Europe phoned and Finland is screaming into the line. On Saturday, February 25th Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu explodes onto screens direct from Turku — Finland’s former capital and an old city with a young soul. This weekend the seven UMK 2023 finalists are calling it home before they head to battle.
Ahead of the show, the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals — have listened to and rated each of the competing songs. The panel for this jury includes 10 people, who hail from Finland, the U.K, Australia, Germany, Romania, and the United States.
Next up are the Portion Boys (and woman!) with their song “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” (Under the Same Sky). Are we looking up and taking in the view? Or would we rather bury ourselves beneath a rock? Read on to find out…
Portion Boys — “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” (UMK 2023 Review)
Tom: This is wonderfully throwback, anthemic, fun and bursting with “hands in the air” energy. I heard Formula One and Kimi Räikkönen in the lyrics so I had to find out what they were singing about. Turns out they are singing about everyone in Europe — and that makes me love the song even more. Yes, it is on the kitsch side. It may feel like Finland could be taking a step backwards if this gets selected but I am not sure I care. I love how entertaining and explosive the song is. Make no mistake, I can’t have 39 other songs like this at Eurovision, but I will be very happy if this is the song that ticks the kitsch box for 2023. Brilliant!
Score: 8
Dayana: I honestly love the energy of this song. Portion Boys have promised us some incredible staging that matches their party spirit — looking forward to seeing it!
Score: 7.5
Deban: A tongue-in-cheek geography lesson with a cracking melody! The Portion Boys have carved another mega party hit whilst attempting to represent their country at Eurovision. Although “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” comes off as a gimmick, it holds enough charm to offset its critics. It’s pop, it’s rock, it’s anthemic schlager. But most of all, its underlying message is its greatest strength: Despite all our cultural quirks, we all look at the same sky.
Score: 7.5
Rik: I’m sorry, I just can’t stand these kind of joke acts. They give us good production and a lot of effort but it feels like they just make fun of Eurovision — but not in an enjoyable way. The lyrics make it even more cliché and childish. I don’t see Europe liking tho s entry and it would be a waste of six better songs not making it, if Finland sets Portion Boys to Liverpool.
Score: 2
Samuel: Compared to some songs we’ve seen this Eurovision season, I’m grateful that Portion Boys are at least giving us a party full of energy, looks and fun. I love it, but UMK’s bar is high this year and so for me, “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” ends up being completely average, which above all else is a compliment to how good of a job YLE has done this year.
Score: 6
Ruxandra: This was very fun to watch… This really looks like a song from a movie or a musical, so I can understand why the Eurovision fans say that this sounds like it’s straight out of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. If there were a sequel to that movie, this is perfect for the soundtrack. Personally, I like it. Obviously, if this wins, it would be a funny entry… I don’t know if this song can bring the trophy in Finland but this would be an unforgettable performance — one that looks straight out of a musical. I think the lyrics are nice — they tried to include some countries by underlining specific aspects and stereotypes and they managed to do this while being funny, but never offensive.
Score: 8.5
William: They’re flying the flag all over the world. And just like Scooch they would crash land at Eurovision. Don’t get me wrong: I love the fun, the froth, and the feel-good energy. But Finland has become a powerhouse at Eurovision — this would be a step in the wrong direction. That said, I have every faith this will improve dramatically live. The Portion Boys know how to perform and I expect a huge party on Saturday.
Score: 5
Calvin: Do you think that Mika Häkkinen, a two-time Formula One champion, is jealous of Kimi Räikkönen for not being mentioned here? This song is a colourful, way over-the-top fair ride that just keeps on going faster and faster. The lyrics are fun, though the concept itself isn’t new, and the amount of self-mockery is just hilarious. If the Eurovision movie had been directed by them, I think I would have even enjoyed it.
Score: 6
Sebastian: It’s a lot of kitsch. A lot. “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” is a sensory overload, and in a year where UMK has really strong offerings, I feel that “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” is just a bit too tongue-in-cheek to be taken seriously in the competition. Equally, I can see the crowd headbanging and getting right behind this. Maybe at that point I can embrace the spirit of the track, but at this stage, I’m not feeling it.
Score: 5
Suzanne: The sound of theatre always draws me in. This has a funny, 80s, Game of Thrones, Eurovision Movie feel. And it made me happy.
Score: 8
We have removed the highest and lowest scores before calculating the result to weed out any potential bias.
The Wiwi Jury Average: 6.63
What do you think? Are The Portion Boys the ones? Let us know what you’re thinking down below!
Our overall rankings:
- Benjamin — “Hoida mut” 8.5
- Käärijä — “Cha Cha Cha” 8.13
- KUUMAA — “Ylivoimainen” 8.07
- Robin Packalen — “Girls Like You” 7.19
- Lxandra — “Something to Lose” 7.13
- Keira — “No Business On The Dancefloor” 6.75
- The Portion Boys — “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” 6.63
I like this song very much, it ‘s one of my favorites together with the song from Benjamin.
My Top 7:
1. Kuumaa: Ylivoimainen – 9.5/10
2. Käärijä: Cha Cha Cha – 9/10
3. Benjamin: Hoida mut – 8.5/10
4. Lxandra: Something to Lose – 7.5/10
5. Keira: No Business on the Dancefloor – 7/10
6. Portion Boys: Samaa taivasta katsotaan – 6.5/10
7. Robin Packalen: Girls Like You – 6.5/10
NF Average: 7.78 (by far the highest one this year)
Update after UMK final night:
My Top 7:
1. Kuumaa: Ylivoimainen – 10/10
2. Käärijä: Cha Cha Cha – 9.5/10
3. Benjamin: Hoida mut – 8/10
4. Lxandra: Something to Lose – 7.5/10
5. Keira: No Business on the Dancefloor – 7/10
6. Portion Boys: Samaa taivasta katsotaan – 7/10
7. Robin Packalen: Girls Like You – 7/10
NF Average: 8.00
This feels like a party anthem made specifically with Eurovision in mind. Unapologetically fun, tongue & cheek, and cheesy. One could assume it comes from The Fire Saga, or alternatively a blast from the past, from the mid-late 00s, when being self aware was quite ”in”. It does what it goes for very well. It’s probably not a song that should win within this line-up, but I’m happy to see it included. It’s quite fun and I expect it to bring a great energy on stage. – 6.5/10
Camp, fun and an enjoyable part of this selection, perhaps not for Eurovision, but it goes to that category where you an enjoy it while understanding where it holds it’s strongest place and that place being their upcoming gigs in Finland.
Just because something isn’t the top choice for Eurovision doesn’t mean it’s bad!
While it’s a very fun song I enjoyed listening to, it’s not something I’d listen to outside of a certain context and I wouldn’t like this to represent Finland at ESC, at least not this year. It would’ve been a great entry even until 2019 I guess
Why has Wiwibloggs neglected their video song reviews so much over the past couple of years? I remember they would do a panel of at least 3 people every year reviewing and commenting on each song. One whole video devoted to discussing the entry each country is sending, including their ranking and justification for the grad given. But now they don’t seem to care as much about their video stuff. Just having the same person of the wiwibloggs team uncritically yas queening every song and no input from anybody else is quite a downgrade from the kind of conteny you… Read more »
“Samaa taivasta katsotaan” – Don’t worry, I’m not actually going to analyse this song. You can all hear what’s in this one without the explanation. It’s a party for Europe, from Finland, the home country of Formula 1 champion Kimi Räikkönen. Now drink and be merry, for tomorrow, the Finns join NATO.
This wraps up the UMK 23 reviews. Thanks so much to everyone involved, and I look forward to the final tomorrow. It’s going to be awesome. 🙂