops. It’s a different kind of immediacy.

Reish
Reish
1 year ago

I don’t think this is bad, it’s on the same level as Keira’s and Benjamin’s where the song is well produced, has a good video and it shows the artist’s music style. I think a lot of people are focusing on the name and past songs too much, and we see this happening in every country.

For example: in Norway Ulrikke and Elsie Bay got straight away more attention, because the names were familiar. This happens every time.

Go_A Stan
Go_A Stan
1 year ago

This sounds like a kpop song through and through. For better and for worse. Better, it’s very catchy, professional and appealing. Worse, it feels like he’s jammed as many cliches as possible into a song, resulting in quite a lot of nothing.

Go_A Stan
Go_A Stan
1 year ago
Reply to  Go_A Stan

keep in mind I’m not very knowledgeable about kpop

Laura
Laura
1 year ago

I really don’t understand this hate. I think the song is very good! Maybe the expectations were so high that people are disappointed? Out of the three out so far, it’s the one I would listen to the most. I am SO EXCITED that all the songs out so far are SO GOOD! This year UMK is already one of my all time favorites 🙂

West
West
1 year ago

While this is a good song, it’s also quite generic and sterile and I don’t think it would make a difference if it was sung by anyone else. 3/5

Sol Stevia
Sol Stevia
1 year ago

I’ve actually been listening to Keira’s song a lot this past few days as it’s really catchy. I don’t care for Finland’s second song and I hate their third one so right now I’m on team Keira for sure.

Looking forward to the remaining 4.

Sol Stevia
Sol Stevia
1 year ago

What a cringefest.

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago

For the ones that are taking Robin’s win for granted, I gotta tell you that Benjamin is as popular in Finland and that Finns aren’t liking Robin’s entry that much. This year isn’t as one-horse-raced as some of you fear.
Also, I’m expecting at least a couple of the remaining acts to deliver something slick 🙂

Laura
Laura
1 year ago
Reply to  Benito Camelo

I think it will depend on the lives as well. I don’t know if Benjamin is a good singer live?

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  Laura

I have the same opinion, the live performances will make or break the entries’ chances

Rifki
Rifki
1 year ago

this is like a combination of BTS (Bangtan Boys, that popular Korean group), Nare Ghazaryan (Armenian representative, JESC 2022) and Benjamin Ingrosso (yep, that one, the Swedish singer in Eurovision 2018).

Escfan
1 year ago
Reply to  Rifki

100% agree, when I heard the chorus of this song, my mind with to the chorus of Armenia’s jesc entry.

Sabrina
Sabrina
1 year ago

UMK 2023 will be a paradise for well produced mainstream pop lovers, ahn? I’m still waiting for something different on the menu though. In any case, from the initial 3 my favorite is Benjamin’s entry. “Girls Like You” doesn’t sound original to my ears and if the intention is to have a fun song about wanting to go wild with someone, “Hoida mut” is the one going unapologetically for it.

Young_At_Heart_In_Austin
Young_At_Heart_In_Austin
1 year ago

This sounds like Armenia’s most recent JESC entry Dance which was way better than this song which IMO is a non qualifier

Boozyfloozy69
Boozyfloozy69
1 year ago

UMK 3 for 3 on QUALITYYYY so far! But for me Hoida Mut is the one so far.

Zisk
Zisk
1 year ago

Wow that’s really underwhelming. I expected more. It’s not bad it’s just generic and doesn’t go anywhere big.

John
John
1 year ago

Amazing on 1st listen. Will have broad crossover appeal across all age groups. This is definitely a qualifier at ESC. May do worse in the Final if there are too many similar songs because of savaging by juries. The other 2 songs released so far are too genre specific and will not appeal to many people.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
1 year ago

Disco! 🙂
Also, it looks and sounds like Finland cloned Benjamin Ingrosso.
The song is light snd cheerful, so it would be a change of pace for Finland if they chose it.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
1 year ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

I was also getting a lot of Ingrosso from this…so much so, when rating it, I looked up what I gave “Dance You Off” (this is slightly better btw).

Jyrki
Jyrki
1 year ago

Bad. I’m sad.

Jonas
Jonas
1 year ago

About three seconds remind me of, or maybe are exactly like, Rock With You.

Paul
Paul
1 year ago

Utterly forgettable after two bangers.

TMay
TMay
1 year ago

wait, i really like this. If this does win, ot would be the strongest entry so far!

And hes good live as well

Thallo
Thallo
1 year ago

God, I hope UMK isn’t turning into Melodifestivalen. This is okay, it’s very basic. I knew the song would sound like this when I saw the title last week.

We definitely haven’t seen the winner yet.

Aaa
Aaa
1 year ago

Oh I’m disappointed,
And I know he is going to win anyway with that 75% public voting.

Pat
Pat
1 year ago

Robin is obviously well liked and extremely talented. I actually like this song and I think it’s fun and could offer a good live show.

That being said, unfortunately of the three songs released so far this is the weakest entry. Both Keira and Benjamin are serving better pop alternatives and this one feels a bit “dull”. We will just have to wait and see how the rest of the songs are and of course the live UMK show.

In any case Finland is really stepping up their game this year and hoping for another qualifier!

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
1 year ago

We mustn’t lose Hoida Mut for this

Microfibertowel
Microfibertowel
1 year ago

An ok song, but not for ESC and might get lost in the strength of UMK.

Imo, Jezebel wasn’t good but it was strong. This is just weak, although it’s a bit of a better song

I wouldn’t usually think he would win because of his fame, but with a 75% televote anything can happen!

Another possibility is if a clear winner is released or if all the others are weak as well, but other than that he won’t win.

BadWoolfGirl
BadWoolfGirl
1 year ago

There’s going to be a point where that 25-75% jury-televote split is going to bite Finland in the butt one day, and a poor choice is selected because of the lopsided televote side (as people has been complaining that the television there are seven responsible for giving us “weak” songs for Eurovision). That day might come this year, even though I don’t think girls like you is as weak as people are insisting it is. It may or may not be the best song for UMK, but I have heard worse songs in other national finals.

microfibertowel
microfibertowel
1 year ago
Reply to  BadWoolfGirl

they should make it 30-20-50
30 international jury, 20 international televote, 50 home televote

Laura
Laura
1 year ago

Ohhhh I love it! ??

BadWoolfGirl
BadWoolfGirl
1 year ago

I’m actually surprised that this song is not being well received. I actually really like it. Although, I’m not familiar with this artist, so I didn’t have a bias or high expectations for it. I’ve never listened to his back catalogue to compare the song to, so I judged this with an open mind. I might be stirring controversy, but I placed girls like you as top of my ranking list for the UMK, but that might be recency bias. Maybe I should wait until all seven songs are out so I can make a proper ranking all at once.

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  BadWoolfGirl

Well, imo the song itself isn’t bad, but it’s rather basic compared to stuff he’s done in the past. Anyways, I wish Robin the best for his career! 🙂

Roro31
Roro31
1 year ago

Its a good song, pop modern and catchy but nothing special and so basic … I’m dissapointed by Robin ! Unfortunately, I think its the winner for Finland because its very famous in Finland … In Finland, its the head of the artist the thing more important and not the song unfortunately… Last year, The Rasmus won like this … I hope for Robin, Keira and maybe Lxandra, Portion Boys and the rapper !!! Finnish people : vote for THE SONG not for the HEAD of the artist and NOTORIETY Pleaseeeeeeeee Finally, Finland have a good and strong selection but… Read more »

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  Roro31

Judging by the comments, Finns aren’t buying this. And Benjamin is as popular as Robin in Finland, so it might not be as one-horse raced as it seems from the outside.

Roro31
Roro31
1 year ago
Reply to  Benito Camelo

I hope then that the Finns will wake up and choose the right song!

I hopeeee

Rijad
Rijad
1 year ago

Its a good song! But definitely the least memorable one so far! Benjamin and Keira definitely gave us bigger bops!

Jonas
Jonas
1 year ago

One thing I don’t like is judging women based on one glance. He can see she’s trouble? Switzerland 2019 had the same problem. If these singers weren’t so good-looking and young, we would find it creepy.

Vivian
Vivian
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

You just love to take these kinds of lyrics WAAAAAAY too seriously, don’t you? xD

Jonas
Jonas
1 year ago
Reply to  Vivian

I do.

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

Happens to me often when I pay attention to the lyrics of reggaeton or trap or several regional Mexican songs :/

TMay
TMay
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

it really aint that deep bro

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

Ah, well-spotted.
Perhaps this kind of song should “come with a warning.” Wait, I’ve heard that before somewhere…

Moonstar
Moonstar
1 year ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

Touché! ?

Sol Stevia
Sol Stevia
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

I find him creepy

Jessey
Jessey
1 year ago

I definitely prefer his other song “hard to love”
Why do some artist always come to the contest with the lesser option? You

BadWoolfGirl
BadWoolfGirl
1 year ago
Reply to  Jessey

That is something I have often noticed.

Jessey
Jessey
1 year ago
Reply to  BadWoolfGirl

It was way more impactful, I just feels like “girls like you” is a bit to lowkey it’s cute and all, but c’mon Im not picking up the phone to vote for this

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  BadWoolfGirl

I have noticed it too, I don’t blame them bc they have to play their cards but I don’t like it when their attempt to grow their careers is (or at least sounds like) an album filler xd

Laura
Laura
1 year ago
Reply to  Jessey

I like this one a lot more!

eurovision berlin
eurovision berlin
1 year ago

I am a BIG fan of Robin.. I even have like 10 songs on my spotify by him.. but this? is like one of the weaker songs.. very sad 🙁

Alex
Alex
1 year ago

i think this is a really fun song that could also do well with juries in the final.

Tess
Tess
1 year ago

boring. I hope he won’t win just because he’s the most famous from them all
For me, the winner is still Benjamin

Sol Stevia
Sol Stevia
1 year ago
Reply to  Tess

The worst song won UMK last year only cus the artists were famous so it may happen again.

Tommm
Tommm
1 year ago

Its Ingrosso 2.0 He is going to win sadly 🙁 But i must say also Keira and Benjamin grow in me so maybe this song will do too

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  Tommm

Tbf I’m not as sure, from what I’m seeing in comments Finns aren’t liking it and Benjamin is as popular as Robin (or even more)

Tommm
Tommm
1 year ago
Reply to  Benito Camelo

Benjamin still won at His 2 try actually – so maybe there is a chance for other artists

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  Tommm

This is the first time Benjamin takes part of UMK, dunno what ur talkin abt

Tommm
Tommm
1 year ago
Reply to  Benito Camelo

I was talking about Ingrosso Sweden 2018 bc Robin song reminds me Ingrosso – now i get it haha

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago

I’m torn, I can’t say I didn’t like it, but I can’t say that I liked it either. I’m a bit underwhelmed, I was expecting something better from Robin.

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  Benito Camelo

A “meh,” would describe what I feel about the song, though I’m not that indifferent either xd